4 Ways to Use a Career Pilot to Find Your New Career

If you're thinking about making a career change or finally launching your side hustle, you've probably spent a lot of time thinking about it and maybe even believing the grass will be greener in that new career path. However, you'll really never know if it's the right career path for you until you give it a whirl.

In my Career Segment on the AMNW Morning Show, I shared a few ways to test-drive your potential career path before making a permanent leap.

You can watch the entire segment below.

• Freelance: This is an excellent option if you're considering a side hustle. Freelancing is when you're offering your services to another person or company. For example, you can start offering your services to family, friends, or others you know for free if you want to test it out or for a small fee to gain additional experience. You can also offer to freelance for previous organizations you've worked for. After all, who knows the work better than you?
• Volunteer: Volunteering is usually done for free and is a promising way to lend your skills and show what you can do to a potential employer. Instead of taking on a full job or role, you can volunteer to work on a small or independent project. Volunteering at smaller or non-profit companies is also a good way of figuring out if you want to work in the non-profit industry. This allows you to give back while learning more about the work or industry you're interested in.
• Intern: Adult internships have become popular over the years and allow you to learn a new role while providing service to another organization. These can be paid or unpaid, but I'd search for paid positions. Internships are usually more clearly outlined and designed for specific roles and responsibilities. If you can't find an internship opportunity, you can always suggest this type of arrangement as an opportunity with the company you're interested in.
• Shadow: When you're shadowing, you're actually not doing any work; you're just in an observer role. Look for someone doing the work you think you want to do and ask if you can sit in, watch, and follow them around. Choose a few people in various industries to compare, particularly if you're exploring several options. That way, you can see what that work looks like across industries. You may need to sign a few NDAs and confidentiality agreements, but it will give you great insight into what you want to do.

Also, listen to my podcast, The Midlife Career Rebel, episode #29 to learn more.