Surviving Your Quarter Life Crisis: Step 5

Step #5: Lay Out Your Change Options

Ok, so you might be frustrated that conquering your quarter-life crisis so far has involved a lot of thinking and planning—and very little action.

However, patience is important, and being thoughtful about your next career steps is a must. You only have one life, after all.

But at this point, it’s time to stop talking about the future—and instead figure out the steps you need to get there.

Read on for five viable career change options you can consider.

Apply for new jobs. Best-case scenario, you’ve identified what you hate about your current gig, and know exactly what you’re looking for next. Polish your LinkedIn profile, fire up Indeed, and get cracking on a job search.

Find a part-time job and move back home. This isn’t ideal, although it’s certainly more common these days: The percentage of millennials living at home is the highest it’s been since 1940. Removing the pressure of rent and other living expenses might be what’s needed for you to clear your head enough to figure out what’s next.

Look into a part-time, online or weekend degree program. Sure, it might be bad news for your social life (at least temporarily), but it’ll be easier on your wallet—and you can hang onto your current gig for the moment while laying the groundwork for a change.

Explore other continuing education options. Thanks to the wonders of technology, there are endless MOOCs and online classes—such as Harvard’s legendary CS50x, “Introduction to Computer Science”—available for you to take. Some even offer a verified certificate program you can put on your résumé.

Go back to school (or sign up for a bootcamp) full-time. Your dream job might require more education or an advanced degree, which is pretty normal. Luckily, going back to school full-time, or deciding to take a rigorous boot camp, won’t be too much of an adjustment, since you’re not that far removed from school.

One word of advice: Although it’s tempting to quit your job cold turkey and figure things out, that’s an extreme step that should only be taken if you are utterly miserable at work. Having no plan B and no steady income stream is a recipe for credit card debt, student loan defaults and a worsening quarter-life crisis.

Now that you’ve defined several concrete change options, what are the best next steps to take? How can you make this your best year yet? Follow us for quarter-life crisis survival tips and guidance, including step #6.