Your definitive guide on how to change careers in 2025: (hint it starts with mindset)
This is a complete guide on how to change careers in 2025. So if you’re overworked, stressed and unhappy, now is the time to start thinking about a career change.
You probably have a few more decades left in your career. Make them great! You deserve to have a career that is deeply rewarding, and genuinely satisfying.
Feeling uncertain in your current career
The pandemic has caused many of us to stop and think about life. We’ve realised that we have no control over external forces (like pandemics and lockdowns) causing huge disruption in our life. But we can control the direction of our career.
Are you, like many of us, evaluating your life and thinking about your career direction? Are you happy with the path you’re on? Many of us are not.
You’re not alone: career change statistics
In 2022 I asked my audience if they agreed with this statement:
Covid-19 has made me pause and reflect on what I want to do with my career
More than forty percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. That’s almost half of us who’d like to make a change (a staggering number, really).
The truth is that career change is simply becoming part of everyday working life.
The 2017 future of jobs report found that today’s teenage Australian will have 17 different jobs across five careers.
We’re also much more likely to be self-employed. From 2013 to 2016, the number went from 8.5% to 11.2%, according to Self Employed Australia. Armed with a laptop, Wi-Fi and a smartphone you can easily start a part-time consulting or freelance business. (Many people love the idea of a side hustle that morphs into a career).
It can be daunting to consider career change
Changing career is a big deal, right? There’s financial considerations, fear of the unknown and the idea you might have to ‘start again’. It can lead to serious overwhelm. Before you know it, two years have gone by and you’re still stuck, and wishing you’d taken action sooner. As a career change coach, I see this often.
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today.
People think they can’t make a move without a big plan in place. But that’s wrong!
Career change is not about a big leap. And I’m not suggesting you quit your job and run off to be a ski instructor without any preparation. It’s about the small but powerful actions you take now, which will set you up for that exciting next step.
So, I recommend you begin with a gentle exploration of future career possibilities.
Think of a possibility as simply a career path you want to learn more about.
My ‘exploring’ approach to career change has numerous benefits
If you're worrying about how to change your career in 2025, starting small is a great way to begin to shift your mindset.
Benefit one: because you’re starting gradually, you have time to build your confidence in the idea, and what’s possible for you.
Benefit two: you’re just exploring opportunities and de-risking your decision. You’re not making any massive changes, so it feels safer (to that critical voice in your head).
Benefit three: you get a clearer picture of what it’s really like to move into a different industry or job—before you’ve made any drastic moves. We don’t want you making any changes without doing your research first.
So, here are five tips to get started
One: identify your strengths
Two: shortlist potential career possibilities
Three: start researching those career possibilities
Four: find new connections
Five: start experimenting
It’s simple, but it works. Let’s break down each one in detail.
Tip One: list your strengths
People often say start with your transferable skills but this is more useful later in the process. After all, having excellent people management skills may not mean you want this to be core to your next move. Just ask Atlassian’s Sarah Goff-Dupont who took a ‘voluntary demotion’ because she recognised that being a manager took her too far away from the role she really loved, which was being a writer.
More important than this is getting clear on your strengths. And a strength is not just something that you’re really good at, it’s something you’re energised by. A strength is a combination of a natural talent, and skills and behaviours you’ve developed along the way. All the research suggests that when we have the opportunity to regularly use our strengths in our working day, we’re likely to be happier, more engaged, and perform at our best.
There are a number of different ways to figure out your strengths, but one thing you can do is ask others. We often have blind spots where our strengths are concerned, so asking people whose opinion you value can be really helpful. You can do this by reflecting on the feedback you typically get at work both informally in corridor conversations or casual meetings, as well as formal settings like performance reviews. I also encourage people to think about what their friends and family say because strengths pertain to all areas of your life not just work. So ask yourself, what do your friends write in birthday cards? What do family members say you’re really great at?
You might bring incredible optimism to all of your relationships. Perhaps you’re a brilliant connector of people. Or maybe your organising skills are right up there – whether it’s a group holiday or a complex cross organisational project.
Whatever they are, knowing your strengths is part of setting yourself up for a happy, satisfying next step.
Tip Two: shortlist potential career possibilities
Remember, you don’t need to know exactly what you want to do. At this point, you don’t have to have ‘the answer’, what you’re trying to do is identify a handful of possibilities. And a possibility is simply a career path you want to learn more about.
Because when you can identify a career you want to learn more about, you can take action to explore it. And that’s what helps you figure out if that path is something you want to pursue.
It could be a new industry, an adjacent role or a completely new profession.
So how do you come up with possibilities for what’s next? Research, reflection and asking lots of questions.
I find that even people who say that they don’t have any plan for what’s next, usually have a few ideas in the back of their mind. It’s just a matter of uncovering them, talking it through and then putting them down on paper.
Values and strengths are useful starting points because they give you clarity on what matters to you, what motivates you, and what you need to be at your best.
But you also need to think about what interests you. What are you curious about? What do you want to learn more about? Equally, pay attention to what you’re paying attention to. Are you always reading about new technology? Obsessed with startup podcasts and stories of entrepreneurs? These kinds of things can often offer clues.
It also helps to look to broader trends. How is technology changing your industry? What trends are emerging in professions/ industries you’re curious about? What industries or professions are growing?
Once you have two or three ideas for potential pathways, you can start taking action to learn more about them.
Tip Three: start researching career possibilities
Now it’s time to check out the jobs or industries in more detail. If you feel anxious about this, remind yourself that you’re just experimenting - ‘trying before buying’ - and not making any firm decisions just yet.
