Find the right balance: Developing new skills around your lifestyle

For many people, going to work is something that they do in order to ensure that they can pay their bills and enjoy a reasonable standard of living. Those who enjoy their work are seen as ‘lucky’ and are usually in the minority, whereas many people look to their life outside their workplace to provide them with satisfaction and fulfilment. For some, a reduction in their working hours or injecting a little flexibility into their job can make a huge difference, but for those who are tied to full time working, changing the direction of their career can make a huge difference to their level of job satisfaction.

Finding fulfilment

If you feel as though your current career path is leading you towards a dead end, then there are ways to improve your prospects and find some motivation to make a change to the way you work. You may not be in a position to achieve your childhood goals of becoming a famous musician or film star, but you can give yourself the chance to have a more satisfying profession. Taking your time to identify what you would really like to do, even if it is just a working environment that you think will suit you, is a good start when it comes to working out how to enjoy your professional life more.

Broadening your horizons

For some, turning a hobby into a job is one way of injecting some more enjoyment into your work, so thinking creatively about how you can earn money from doing the things you already love is a good start. For some, improving on their existing skills is the first step on the road to new opportunities, and there are schools such as Tti School of English which specialise in helping adults to improve their English skills to enable them to perform more effectively in a professional environment. This can be a stepping stone to help you to achieve more in your current role, whether that’s promotion or more responsibility in your current position, or improving your confidence to allow you to pursue something new.

Do something completely different

If your current career is one you fell into because you needed a job and somehow ended up gaining skills in a field which wasn’t really what you had in mind, then changing track completely could be the best way to give your career a boost. There are a number of courses available, from vocationally focussed ones which will help you to qualify for a job that you think will be a better fit for you than your current one, or more general courses which will give you skills which could be transferred to a number of different roles.

Doing a degree may sound like a huge undertaking for anyone who is already working full time, but there are providers who understand that their students might wish to fit in their studies around other commitments. Many provide options which are designed to ensure that the work-load is manageable even for those who might feel as though they have little time to dedicate to learning new things, so there are options for attending classes on just once a week and occasional weekends and completing the majority of the rest of a course using the distance materials in the time that you have available to you. Providers who cater to the needs of students who might be studying around their work and/or family life are usually understanding of the need for affordable pricing of such courses with many, such as this university, providing information about funding opportunities for which their students might qualify.

Do your research

You may not be ready to start your journey to a more satisfying career immediately, but it is always worth researching any major change you are planning to make, so when you do make a decision, it will be as informed as possible. There are so many opportunities for improving your prospects and making a positive change to your life that you want to be sure you are aware of any which might make your life feel more balanced and enjoyable. For details on some of the establishments, courses and other training pathways available to you, as well as funding options for mature students, this page has plenty of information which could prove useful.

Tags: life, work

Category: Student News