Job search/change of direction

Long story short, I'm working casually in a job I've been doing for years, but need to find regular work again, preferably part time.

There's no scope to find the same work here (currently working from home for Asian-based company) and I'd be happy to do something different anyway. But I don't know what I could do (much less what I'd want to do). I know no-one else can tell me this, but if you've made a big (or little) change, how did you do it? How did you leverage specific experience into a new opportunity?

Looking for some ideas & inspiration... thanks

Hi Marcellus

It's a bit hard to change jobs/careers if you don't have much idea what you want to do yet--it's a bit like throwing a dart all over the walls but not the target! You have to have some idea of what to go for so you can take your existing skills and attributes and re-purpose them for a different employer/field. That said, many people think that unless they feel absolutely certain about a career change, then it's not right for them. The truth is somewhere in the middle--you don't have to be absolutely certain that you want to be, say, a naturopath and that's all there is to it to find something within a range of fields which might suit you down to a T. Broad, vague ideas are good to start with. Write down what you like about your current job and what you don't like. Think about previous jobs and do the same. These are your "work satisfiers", the items that satisfy you personally and help you do a better job. Write down your strengths and skills. What are you good at doing? What do other people say you're good at? What are you good at, but don't like? What are you not so good at, but do like?
What are some fields that have also had an interest? Cooking? Medicine? Furniture? Animals? Sewing? Sports? You get the picture. It's in these fields that you will apply your strengths and preferences that you wrote down from your jobs.

Hope this helps as a beginning
Metaphorica
PS If you're wondering whether I know what I'm talking about, I'm a career development practitioner (aka career counsellor)

Thank you for taking the time to respond - you've given me things to think about.

I'm doing this! I went from Cell Scientist to PA and now to Chemistry Teacher.

It's easy to change... so long as you know what to change to! What do you like doing, not just job things but interpersonal things too: eg I hated jobs which took me away from dealing with the public and just kept you trapped with the same 6-7 people all day every day.

Hi Marcellus :)

I'd have a think about what you are interested in and enjoy and if possible volunteer? I know not all careers have this as an option but if you can it helps you get a feel for whether it's really something you'd like before investing time and money into training etc.

Good luck!

xxx