So, you think it is time for a career change? Follow our nine step career change plan and youll be well on the way to a more enriching life!

Many people are unhappy in their jobs, but you have made the big decision to change your career. So lets examine some of the reasons you might have decided that a career change is for you.

Perhaps you are looking for a career with a higher salary? Or looking for a career that allows for a better work life balance? You might have become bored with your current responsibilities, and be looking for a more exciting career? Perhaps a career with more travel? Or more opportunities to make a difference? Or you wish to combine your career with broader interests you have in life? Make sure, however, that it is a career change you are seeking, and not just a different employer in the same career.

Whatever the reason, you have made the biggest step of all, which is to decide to make your career change a reality! So now what? Lets look at a nine point career change action plan for how you might attack your career change!

1) Choosing your new career

Assuming that you would like to use your career change, at least partly, to increase the enjoyment you get from the time you spend working, the first thing to do is to assess what you actually like doing!

2) Skills and experience for your career change

So now you know what you want to get out of your career change. Now you must assess whether you have the right skills and experience to get into your new career.

3) Training for your new career

If completing a career change we easy, all of us would be in our dream careers right now! So what is stopping us? Perhaps it is the additional skills which we need to build to be credible in our new career. Dont think that training, however, is restricted to job-related or academic courses. You can get the skills and experience you need for your career change in many other ways!

4) Accepting a pay cut for your career change

Perhaps the main reason for your career change is to earn more money? If so, then thats great, but its always wise to get as much information on your new career to ensure that you will actually earn more money doing it. If, however, your career change is not driven by wanting to achieve more money, you may need to accept a pay cut.

5) Financing your career change

Completing your career change may require a spell without paid employment. As well as tightening your belt, you should also do a thorough review of your financial position, including loans, mortgages and credit cards. By switching credit cards, you may find you can save money and get other benefits!

6) Relocating

Perhaps your main reason for your career change is to relocate to an area with a lower cost of living, or better schooling or a better climate. Even if it isnt, your career change might require a relocation you wont find many opportunities to be a ski instructor in San Diego, for example!

7) Changing career without changing employer

Before you assume that you will need to leave your current employer to achieve your career change, have a look around and see if your career change goals can be satisfied where you are currently working.

8) Finding a new employer

There are a number of ways to find an employer which every job searcher knows classified adverts, internet job-boards, employer directories etc. Many jobs, however, are never listed in classified adverts and on job-boards because they are filled as soon as they are announced! To make sure that you are in with a chance, you must develop a strong network in the career you wish to change to.

9) Refreshing your job-hunting skills

The chances are, if youve been in your current position for a while, that your job-hunting skills could be quite rusty! So take the opportunity to brush up on these skills you might only get one chance to make your career change successful!

10) Staying flexible to achieve your career change dreams

Finally, now that youve made the biggest step and chosen to pursue a career change, dont rush it! It may take a month or even a year to work out exactly what you want from your career change and to develop the skills, experience and network to get you into the right place within that career. Dont settle for something which is almost right or youll be going through the whole career change process again!