Lots of people think about a career change but don't actually go through with it, not because they don't want to but because they don't think they can. Help is at hand. On average people change careers 5 - 7 times during their lifetime. That is career not just job.

If you are thinking about a careers change the first thing you need to do is a skills audit.....i.e. what are you good at? what do you enjoy? what do you want to stop doing? You can get support through us, a mentor, or using resources online and in print

You need to focus on what you want first (talking about it with anyone who may be affected) of all. You need to be honest and realistic in what you can achieve taking into consideration things such as financial and time implications if you need to re-train. Be flexible. Need an example?

You may really, really want to be an airline pilot but realistically you don't have the time/finances to re-train. You might just give up and say 'I can't so there's no point' or you might explore the options around the skills that are involved in being a pilot and find some other careers such as an air traffic controller or part of the cabin crew?

Secondly you need to research, research, research! There are lots of ways to do this either online through forums:

There is a live question and answer session being run by the Guardian on Monday the 14th March 2011and whether you actively participate or just log on and see what's happening it might spark some ideas.

You can also use specialist websites and looking at occupational profiles (see here for more info). You might also want to research in person. Ask friends, family, people you meet (how often is the first/second question you are asked on meeting someone new - 'so, what do you do?') about their jobs, what they like and/or dislike, how they got into it. It all helps to give you better picture. This will take time - anywhere from 3 months to 3 years and it will depend on how quickly you make life changing decisions! 

Finally you need to make your decision yourself. There will be lots of people giving you their opinions, some will be supportive, some won't but ultimately you have done the research, you have considered all options and you are the only one who knows if it will be right for you. 

You can leap in to your new career in one move or you can do it as a hobby or in your spare time, building it up until you are sure it's right for you. It doesn't matter which you do. (If you choose to ignore all my excellent advice and do change career without proper research and it's not what you expected, you have up to 12-18 months to go back to a previous career before your skills are deemed out of date so don't panic!)

So, in summary:

1. Do a skills audit and find out what makes you tick
2. Research, research, research
3. Don't get pushed into a decision by someone else
4. Be realistic

It's not a quick or an easy process but it can lead to something fullfulling and exciting if you put the work in first.