By Craig Friesen

Are you fed up with punching the time clock day in and day out? Do you wish you could wake up in the morning excited about the workday ahead? Perhaps it’s time you traded in your dead-end job for a fulfilling vocation. You could become one of the many Americans who are taking charge of their own destiny with new technical training, or by earning degrees through colleges, universities, and computer schools.

Evaluate your Career Goals

Evaluating where you are and where you want to go is important to seeking a career change. Maybe you feel unhappy and frustrated in your job, but you don’t know exactly what it is you would like to do instead. You should ask yourself several important questions.

• What skills, training, and education do you already have?
• Which of them could be improved with suitable training?
• Do you want to continue in your current field but at a higher level?
• Would you like to switch careers completely?
• What are your vocational interests?
• What would be your ideal career?
• What do you need to do to pursue your career goals?

These questions will help give you a concrete idea of what you want to do. After establishing where your interests lie it is a simple matter to research the careers, education and skills pertaining to that field. An aptitude test or career discernment survey could also help you narrow down a vocational focus. Tools of this kind are usually available at colleges, universities, and employment centers or you can search for them online.

Identify the factors you need to consider

If an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in some other subject is required for advancement then you probably need to consider a university or college. Other institutions such as computer schools can provide technical training and certificate programs to help you achieve your trade or career goal. Business degrees can usually be acquired at trade schools as well as college, computer schools, or universities. Your choice of school can then be narrowed down by as location, financial aid packages, availability of online courses, and the time required for program completion.

Prepare yourself for studying

This might include deciding how many courses you can take at each college or computer school during the semester, or making an application for financial aid. If you need financial aid then you should take note of the application deadlines. Certain business degrees, certificate programs and technical training may have specific prerequisites; perhaps you will need to take an extra class to qualify or provide documents to prove your status. If you are considering an online degree, you may need to brush up on computer skills.

Go For It!

Everything is set. You have done your research and you are prepared to begin the career education that will change your life forever. Soon you will have more options than you ever dared to dream of. With the right training the transition from your current job to the exciting career of your choice could be just around the corner. All that remains is for you to make the decision to do it, now, and soon you could be waking up every morning to a career you enjoy.

About the author

Craig Friesen is an ordained Mennonite minister currently serving a congregation in rural Saskatchewan, Canada. He has a B.A. in Religious Studies from University of Manitoba and a M.Div. from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. A computer hobbyist, Craig operates several home-based online businesses in his leisure time.