jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Advertise a Job
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters with Examples
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Career Progression Stories
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
  • Women in Higher Education
  • FE Career Advice
    • FE CV & Interview Tips
    • Working in FE
    • Managing your Career in FE
    • FE Jobs Profiles
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Job Profiles
      • Biological Science Jobs
      • Health and Medical Jobs
      • Engineering and Technology Jobs
      • Computer Science Jobs
      • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
      • Professional Service Jobs
        • Business Development Manager Jobs Profile
        • Chef Jobs Profile
        • Civil Service Jobs Profile
        • Email Marketing Jobs Profile
        • SEO Jobs Profile
        • Office Admin Jobs
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South Africa
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Dubai
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Work in Vietnam – Country Profile
      • Work in Uzbekistan – Country Profile
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • PhD and Studentship Advice
    • PhD
    • Studentship Resources
    • Vlogs
  • Need help advertising a job?
  • About jobs.ac.uk
  • Ask A Professional
  • Academic Spotlight Interviews
  • Menu
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • Free CV Templates
      • Cover Letters with Examples
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Career Progression Stories
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
      • Working From Home
    • Women in Higher Education
    • FE Career Advice
      • FE CV & Interview Tips
      • Working in FE
      • Managing your Career in FE
      • FE Jobs Profiles
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Vlogs
      • Job Profiles
        • Biological Science Jobs
        • Health and Medical Jobs
        • Engineering and Technology Jobs
        • Computer Science Jobs
        • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
        • Professional Service Jobs
        • Civil Service jobs
    • Webinars
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Work in Egypt – Country Profile
        • Work in Ghana – Country Profile
        • Work in Kenya – Country Profile
        • Work in Nigeria – Country Profile
        • Work in South Africa – Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Work in Canada – Country Profile
        • Work in the United States of America – Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Work in Bahrain – Country Profile
        • Work in Brunei – Country Profile
        • Work in China – Country Profile
        • Work in Hong Kong – Country Profile
        • Work in India – Country Profile
        • Work in Japan – Country Profile
        • Work in Kazakhstan – Country Profile
        • Work in Malaysia – Country Profile
        • Work in Qatar – Country Profile
        • Work in Saudi Arabia – Country Profile
        • Work in Singapore – Country Profile
        • Work in South Korea – Country Profile
        • Work in Turkey – Country Profile
        • Work in United Arab Emirates – Country Profile
      • Dubai
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Work in Denmark – Country Profile
        • Work in Finland – Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Work in Germany – Country Profile
        • Work in Ireland – Country Profile
        • Work in Italy – Country Profile
        • Work in the Netherlands – Country Profile
        • Work in Norway – Country Profile
        • Work in Russia – Country Profile
        • Work in Spain – Country Profile
        • Work in Sweden – Country Profile
        • Work in Switzerland – Country Profile
        • Work in the United Kingdom – Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Work in Australia – Country profile
        • Work in New Zealand – Country Profile
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs
    • Need help advertising a job?
    • About jobs.ac.uk

Is it too late for a career change?

Is it too late for a career change

Based on recent research, almost 10% of UK employees would like to have a complete career change as a result of the recent pandemic. In the following article, I have collected some guidance on how to get started.

Is it possible? Whether you have worked in the Higher Education sector for a few years or decades, it is absolutely possible to change your career. You can take some small steps immediately to start your journey. A career change may seem like a daunting experience to you at the start. You may envisage making a scary jump to a brand new career direction and starting all over again at entry-level positions. However, you can make your career change gradual, and transition at a pace which is comfortable for you.

There are several inspiring examples of people who decided to change careers:

The legendary novelist,  Stephen King, worked as a caretaker before starting his writing career and accomplishing international fame. Julia Child worked many years as a researcher in the Secret Intelligence before publishing her books and developing educational programmes. Anna Mary Robertson Moses started her painting career when she was 78 years old. Previously, she worked on a farm.

Where do I start? If you have worked in your Higher Education role for a few years, you may naturally feel jaded at times and go through brief periods of boredom. You may find that your job satisfaction peaks and troughs. Before embarking on a change, it might be wise for you to look at ‘enriching’ your job. You could look at opportunities to build on what you enjoy, take on new exciting projects, and try to delegate tasks which do not align with your strengths. However, if you are perpetually dissatisfied with your job, reinventing your career might be the answer.

A survey conducted by Learning and Work Institute’s (L&W) revealed that 69% of people wishing to switch careers believe they need to develop their skills to do so.

