If you are looking for a new career, perhaps something very different from what you have been doing, it can be hard to know where to start your research.
If you have read my article on Self Evaluation for career choice then you will know about identifying your values, interests and skills to help you start the research process. This will have given you some ideas that you will now need to research in more detail.
Here are some top resources that you can use to investigate possible career options.
1. Trade organisations
Look for organisations or bodies that are related to the career choices you are interested in. For example, if you are interested in project management then there is PMI (Project Management Institute) and APM (Association for Project Management). If you are interested in Marketing then there are organisation like The Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Direct Marketing Association. A quick search for the type of industry and the word bodies will normally get you plenty of lists.
These organisations are normally delighted to help out with information on their particular trade and may be willing to put you in touch with members who will be able to tell you a lot more about it.
2. Trade fairs and shows
Look for shows and fairs that relate to your areas of interest. These events will have lots of people who are very knowledgeable and normally happy to share that knowledge with people who show an interest. Not only is this a great way to find out more but you can also start to build a network of people in the industry that, if you decide this is the career for you, could be of great help when it comes time to find a job. The down side to this option is that you may have to travel as these shows can be few and far between.
3. Local Government Offices
Local Government requires a massive spread of disciplines and it is quite possible that the career you are interested in is practiced somewhere in the local government organisation. Not only that but they have careers advice services that can help you find out more about any career that you have an interest in.
4. Your personal Network
How many people do you know? How many people does each of them know? How many people does each of those people know? Let's say that you know 10 people (and I bet you know more than that). Let's say that each of them knows an extra 10 people and each of them knows an extra 10 people. That's 1,110 people. What are the chances that someone in that 1,110 people knows something about the career you are interested in? Use your network to find out more.
5. On-line forums
Nowadays there are forums for just about everything on the internet. Most of the time these are populated by people who are passionate about what they do and only too happy to share advice and knowledge. Search for "(your career interest) Forums" and I bet you will find a great amount of potential advice.
