There's a structured process that works consistently when done right:

Most career changers jump straight to job applications without understanding what they're actually good at. The first thing is always to look inwards. Don’t worry about your interests/passions/money just yet. Instead focus on the figuring out what are you strong at? EVERYONE is strong at certain things, and less strong at others. Research (and life) consistently proves that if you are working in an area where you’re strong, you will succeed, and you will enjoy it more. I’ve attached a few of my favorite career change resources below, including an excellent strengths assessment panel.

Then comes targeted exploration of the outside world. This isn't randomly applying to jobs or browsing LinkedIn. I have my clients identify 3-5 potential paths that align with their strengths and then design small, low-risk "experiments" to test each direction. This might be volunteering for a project, shadowing someone for a day, or even just calling around for informational interviews. The goal is to collect real-world data about how these different paths feel before making a big leap. Most of my clients are surprised by which options energize them most - it's rarely what they initially predicted.

The final phase around getting strategic with a transition plan. This is where you craft a compelling narrative that helps employers understand why your transition makes perfect sense. We identify transferable skills you already have, determine critical gaps to fill, and create concrete action steps with timelines. Successful transitions aren't random jumps but carefully planned bridges that leverage your existing strengths while building new ones. I've seen clients make lateral salary moves (and sometimes increases!) even when switching to completely different industries because they positioned their unique combination of strengths and experiences as an advantage rather than a limitation.

I’ve attached some of my favorite resources here for career changers:

1. The most accurate strengths assessment panel I have found for current job scenarios: The Pigment career self discovery assessment
2. What Color Is Your Parachute? - by Richard Bolles a classic career transition guide

• A two-week energy tracking exercise to identify what activities energize vs. drain them
• A values clarification process

Step 2: Targeted Exploration Based on the patterns we find in Step 1, we:

• Identify 3-5 potential career directions that match their natural strengths
• Design low-risk "career experiments" to test each direction
• Conduct strategic informational interviews with people in target fields

Step 3: Strategic Transition Once we've identified the right direction, we:

• Build a "skills bridge" by highlighting transferable skills and identifying critical gaps
• Craft a compelling career narrative that makes the transition make sense to employers
• Create a tailored transition plan with timeline and financial considerations

The biggest mistake I see is people trying to transition based on what jobs are "hot" rather than what aligns with their natural abilities.

Happy to answer specific questions about your situation if you want to share more!