Research will be different depending on your needs, but you could:
follow industry leaders on Linkedin
read blogs and industry publications
read books about the industry
listen to podcasts
attend industry events, workshops or seminars
This is a useful way to begin, but nothing will help you fast track your learning and sense of possibility like talking to others who are working in your area of interest.
Tip Four: find new connections
Start reaching out to people to learn more about the potential careers you’re looking at. Remember that your network is based on your current career. If you want to change careers, you need to make new connections with people who are working in and around the fields you’re looking at. It’s especially useful if you can find people who have made transitions from other industries or careers. This can really build your confidence about where you can go, and career change is all about opening your mind to what’s possible.
Remember, it’s just a conversation, not a job interview! The purpose is to understand more about what the job or career is actually like.
So think about:
People in the area, career or role you’re aspiring to > understand their trajectory or transition
Recruiters or talent managers specialising in that industry or discipline > identify skill gaps, strengths and transition pathway
People who can help you envisage a different future for yourself and find a new point of reference > find a parallel experience you can learn from
People aligned with your strengths and interests > build your confidence in your value
Existing networks aligned with your interest or possibility > connect and learn through virtual networks, online forums, meet ups and following experts on LinkedIn or other platforms
And how to find them
Existing networks (personal and professional)
Your contacts’ contacts (ask for a connection)
LinkedIn (an amazing resource for making new connections)
Google (a good tool for research)
Hunter (find anyone’s email when you know their company)
Did you know Linkedin lets you download your LinkedIn Connections as a CSV file? You probably know more people than you think.
If you approach people in the right way, you’ll find more often than not, they’re open to helping you. The key is to be specific about what you need, to be realistic about what you’re asking for, and to make it all about that person. Also don’t forget to think about how you can be helpful!
At the end of each conversation, you should also ask the person, ‘Is there anyone you can think of who would be good for me to chat with next?’ This can lead you to make more connections in the industry.
Talking to people gives you valuable insights into what it’s actually like working in this career, so you don’t have to rely on assumptions.
Tip Five: start experimenting
You may need to have anywhere from 10 to 20 conversations depending on the move you’re looking at (some people aim for 50!). But after several of these, you’ll feel more confident about either making a decision about whether this career path is suitable for you, or at least whether you want to keep exploring it. You’ll also be clearer on what it takes to break into the industry. You may have to gain some qualifications, or your skills may be transferable. You can narrow your field down at this stage or keep it broad.
Depending on your career choice, an experiment might be:
volunteering
looking for contract or freelance opportunities
enrolling in a short course
starting a side project or business
proactively putting your hand up at work to gain new experience
joining a Board
Whatever path you choose, because you’ve actually got some firsthand insight and maybe even experience, you’ll feel more confident about taking the next step.
Tamsin went from advertising to change management
Tamsin was unhappy in her role in operations for an advertising agency but unsure about her next step. After reflecting on her values, strengths and defining a clearer vision for her ideal career, she was able to identify a handful of possibilities for what was next.
With my guidance, she chose three areas of potential career interest: change management, governance and project management in the tech industry.
After canvassing friends, having initial conversations with new connections and undertaking a few free online short courses, Tamsin identified change management as her preferred career possibility. Then, I kept her accountable to her goal of having four conversations each week. These discussions proved valuable, because she discovered that there is a highly regarded industry course that is considered an essential for any change management role.
As she continued to have positive conversations with people working in change, her confidence in her decision and ability to make her move grew, so it was a no-brainer for her to gain the necessary qualifications. Within four months of starting the process she secured multiple interviews, and accepted a senior change management role in a top four bank. She’s also recently been elected to an industry board.
She puts her ability to transition successfully in such a short time to her ‘explorer’s mindset’. She said every time she had a bout of the wobbles, she reminded herself that she was ‘exploring’ – she didn’t have to have all the answers, but by taking consistent, deliberate action she would find her feet and her next step.
Career change is about mindset (yours and others)
Your career is closely tied up to your identity. After all, what's the first thing everyone asks when they meet? ‘What do you do?’
So when you think of changing a career, you may feel uncomfortable. Plus, what makes it even harder? The people in your orbit might question your change, because they are used to thinking of you a certain way too.
Recently I worked with someone who’s been in international development for almost two decades, and now wants to start her own business. Her brother immediately said ‘Why would you throw away 20 years of experience?’ He hadn’t pictured her this way, and so was surprised she’d ‘walk away’ from a long career aid work. When you are feeling anxious and vulnerable about changing your career, comments like these can throw you off. But stay focused on the bigger picture, and remember that changing career is a process of taking very small steps and simply exploring what’s possible. You’re not throwing anything away, you’re creating what’s next.
The good thing about doing all this research? Each tiny step adjusts your mindset. You go from thinking about a new career as unlikely to believing that it may be possible. That shift is an important part of the process.
In summary: how to change your career in 2025: five tips
Identify your strengths (know what you’re great at and energised by)
Make a shortlist potential career possibilities: identify two to three that you feel most excited about
Start researching those career possibilities: read content, listen to podcasts and follow industry influencers.
Find new connections: have conversations with people who can open doors and give you advice.
Start experimenting with what’s next: sign up for a short course, seek internal opportunities, start a side project or look for other opportunities that will help you get some kind of direct experience
Would you like 1:1 support to help you change your career direction?
If you’d like the support of a career change coach to help you take your career change from dream to reality, let’s talk! You can learn more here.