How To Change Careers No Matter Your Background

Thinking about changing your career... but worried that you may not have the background or qualifications to make the change?nnWell, your concern may justified - you may need a certain credential, qualification or background to be qualified for the job.nnBut on the other hand, perhaps you don't need to be concerned at all...nnThis is what I call having "credentialitis". It's a condition where, despite having the skills, talents and knowledge you need for a new career, job or promotion, you still think that you must study, or do some course, or get some credential, to get that new career, job or promotion.nnStrange.nnI thought credentials and qualifications were a convenient means of proving that you have certain skills and knowledge. But if it's obvious that you have those skills and knowledge... why do you need a certificate, diploma, degree or some other kind of qualification to prove it?nnFor example, what if you're an entrepreneur who left high school before graduating, launched a super-successful business which you ended up selling, and now want to be the marketing manager of a large, established company?nnNow if you had credentialitis, you may consider yourself unqualified for that marketing job.nnSo much so that you seriously consider going to business school and enrolling in a marketing program.nnWhile you might learn a great deal from going to business school... will you really learn anything that better qualifies you for the marketing job than your background as an entrepreneur?nnCouldn't you present yourself as someone with unequalled business experience, skills and knowledge - someone who has built and sold a company, as opposed to someone with theoretical knowledge acquired from a business school?nnAgain, I'm not questioning going to college or undertaking a formal course when you want or need to obtain certain skills or knowledge. Some career changes - like becoming a lawyer or doctor - necessitate that you do that.nnBut in other cases, you probably have the fundamental knowledge and skills required for the new job... and what you don't know can either be picked up relatively quickly on the job or isn't all that important.nnI know, I know - you may be confident in your own abilities, but how do you convince a potential employer who wants to see that certificate, diploma or degree? After all, it seems our entire society has credentialitis.nnWell, if we're going to change this situation, it starts with me and you.nnWhat this means is - get confident! Know and feel - and communicate - that you have the skills and abilities for the new career.nnAnd if you're still interested in doing a course or program, ask yourself this question:nnWould completing such studies arm you with any geniunely useful knowledge or skills... or would it arm you with a piece of paper to prove knowledge or skills you already have?nnActually, by getting over your credentialitis, you'll likely become much happier... as well as save a lot of time and money on unnecessary studies.nnAnd here's the trick - if you're ever questioned over the absence of some credential, you just reframe or reposition your background and experiences. In other words, you explain how they have ideally prepared you for the new career.nnAs an example, someone once asked me why I didn't get an MBA. I just said that I had a "real-world" MBA acquired through hands-on experience working in advertising, marketing, law and my own business.nnBut if you discover that a potential employer isn't satisfied with such an explanation, you may wish to consider making a career change elsewhere - with people and companies that aren't preoccupied with credentials.nnOf course, when you are recruiting people, try to look beyond someone's qualifications too - their "real-world" background may well have armed them with skills, abilities and knowledge that is just as valuable (if not more so) than those obtained through formal education.