Your Dream Job: 3 Steps for a Career Change

A few days ago, I started a contest by asking about your dream job. There have been great responses so far. Patrick wants to pitch:

My dream job would be a professional baseball player — specifically a knuckleball pitcher. Why a knuckleballer? Well, it is a niche player who can be tremendously successful one game, horrible the next, but is always a little different and a lot of fun. Knuckleballers always have a loyal (if sometimes small) fan base, and always draw a crowd wherever they go.

Bryan wants to be a bit more than a camp counselor:

My dream is, and has been since I was in high school, to own my own summer camp in the mountains of Colorado. The summer camp would focus on developing kids’ self discipline, faith, love of the wilderness, self confidence, and ability to relate to others.

Zen is attracted to brew:

I’d love to own a brewery, or a burger joint… and am considering opening one in a couple college campuses (campii?) at some point — preferably after I’m done with my finance degree. We’ll see in a year or two.

Jeanne Chatzky from Money Magazine steps in with three steps to the new you. If you’ve been slugging away at one career, but are starting to feel the pull in another direction, here are some thoughts to help you prepare financially for the change.

1. Take a test drive. Taking a new path might mean that you’re earning a lower income for a while. Prepare yourself by constricting your budget before you quit your day job.
2. Trim your debts. If you’re creating a “new you,” Chatzky argues you don’t want your old mortgage hanging around. If you can pay off your mortgage before diving into the new world of less cash, all the better.
3. Weigh all the variables. The author rattles off a list of questions that might require answers depending on your situation. For example, consider the cost of training and the loss of social security benefits.