I think I know what I want to do - what are the next steps?

ShiftDoctor answer

By Sonia Lakshman on 28 November 2007 at 22:07

It's great that you have the money to retrain, as this can be a hurdle for many shifters.

Have you narrowed it down to what specifically you may like to do within upholstery and soft furnishings and simply need more information and to know what to do next? Or is it a much broader playing field?

Either way it becomes a matter of doing your homework and research. This is such an important stage in any career change as the more thoroughly you investigate the profession, its training and potential employment opportunities the less likely you are to spend your valuable training funds unwisely. So where to begin?

First - establish the questions that you want answered. Examples of these may be:

The Profession

1. What are the various possible jobs within this profession?

2. What exactly do they do?

3. What are the best parts of the work?

4. The not so great parts of the work?

5. What qualities and talents does someone who excels in the field have?

6. What advice would you give someone entering this field?
 

Training

1. What are the training requirements?

2. Which are the reputed training bodies?

3. How long does it take? How much does it cost?

4. Are there opportunities for part-time training while learning on the job? Apprenticeships?

5. Which courses offer the best contacts into the industry?

Employment

1. What are the job opportunities that exist in the field? Who are the employers?

2. How easy is it to get a job/start your own business in this field after completing your training?

3. How large is the demand/market? What is the future of the profession?

4. What is the average earning potential?

Work out all the questions of particular relevance and importance to you and list them. Next, establish who can answer them.

You have five main ports of call: (all of these areas interlink and once you get going one leads to another, so just start somewhere)

1. People in the profession

You'll probably find that people already in the profession can answer many if not all of these questions. They will also have the benefit of experience and hindsight as well as of current and future trends so it is a valuable port of call. Since your plan maybe to work for yourself be sure to talk to both those who have done that successfully as well as to people employed by companies. Although many shifters feel uncomfortable about asking for information (British reserve and not wanting to be a bother!) you'll find that generally people like to help. Besides it's flattering to the person being asked! You can find people in the profession to talk to by

a. Using your network

b. Contacting companies/professionals in the field whose work you admire

c. Contacting educational institutions and asking them to put you in touch with their graduates.

2. Training institutions

Find out about the best ones from people in the profession, employers, career guides, associations

3. Employers

As above

4. Career guides.

You can get these in public libraries. They give you a valuable start point information, including profiles, earning, training, associations and sources of further information. Also career guidance websites like Connexions and Learn Direct.5. Industry Associations and Regulatory bodies

And of course (where would we be without it!) Google.

Research can be quite overwhelming to begin with, especially when you find yourself flooded with information. Keep clear in your mind what you're trying to find out and after the initial glut you'll find yourself getting much more clarity. I would recommend '360' research - in other words getting your information from different angles and people as described above so you get a truer picture of the reality, requirements and opportunities of the profession. You can also ask some of these sources to suggest other similar related fields to counter your problem of ideas you may not have considered.

It's helpful to do some initial basic research about the profession yourself before talking to people so you are more informed, feel more confident about asking questions and can target your research intelligently. That said, ignorance is a privileged position, so maximize it by being unafraid to ask all the questions you need.

Lastly, manage it. Give yourself targets and stick to them. Always remain clear about what you are trying to find out and what you need to learn to decide whether it's for you, so that you can commit and get started. Research can very quickly become unwieldy, it's easy to head off on endless tangents, so reign it in with clear aims both in terms of vital information needed and achievable deadlines.

An exciting time. Good luck with it!

© Sonia Lakshman 28 November 2007