Maybe you have found yourself laid off due to the current economic crisis, or maybe you have simply decided to leave a deadening job in search of one that offers greater personal fulfillment. Either way, the following can help you on your way.

According to life direction counselor Jennifer Manlowe , despite the current recession – or perhaps because of it – more people today are looking for meaningful careers that match who they are inside. To help her clients locate that “inner cry,” she has a few suggestions – one of which is to think about how you would spend your days if you had unlimited financial resources from now until the end of your life. She also counsels not to expect to find the perfect career right away: As in the world of romance, you may have to go on a lot of first dates to find the one you want to settle down with.

Before you make that fateful leap to start a new career, check out “Steps to Change Your Career” at Squidoo. Noting that few people make a successful career change in one go, the author recommends starting out with part-time or volunteer work in your new area of interest. Besides learning some useful skills in the new field, it can help confirm that you’ve made the right choice. This site offers other practical advice, as well as recommended reading on the subject.

Here at the Thoughtful Philanthropist, Susan Detwiler offers words of wisdom on making the switch from the private sector to the nonprofit world. Based on her own experience and that of various colleagues, Detwiler provides insight on the difference in nonprofit work, including a prevailing attitude to “pitch in and get things done,” whether or not the task falls in your direct area of jurisdiction. There are further shifts, such as success being measured not in terms of salary but in the ability to further the organisation’s mission; as well as the dependency on government funding and private donations.

For those of you who aren’t sure if you’re ready for a job change, check out Danielle Schmidt’s “Top Ten Signs that You Need a Job Change,” and see if any of them sound familiar.

And finally, if you need some inspiration to show you that a successful career change can be done, we recommend this Whakate article, “Find Your Dream Career: Reinvent Yourself,” by Adrian Koh, featuring a young woman from the United States who used an innovative method to win a coveted job with Twitter.

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