Try before you buy

Making a big career change can be a risky thing. Sometimes that fear is there for good reason. So why not diminish the fear and improve your choices by trying out your desired career first.

It is probably easier than you think.

If you are thinking of working in the voluntary or social sector or even with a small business in a sector that you don't know much about, call up an organisation you are interested in and ask if you can volunteer. The biggest organisations (Oxfam and the like) get lots of calls like this, so they are quite hard to get into unless you want to work in a charity shop. But there are hundreds of schools, smaller charities or enterprises out there and they may say yes.

Even if they say yes, time and money are precious to these organisations and they will probably expect a regular time commitment to make it worth their while. You may also be interviewed before getting a voluntary position. They may not be paying you, but they are still investing time and resources in you. Get your CV ready in advance and think about your transferable skills. Research the organisation and have some questions ready, just like you would for a job interview.

Bigger organisations and businesses don't tend to have volunteers, but may be willing to allow you to shadow someone for a day if you explain why you are interested. This is a bit like an extended 'Informational Interview' (see the article by Satu Kreula), but has the added benefit that you get the chance to experience the organisation directly for yourself and are likely to get your face seen by a larger number of people who might be interested in helping you. Once again, do your research in advance so you can ask questions when you are there.

Finally, if your interest relates to something you do in your spare time, do more of it! Talk to the people you meet and ask their views. Network like crazy. Offer to help people out. Make yourself indispensable. Show them your passion for the work.

Some of this may involve time that you don't feel you have. Here are some possible ways to 'make time':

• Take a few days annual leave! Rather than a holiday, imagine how much energy you would have doing something you love. It may be as refreshing (or more) as the beach.
• Does your employer offer paid time to do charity work. Some of the larger corporations definitely encourage this. If yours doesn't, why not go and ask if they will start?
• Negotiate to work part-time. This can have a financial impact, but you may not need a lot of time off to do what you want. It does need a sympathetic employer, but get creative. Think about what you need and about what your employer really needs too. You never know until you ask.
• Go on a sabbatical. Some employers are happy to facilitate this, and some mortgage companies allow payment holidays!

It works, honestly! For my first career shift, I negotiated with my employer to work 4.5 days instead of 5 each week. I suggested that on Monday to Thursday I would work extra hours by coming in early and working late, and that would accommodate the additional half day. That meant I had Friday to volunteer and apply for things I was interested in. And I only lost 10% of my salary. Within months I had left my old job to retrain. I used my voluntary experience to learn more about what was important to me, gain entry to the course and ultimately to get my new job.