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Fancy A Career Change? – Why Volunteering Can Be The Best Way To Explore Choices

July 22, 2013 3:43 pm0 commentsViews: 36

By: Sam Wright

There are all sorts of reasons why you might be considering a career change. It could be that you are unfulfilled in your current role, with little possibility of progression, or it could be that you want more flexibility in your family life. You may have even found yourself out of work and want to use redundancy in a positive way to make that change. It can be daunting wondering how to go about researching new career paths with such a wide variety of choice. This can be so overwhelming that it’s hard to make a start. Don’t worry. There is plenty of information out there specifically designed to help you make that change. One of those most common recommendations is to do some volunteering. Read on to find out why this can be one of the most effective ways to research your future path.

Experience

This is probably one of the most important reasons for volunteering if you are considering a change. With the almost limitless possibilities out there, how will you know which is the right direction for you. Why not sign up with a volunteering website like Do-It and browse through their numerous categories and see what inspires you. You might have been working in an office for years, but always thought you related well to teens, and now there is a role within a youth club. Perhaps you’ve always enjoyed cooking and interacting with people. What about helping at an elderly person’s lunch club? There are countless categories from culture to homelessness, business to sport, counseling to media. There really is something for everyone.

Skills

If you have been working in a role or career for some time, you might find that your skills are very specific to your current role. Some skills are of course transferable to many jobs – things such as office experience, team management and so on, but often workers will find that they have become quite specialized and this could make it hard to make a change without starting all over again. Volunteering in your spare time allows you to gain skills and experience in others areas and this could be just what you need to get your foot in the door.

Confidence

Often people get stuck in a rut and the idea of doing something outside of their comfort zone is a bit scary. We could all do with a shake-up from time to time. Starting a new role, even if it is voluntary and only on a Saturday morning, will still require us to meet new people and embark on something we have little experience of. You will usually still need an interview and have expectations of you in your role, possibly even some responsibility. This can help to keep you on your toes and not ‘stagnate’ with confidence and people skills.

Networking

As well as gaining experience, skills and confidence, you will have a perfect opportunity to do some valuable networking. Lots of people start out in the volunteering sector. Jobs are often possible in time, and if you end up being offered a paid role then fantastic. Even if this doesn’t happen, or isn’t what you want, then you will have made new contacts and this will help you to get a foot in the door in your chosen industry. You might find that you can’t stand cooking after all, or that you never want to work in an office again, but this is a great way to find out. However, remember that volunteering is helping others as well as yourself and try to have some commitment towards your position even if you feel it is not right for you long term. This will also help with your CV if you can show that you stuck with a role for a decent amount of time, though if you hate it after one session, you won’t be doing anyone any favours by sticking around!