Melissa Lawrence outlines 10 steps to finding a new career with easy-to-follow guidelines and advice.

You're lying in bed, desperately hoping that it's not Monday morning again. When you realise that it is, you reach for your copy of "The Complete Book of Infectious Diseases" and wonder if you used psittacosis as an excuse for not going into work last week.

If this sounds familiar, then perhaps it's time you looked at a change of career. Of course, the 'doom and gloom' merchants will tell you that in the present climate you're lucky to have any job, let alone one you actually enjoy. Ignore them.

Today's environment of changing employment patterns makes this a promising time to find a career which really suits you. Flexibility, transferable skills and more frequent job changes have all replaced the traditional 'career ladder'. If you've not had to choose a career since you left school or further education, it can be difficult knowing where to begin. But there's no need to pay for expensive career analysis. Just follow these steps and you might never need to know how to pronounce 'phlebotomus fever' again.

Step 1
Define your work values. One of the most important ingredients in job satisfaction is a successful match with lifestyle needs. Now's the time to decide what you really want from a job. Use the headings 'Essential', 'Preferable' and 'Acceptable' to help establish priorities. For example, you may feel it's essential that your career provides opportunities for a good social life. You'd prefer a career which gives you the chance to help others but you'd accept one which doesn't provide a company car. Your hobbies and interests should provide clues. Do they suggest a desire to contribute to society or gain a leadership role?

Step 2
Identify your skills. It's important to know your range of skills in order to make realistic career choices and sell yourself to potential employers. Start by looking at your present career. Write down as many skills as you can think of which will transfer to another area of work. Now consider your hobbies and interests. What skills have you developed from committee or voluntary work, for example? Don't neglect your home life either. Many of us take for granted the skills we use every day but these can often be transferred into the workplace.

Step 3
Visit your local careers office. Even in these days of a slimmer service, most local authorities will provide help for adults looking at a change of career. Start by making an appointment with a careers officer who will discuss your situation and help you devise a career action plan. Then locate the careers library which will contain information on just about every career you can think of (a photocopying service is usually available). If there's no local authority careers office in your area, ask at your library for the nearest Educational Guidance Service for Adults.

Step 4
Produce a list of potential career choices. The best way to do this is to use one of the computer programmes such as 'Adult Directions'. These may be available in a careers library or from your local community college. The programmes are extremely simple to operate, even if you've never used a computer before. You'll be asked a series of questions about your work values and the type of job you think you'd like to do. The computer will come up with a list of possible careers which seem to match your skills and interests. If no computer programme is available, devise your own list from one of the A-Z Careers Encyclopaedias available in any library.

Step 5
Investigate the career options on your list. Arm yourself with a large exercise book and a copy of "Occupations". This is an invaluable book, which provides detailed information on hundreds of careers. You'll soon discover which skills are needed, where to go for training, what job prospects are like and whether there are opportunities for mature entrants. Your local library or careers office should have a copy. Use the exercise book to note down key information, taking a new page for each career on your list.

Step 6
Decide on a short list of possibilities. Once you've worked your way through "Occupations", you'll have eliminated many of the items on your original list. Try to end up with a shortlist of about six career options which would be feasible for you. These now need to be investigated more thoroughly. A useful starting point is to buy some cardboard folders and label one for each of the options on your shortlist. As you begin to gather information, you can file it in the appropriate folder.

Step 7
Find out as much as you can about each item on your shortlist. Then, it's back to the careers library again, where you'll find files (coded from "Occupations") containing leaflets and pamphlets on specific careers. Use these to collect the names and addresses of organisations which will be able to help you further. Most of them will send information free of charge but it's courteous to send a SAE. Additionally, if you know anyone who's already working in your chosen career, talk to them about it. You may be able to arrange a visit to their workplace or even a day's work experience.

Step 8
Update your CV and other relevant information. Now's a good time to do this, before you make a final decision. Make sure your CV is up-to-date, well-presented and contains enough information to impress a potential employer. Attach a skills sheet which lists your skills under appropriate headings: Communication, Organisational, Administrative and Managerial, for example. It's also a good idea to put together a personal portfolio. This should contain samples of work you've produced - reports, newsletters, lesson plans, designs - anything you've had published, testimonials from previous employers, and evidence of relevant qualifications.

Step 9
Consider the implications of changing career. By now, you'll probably have a good idea of the direction in which you want to move. Before you dive headlong into applying for jobs, take some time to consider the implications. Are you going to remain in your present situation while you network your new career? If not, how are you going to manage financially? Will you need training? If so, you'll want to look at grants and other sources of funding such as sponsorship and loans. Ask in your local reference library for information.

Step 10
Make a decision. Changing career is rather like going on a diet. It's easy to put it off until next month, next year or never. Don't rush into anything but make sure you've got in mind a definite date by which you'll have made a decision. If you're still not certain exactly what you want to do yet, start applying for jobs you see advertised which fit into the careers on your shortlist. This will help you come to a final decision and should provide useful interview practice. Look for vacancies in the trade journals as well as the national and local press.

