A new career can be scary. Very scary. Especially if the careers you once stood up and spoke proudly about

in elementary school when asked, “what do you wanna be when you grow up,” didn’t quite work out. But whether you’re exploring the idea of switching careers, just graduating college or even in high school and you’re thinking about what you’d like to study in college, the first and most important thing to do is START.

Indeed, starting is the scariest part of a new career that you know little to nothing about. Sure, you’ve done your two or three Google searches, but how do you REALLY jumpstart and get the ball rolling towards your dreams?

You may never be 100 percent sure on what exactly you want to do, but you should have a pretty good idea. Think about what you like to do, what you’re good at and what you wouldn’t mind doing for the rest of your working life.

Let’s upgrade those two or three Google searches to dedicated, strategic research. Before making any solid moves, it’s important that you research the field you want to be in. Here are a few questions you should keep in mind and essentially answer when doing your research:

1. What’s the latest news/happenings in your field?
2. What type of positions is in your field?
3. What’s the pay like?
4. In what direction is your field moving in the coming years?
5. Will you ever have to relocate?
6. Is your field currently hiring?
7. What credentials do you need to be successful in this field?

These are just a few questions, so you should definitely add your own as you find out more about your new career field.

After you’ve done your research, you now want to explore your network. Meaning: Who do you know that has ties to your dream field or may know someone who does? I won’t go as far as to say, “it’s about who you know, not what you know” because honestly, that’s not always true. But knowing the right people can definitely set you up a little more for success and get your foot in the door.

Here is where your research becomes super important. Put your current skills up against the qualifications for a position you would apply for in your dream field. You need to be sure of and confident in the skills you currently have and find a way the field can benefit from those skills. And what about the qualifications your current skills don’t satisfy? Look into what you would need to do to gain those skills. Will you need to go back to school? Is there a certification program you can enroll in? It’s important to be well-rounded and bring as much as you can to the table. You will also want to make sure you present all your wonderful skills in a well-crafted resume.

Now it’s time to take the big step and get out there. What events are going on in your area that will benefit you in your new career? You want to attend as many of these as you can and don’t just go, NETWORK and talk to people. You never know who may give you your next job opportunity. After each event, always send follow up emails and/or thank you notes.

You’ll ultimately want to set up informational interviews with these people or their colleagues, so you want to make sure you start off on a good foot and leave room for a genuine, blossoming professional relationship. Once you have your informational interview set up, you want to come ready with questions about your field and the company. The main point of this type of interview is to get a feel for a company in your field, get your questions answered and face seen! An informational interview is the perfect way to get your foot in the door at a company you may potentially work for in the future.

If you follow these five steps, there’s no doubt that you’ll be kicking off a great start to your dream career. Now, get out there and go for it!

Written By: Chey Parker
Managing Editor of The Bobby Pen
Editor-in-Chief of Everything Girls Love, LLC