What to Consider Before Changing Careers

A lot of people are comfortable and very much pleased with their career. They are making enough money to lead a decent life, they have a respectful employer and maybe even have a great relationship with their colleagues. These people should feel lucky because there are many others who are questioning if a career change is a smart move.

 

If you are planning to change careers, there are a few things you should consider before doing so.

Training/education

When switching to a new career, there may be some sort of training involved. Depending on what career you choose, you may find yourself back in school for quite some time. The reason you want to stop and consider this is because if you are looking to escape your dead end job that’s making you unhappy, you probably won’t be able to do it as soon as you were hoping.

Salary

Money is another reason people tend to consider trying out a different career. It would be a good idea to compare the yearly salary of the job you have to the yearly salary of the job you want. If money is important, your new career will definitely be more appealing. However, if money isn’t part of the reason you are considering a new career, you at least want to be sure you can survive on what it does pay.

Location

Some cities and states don’t always have the best markets for certain careers. Before you start to transition from one career to another, check out the job market in your area. The last thing you want to do is quit your job and get trained for a new one only to find out that you have to relocate to even find work in your new field.

There are a lot of different reasons that a person will decide it is time for a career change. Regardless of the reason, you want to stop to consider if it is a wise decision. You wouldn’t switch you phone service from Vonage to another company that offer you what you are looking, so you definitely shouldn’t switch careers without looking into things first.

Being a Graduate with International Relations Degree: What You Can Become

Are you interested in pursuing an international relations degree? This study field has become more and more popular today, especially with the number of global events that also have an impact in political, economic, cultural, and social life. Not only is this an attractive discipline, it is also broad and versatile. Pursuing this degree will provide great insights on laws, public policies, social issues, political affairs, and economic trends, in which everything’s linked together to create the big picture. Even so, it’s also understandable if this becomes your concern: your career prospects.

Career Prospects for International Relations Degree

  1. Opportunities in government and politics.

With this degree, you can pursue a career in the government sector, especially foreign services career at national level. Or you can opt for joining the diplomacy department if you’ve got knowledge about other countries, including their language, culture, political environment, and so on. Other options you can consider when working in the government sector with a degree in international relations also include intelligence specialist (in the navy, the military, or security departments) and political analyst (as researchers; the opportunities are also within research institutes or media companies).

  1. Opportunities in international law and business.

Being a lobbyist is also another career opportunity as someone with international relations degree. Lobbyists are hired to convince members of government institution so they’d make a decision to benefit the organization represented. Alternatively, you can also work as an international lawyer, be it in the government sectors, corporations, or even non-profit organizations. There are various issues the international lawyers will need to deal with, such as finance, banking, and trade law.

  1. Opportunities in a non-profit organization.

You can also work to improve the welfare of the society with this degree. Join the non-profit organizations operating on the international level so you’ll get the chance to shape your career with opportunities to travel to other countries.

Graduates from international relations major often impress many employers due to the qualities they possess, such as the extensive knowledge and interdisciplinary skills. In addition to that, they also often demonstrate an exceptional communication and language abilities. This is why graduating an international relations degree may open up a vast opportunity to pursue career in various fields, such as journalism, economics, or research analysis. This is why you should also develop the set of skill during your study, such as learning foreign languages, communication skills, problem-solving skills, and negotiation and persuasion abilities.