© Copyright 1996 Melissa Lawrence, first published in Success Now.

It was Parents' Evening that finally turned me into a monster.
'I'm not going if your father's going,' Mum said.
'I'm not going if your mother's going,' Dad said.
In the end, neither of them went. I was hopping mad. I'd been dying for
them to see the papier-mâché frog I'd made for the Science Corner. Everyone agreed it was the most spectacular frog in the history of frogdom.
'What's the point of Parents' Evening if your parents can't be bothered to come?' I moaned to my best friend Amber.
'I don't know,' Amber replied. 'Perhaps if you behaved like a monster, then they'd have to come.'
I didn't waste any time. It was only a quarter to nine. Plenty of monstering to do before school even started.
The first thing was to turn on all the taps in the cloakroom.
'You are so dead,' Amber said.
'I've not even started yet,' I replied and before anyone could say Monster Mash, I'd pulled notices off the notice board, put my tongue out at Mrs Parker and drawn felt-tip faces on the register.
Not surprisingly, half an hour later, I was standing in Mr Pringle's office.
'Now then, Samantha,' Mr Pringle said. 'What's all this about?'
'It's about Mum and Dad not coming to Parents' Evening,' I replied.
'Ah,' Mr Pringle said. 'Tell me more.'
So I told him more. I told him about the rows, the trial separation that wasn't a 'trial' at all, about going to family court for the custody hearing and the fact that no one had come to Parents' Evening to see my frog.
'Well,' Mr Pringle said, when I finally paused for breath. 'What should we do with you now, I wonder?'
I couldn't think of anything to say. It was like my brain had gone to Skegness for the day.
'Do you know what this is?' Mr Pringle said suddenly, tapping a thick green file on his desk.
I shook my head.
'It's a record of all the pupils in this school whose parents have split up.
As you can see, it's a pretty large file but do you see any of them running around damaging property or being rude to their teachers?'
I shook my head again.
'No,' Mr Pringle said. 'I don't either. This was not the right response, Sammy and you know it. Now I've got an idea. Rather than a punishment, how about I set you a task to do instead?'
I looked up.
'I'm really good at making papier-mâché frogs.'
Mr Pringle smiled. 'I don't think that'll be necessary. No, I want you to start a club. It'll be a place where pupils, whose parents have separated or divorced, can go to talk to other pupils who are going through the same thing.'
I swallowed hard. I had a feeling that making a whole pond of papier-mâché frogs might be easier than this.
'OK,' I said quietly.
'Splendid!' Mr Pringle replied. 'Now off you go and I look forward to your first meeting.'
For the next few days, I worked really hard. With Amber's help (her parents are still together but they argue a lot), I designed posters, organised a meeting place and bought loads of orange juice and biscuits.
'I wonder how many people will come?' Amber said as we waited nervously for the start of our first meeting.
'Oh loads, I should think,' I replied. 'Mr Pringle's file was massive.'
Fifteen minutes went by. Then another fifteen minutes.
'Are you sure you put the right time on the posters?' Amber asked.
'Yes,' I said but I had a horrible feeling I was going to get punished after all.
Sure enough, the door opened and in walked Mr Pringle.
'Ah,' he said, surveying the empty room. 'Looks like you're going to have to do a bit more chivvying. How about a slot in this afternoon's assembly?'
I gulped.
'But I'd be too nervous.'
'Well, it's up to you,' Mr Pringle replied. 'But it seems a shame to have come this far and then give up so easily.'
I knew he was right but by the time assembly started, I felt like I was going to throw up all over the piano.
'Good luck,' whispered Amber as I made my way on to the stage. It was like climbing a mountain but as soon as I got up there and started to speak, something happened. I remembered the file on Mr Pringle's desk and realised that half the people looking up at me had exactly the same problems with their families as I did with mine.
As we filed out of the hall, Mr Pringle called me over.
'Could you come into my office a moment, Samantha?'
My heart sank. I'd seen quite enough of Mr Pringle's office for one day, but as I walked through the door, I realised someone else was in there.
'Mum! What are you doing here? Is everything OK?'
'Of course it is, love,' Mum said, giving me a hug. 'It's just that Mr Pringle says you've got something you want to show me.'
I couldn't think what she meant but then I noticed Mr Pringle making darting movements with his tongue. For a minute I thought the strain of being a headmaster had become too much for him.
'Oh, my frog!' I said. 'You've come to see my frog!'
'And a little bird tells me that making frogs is not all you've been doing,' Mum said as we walked towards my classroom.
I didn't know what to say. I hadn't told Mum or Dad about the club because I wasn't sure how they'd react.
'It's all right, sweetheart,' Mum said. 'Your dad and I are really proud of you.'
I felt a nice warm glow inside me.
'And I'm so sorry about Parents' Evening,' Mum went on. 'One of us should have come. Are we forgiven?'
'Yes, Mum,' I said, tucking my hand into hers. 'I think you probably are.'

© Copyright 2009 Melissa Lawrence, third prize in Vanda Inman's Write Space “Familiesâ€� competition.