I’m really interested in the topic of career change, so I was intrigued by this new study by Career Builder and Harris Interactive, which showed that fully one-third of employed workers are seeking a change.
According to the survey, nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of U.S. workers report they have changed careers at least once. More than a third (35 percent) say they are currently interested in making a career change.
When it comes to what is most important to workers in respect to their jobs, 22 percent say it's the opportunity to make a difference and 19 percent say it's contributing to the success of the organization. Others say they're most motivated by benefits (10 percent), having fun (6 percent) and getting ahead into a senior position (5 percent). Less than a third (31 percent) say taking home a paycheck is most important.
Retail sales (52 percent) and hospitality (52 percent) workers rank among those who expressed higher interest in a career change. Forty-one percent of IT workers and 36 percent of banking/finance workers are also interested in a change. Educators (25 percent), government employees (25 percent) and healthcare workers (29 percent) are the least likely to want to change careers. In terms of geography, workers in the Midwest (41 percent) and South (38 percent) are the most likely to want to change careers, while workers in the West (35 percent) and Northeast (33 percent) are the least likely.
As far as the careers that are most appealing to potential career changers, only one-in-ten want a career in the lime light -- citing entertainment, art, sports, media or journalism(i) as their career of choice. Over a quarter are interested in positions in healthcare/medicine(ii), 20 percent in business and accounting(iii), 16 percent would choose technology careers(iv) and 12 percent human resources(v).
What is holding back workers who are not interested in a career change? More than a third (35 percent) do not want to start over in an entry level position, while 39 percent are comfortable where they are and view change as scary. More than one-in-five (22 percent) cite financial concerns and 16 percent say they would need to obtain additional education.
Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s post, where we’ll highlight some steps you can take to make your career change a reality.
If you would like to receive an email when updates are made to this post, please register here
Subscribe to this post's comments using RSS
If memory serves, I think I remember seeing on an episode of Friends that Chandler, in this very late twenties, wanted to apply for some internship position. I remember saying to myself "I can never find myself in that predicament - internship in late twenties!"
Yup, I can see that starting over in an entry level position is not something to look forward to. But if it means doing something you love, and if it means getting increased job satisfaction then, we all have to be like Chandler and go for it.