Everything you need to know about making a career change in your 30s

Everything you need to know about making a career change in your 30sEverything you need to know about making a career change in your 30sThe urge to make a career change in your 30s is extremelynormal. In fact, a whopping 73 percent of 30-somethings say they want to change careers (up by 10 percent compared to 2013),according to a 2015 study. Whats holding you back?Forty-three percent of those interested in making a career change cited the lack of financial security as a major barrier, and 36 percent said they worried about a lack in experience or education.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreBeing passionate (and happy) at work is critical, so those barriers shouldnt stop you- or anyone else- from pursuing a career change at 30. Yes, as a 30-something,leaving an established career behind is an uncomfortable thought, but your dream career is worth a few months or so of unease, i.e. b attling the unknown.(And think about it this way Youll always have that field to fall back on if things dont work out.)Amanda Augustine,a career advice expert and spokesperson for TopResume, has stellar advice for making a thoughtful career pivot.1. Understand the industry speakWhen youre looking to make a pivot, something that will give you an advantage- and boost your confidence- is being able to talk about the industry as though you already work in it.Look through job ads on career boards specific to your new industry, and study how hiring managers describe those positions. What keywords are you seeing over and over? Take note, and make sure you know what they mean.Augustine recommends doing some productive social media stalking, too. You can follow industry leaders and influencers on social media to get a better handle on the industry buzzwords and catch up on the latest news thats affecting target employers, she says.Then, apply those keywords to your resume and professional pr ofiles.Youd be surprised how many of your skills can be translated into a new industry- you just may need to change the terminology you use to describe them, Augustine says.So, lets say you used analyze data in the finance industry- now youre an expert in using that data to forecast trends in the marketing world. Done and done.2. Make your connections countJust because you dont know a ton of people in this new field doesnt mean you cant leverage the strong network youve already spent years building.Its all about tapping those second- and third-degree connections.If youre hesitant to make an ask, consider how you can help the other person first. As with any networking relationship, the goal should be to provide value before you start asking for favors, says Augustine. If youre considering a change and want to leverage a contacts expertise or resources, begin by reestablishing the relationship. Never call someone out-of-the-blue and start asking for help. Look for opportunities to pay it forward- this can be as simple as offering to make an introduction to someone else in your network or sharing a resource you found.Consider this approach make a list of the people you want to reach out to, with a second column about how you provide something valuable to each person simultaneously.3. Decide what compromises youre willing to makeIn Steve Jobs2005 Stanford commencement address, he said, I didnt see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter into one of the most creative periods of my life.Steve Jobs is always good for an inspirational quote, but its OK if youre apprehensive about being a beginner again. Especially if it means looking for positions that have less seniority than the one you currently have, taking a pay cut, or taking a community college class i n a room full of 18-year-olds. Acknowledge how you feel, but remind yourself that youve had the courage to course correct (as those 18-year-olds will do one day, too) and follow the path toward your dream job. Remember that sometimes its necessary to make a lateral move, or even a step down, in order to move up on the right path, says Augustine. Accept this fact, and youre already in better shape.In terms of cold, hard numbers, Re-evaluate your finances and identify areas where you can cut back your expenses to make the transition less jarring, says Augustine. This might also mean thinking ahead of time about your negotiation needs once an offer is on the table. Say you have to take a small pay cut you could ask to work from home one day a week to reduce commuting costs.It wont always be easy, but keep your eye on the prize, says Augustine. If youre passionate about this new direction, all this hard work will be worth it.This article was originally published on Create and Cultivate. You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people