Career change can mean taking risks. Researchers sometimes set out to find the perfect or “forever” career and in doing so can actually find that this is a barrier to change because it may be impossible to know everything before you make a decision.

To help you think through the different careers available and what you need to know in order to make a decision, the Career Planning Toolkit offers the following help and advice:

Section B - Explore your options

• Research the literature: career stories and destinations
• Find possible careers and employers
• Find the right culture fit
• Develop industry and sector awareness

Section C - Decide and plan

• Do you fulfill your employers' expectations?
• Decision making tools
• Planning for additional skills development
• How to get out of your own way

Get further support

• Bristol Clear offers a number of career-focussed training sessions – see Develop for details.
• Exploring these often complex situations with a mentor can provide great value to your thought process and decision making. We have several schemes already established here at Bristol, but you can always find your own mentor by approaching someone you respect and getting their opinion on your career progress to date.
• Your staff review and development conversation may also help you to clarify your goals and the direction you would like to be heading in.
• Finally research staff can also talk through career dilemmas with an impartial, trained coach from the coaching team or attend a 1:1 coaching style session with a member of the Bristol Clear team.