With the new year, many working individuals had time to think about their individual growth and transform their current situations regarding life, family, and most importantly their careers. Every day, people around the world are looking to “pivot” their careers which can seem exciting, but also daunting.

If you are one of those people, looking to make a career change, here are 6 tips to help you successfully pivot into your next career.

Re-evaluate Where You Are

If you are looking to change your career path, do not immediately dive headfirst into a new space, but instead take a moment to reevaluate where you are. Making a career pivot is a big step that requires a lot of planning, thought, self-inventory, and reevaluation of yourself and your finances.

Tonya Robertson, Founder of Focused Training Solutions, explains “Making a career pivot is exciting, but it can be uncomfortable as well. Take a moment to think about if this is something that you want to do and how it will benefit you in the long run.”

Tae Lee, Founder and CEO of Never Go Broke, explains “Take a moment to see where your finances are and be sure to build out a budget that will have a steady growth in your desired career pivot.”

Make A Plan

Once you have established that you want to make a pivot in your career to pursue your unique passion, you must make a plan. Having a strategy and specific steps outlined in order for you to succeed will make all the difference in having a successful career pivot.

Rozalyn Goodwin, Co-Founder of GaBBY Bows, explains “Making a plan will allow you to see areas where you can continue to strengthen, but also identify the weak spots that will need improvement during your career pivot.”

Nicole Brown, Founder of Izzy & Liv, explains “Planning is one of the most, if not the most, important step in pivoting your career. With a strong plan and vision in your mind, you will be able to have a successful pivot.”

Network Within Your Desired Industry

Make it a priority to talk to people both inside and outside of your network who align with your desired career path. It will feel awkward at times to be outside of your area of expertise, but make a strong effort to surround yourself with industry professionals and experts that you can ask questions and learn from to help you embark on this new journey.

Lacresha Hayes, Best Selling Author and Founder Of Divinity Academy, explains “Networking and talking to industry professionals in your desired career pivot will allow you to get firsthand insight into not only the exciting parts but difficult moments as well.”

Krystal Duhaney, Founder and CEO of Milky Mama, explains “Surrounding yourself with individuals who want to help you succeed on your new endeavor is critical because you want to immerse yourself fully in your new field instead of hanging on to your past life.”

Keep Learning

As you are about to embark on new territory it is important to continue strengthening the skills that you have and continue to learn new skills that will help you in your desired career. It is critical to learn everything you can about the career you want to pivot into so ask questions and soak up all the information you can to be successful in your new career.

Nikki N. Klugh, owner and principal designer of Nikki Klugh Design Group, Inc. suggests, “It is important to look at your current skill set and see what you can transfer to your new career pivot, but also identify what skills you need to gain more knowledge and insight on.

Elizabeth S. Davis, Founder of SHEDAVI, explains “Continue to explore the ins-and-outs of your desired career pivot. The more you learn, the more confidence you will feel making your career change.”

Take Small Actions

You are almost there! You have created a plan, leveraged your skills, and learned new skills to help you make a successful career pivot. You may want to jump right in, but now is the time to take small manageable actions that will make a huge difference in the long run. At this moment, take classes in your desired career path and have one-on-one chats with industry professionals.

Sabrina Tucker-Barrett and Anthony Barett, Founders of Girls For Technology, Inc, explain, “It is okay to take those small, manageable action steps such as taking classes and talking to industry professionals because those are the additional steps that will prepare you to take the first step out of your comfort zone.”

Trust Your Instincts

It’s finally time! After weeks of preparation, planning, networking with industry professionals, and learning new skills to help you succeed in your career, it is time to pivot your career. This is the moment where you have to let go of the safety net, step out of your comfort zone and trust your instincts. You have decided to pivot your career because you have a passion that you want to explore and you have to have confidence that you will succeed to make it a reality.

Tiffany Williams, CEO of Rich Girl Collective states,” Being intentional and trusting your gut in changing your career will make all the difference and improve your confidence embarking on this new journey.”

By utilizing these tips, you will be able to maintain an easier transition into your desired career path and a more successful pivot as well.