Transitioning careers can be for various reasons. You might at some point want to change and venture into other things that either make you happier, or that bring you a lot of money.

Much as this sounds ambitious and interesting, it’s not always easy. 

Deciding the right time and the right steps towards that requires a lot of consideration.

Career changes happen for several reasons, but when they do, it’s advantageous to be strategic. A researched, thoughtful career change will likely lead to greater job satisfaction, according to Indeed career guide.

Deciding to transition careers is not a decision that comes overnight, according to Diana Umurungi a professional career consultant.

She says the person in question has thought about it for a long time, and has analysed where they are or what they are doing is not what they want and they need a change in their working life.

"There are people who don’t like staying in one place, doing the same things or even being in one place forever, and that alone can be a reason to transition. There are those who even leave a managerial position to for example start an online shopping business, it happens a lot but if done with caution and thoughtfulness, it is always great to explore your potential and discover new things that you are good at,” she says.

Daniel Ngabirano who works in the creative industry sector as a designer, says that career transitioning is a way of acquiring new knowledge and new skills.

"Working in the same sector is not really bad, but it can also be tiring sometimes. As we grow, we are offered the chance to only dream once and dream while being young, so a lot of people might fear to change careers, or even have new dreams because of that mind-set. But in reality, there are no limits to dreaming or even changing careers, 

"You can work as an HR for 20 years and decide to leave the position (which might even be a well-paying position) for photography maybe, but those are new skills gained, new knowledge and qualities,” he says.

Reasons for career transitioning

David Asifiwe who works as an interpreter for a translation company based in the USA says that career changes can happen for many reasons, providing you with new and fulfilling opportunities. He shares that you might switch careers to:

Have a more flexible work schedule

Advance within an organisation

Earn a higher salary

Travel more or less for work

Work under a different leadership team

Reduce stress

Feel appreciated

How and when to switch careers

According to Harvard Business Review’s page, here are a few things to consider when switching careers:

Start by asking why you want to quit your current job.

Is it the culture of the organisation, is it the people you work with, or is there something else bogging you down? You might also discover that you love your job, but you want to build something new or experiment with a different sector.

Keep the end in mind

It is challenging to plan for the long-term, but it helps to have a mental image of the kind of life you want to build. Work and life are not separate entities. Work is part of life. Try to visualise where you want to live, the kind of person you want to partner with (or if you even want a partner), and how you want to spend your time on a daily basis.

Assess yourself

While some may know already they want to work in another industry or go back to school to learn something new, many don’t know what their next step should be. But it is impossible to know where you are going if you don’t know where you are.

Expect multiple rejections

Unfortunately, most career transitions and hiring processes rely heavily on past experience. For example, suppose you are a technology sales manager who wants to break into trading or hedge funds.