It is easier than ever to take up academic courses. A large number of UK universities (such as The Open University) offer professional development courses, both short and long-term. Rita worked as part of a busy Admissions Office for over 10 years. She provided advice to prospective business management students and travelled overseas to represent the university at overseas student recruitment events. In the first few years, Rita genuinely enjoyed her HE role working in Admissions. After a while, she started daydreaming about going back to studying at university. She also wanted to change her career however struggled to come up with a new career direction. One day, she decided to apply for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree course. Whilst completing her course, she met fellow MBA students from a range of geographical and professional backgrounds. She was able to take advantage of career coaching to brainstorm possible career paths. When Rita graduated, she decided to set up her own consultancy and has successfully grown it for the last 5 years.

Initially, Rita could not come up with a new career destination. However, her academic studies allowed her to explore different career paths. Her studies helped her to identify a new career direction which otherwise she would not have thought of.

Allow time for experimentation: If you are working in a job that you do not genuinely enjoy, you probably expect yourself to find a new career direction within a few weeks. Try not to rush your research and allow yourself ample time for brainstorming options. You might find it helpful to devote a couple of hours weekly to your research. You could search online and browse job platforms such as the jobs.ac.uk site.  You could hire a skilled career coach. You could research free academic courses and see if any of them piques your interest.

Learning about your strengths from others can be a life-changing experience. Do try to ask friends and colleagues to share with you some of the strengths they have observed. Approach at least 5 people you know from your work or personal context. Ask them to tell you 3 of your strengths or things you do well. This activity is only for asking about positives (and not improvement areas).  Do jot down the responses you receive and see if you can find a common theme amongst them.

Try reflective questions: You would probably agree that journaling can be helpful in expressing your concerns and aspirations. It can help you see things from a new perspective. Take some time to reflect on the below questions:

*What do you like most about my current job?

*What would you like to have less of and why?

*If you had access to unlimited resources such as time and financials, how would you like to make a difference in the world?

*Would you be looking to change to a new sector or would you prefer to stay within Higher Education?

*Who could help you in your search? (friends, family, colleagues)

Take the first steps: Many people shifting careers start making a change whilst being in full-time employment. Keeping your regular job is helpful because you can minimise your risks and avoid financial pressures. As the first step, you could look at taking up a volunteering job to gain more experience in your chosen field. Alternatively, you could take up a freelance contract to dip your toe in the water. Tom used to work as an Operation Manager for a well-established university in the South East of the UK. After working in his area for more than 30 years, he wanted to try something different. Tom applied for a freelance business lecturer position and was successfully offered the project. Tom found himself taking on more and more lecturing projects, and gave up his operations job within a year. Starting on a small-scale basis allowed him gradually transition into teaching, and avoid making a leap into the unknown.

It is never too late to change careers. You can start taking small steps today to get started. You can find an exciting and refreshing new career direction which aligns with your strengths and interests.

More career change advice:

  • How to Change Your Career Direction
  • Preparing to Change Jobs? Make sure your CV is ready too!
  • Top Tips for a Career Change
  • Considering a Career Change? Your 5 Step Plan for Success

What did you think of our article? - please rate

5 / 5. 2


Share this article

Henrietta Nagy

Henrietta Nagy is a seasoned portfolio worker with over 10 years’ experience in the UK education sector. Henrietta writes educational content, designs academic courses, delivers university lectures, mentors entrepreneurs, and provides career development coaching. One of Henrietta's recent organisational clients is the Oxford University where she has facilitated over 100 hours of learning events. With 9 years of higher education studies internationally (including an MBA), she has worked with CEOs, academics, scholars, managers, women entrepreneurs, academic administrators and other consultants.

Reader Interactions

You may also like:

  • Close up of a man looking at a job search recruitment web page

    How to Search for a Job in Higher Education

  • Audience at the conference hall.

    Writing Abstracts for Conferences

  • Supporting Individual Researchers in a Publish-or-Perish Culture

    Supporting Individual Researchers in a Publish-or-Perish Culture

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

18 + fifteen =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

Searching for a job in the United Kingdom

Latest Jobs

  • Research Fellow

    School of Global Studies, University of Sussex

    Location: Sussex, Brighton, Falmer

    Salary: £38,249 - £45,413 per annum, pro rata if part time. Grade 7


  • Associate Professor of Practice

    School of Internet of Things, Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University

    Location: Suzhou

    Salary: Competitive salary in the market


  • PhD Studentship: Multiscale Investigation of Corrosion Deposition in High Temperature High Pressure Water for Nuclear Power Plants

    Materials, The University of Manchester

    Location: Manchester

    Salary: £19,237 / year


  • Lecturer (Education) in Contemporary Irish Literature

    Languages, Literature and Culture, Queen's University Belfast

    Location: Belfast

    Salary: £45,349 - £62,695


  • Research Fellow in Immunity in Alzheimer’s Disease

    UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), UCL

    Location: London

    Salary: £43,374 - £51,860


  • Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Spanish

    Institute of Education / Centre for Languages & International Education (CLIE) , UCL

    Location: London, Hybrid

    Salary: £46,796 Grade 7


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025