Changing your profession step by step. The expert advises how to avoid mistakes

Counterintuitively, The best moment to think about changing industries is not a crisis, but a moment of relative stability — a few years in the organization, the feeling that “everything is fine”, but the development has stopped.

— Changing industries requires enormous cognitive and energy effort. If someone is on the verge of exhaustion, there is simply nothing to finance it – neither time nor mentally – emphasizes the expert, pointing out that financing the change is not only about paying for the course. This is above all having a surplus of time and peaceto acquire new knowledge.

In a crisis, every hour of learning is stressful, which drastically reduces the effectiveness of the process. This is one of the main reasons why many attempts at change end in abandonment of plans after a few months.

How to change careers safely? Career evolution and transfer of competences

The expert distinguishes two safest routes. The first one is evolution within the current organization — e.g. the transition of a technical employee to the role of a Project Manager, where knowledge of the product and people is an advantage. The second way is transfer of competencesi.e. changing the industry while maintaining the established way of working. An efficient banking analyst can become an e-commerce analyst. Only the context changes, while the tools and processes remain the same.

Read also: New rules on the labor market. These are the competencies companies are looking for

The first step to changing your career: a thorough analysis of the labor market

One of the most common mistakes is starting with courses. The starting point should be market benchmark — that is, a brutal check whether our idea of ​​a new profession matches reality.

The analysis should not be limited only to job offers. It is worth following the paths of people with similar experience on LinkedIn and comparing your own plans with data from reports (e.g. Central Statistical Office) to understand where the demand is.

— The labor market is so dynamic that a plan from three years ago may be completely out of date today. If someone is waiting for the “perfect moment”, they most likely just slept through it – says Anna Gniadek.

Mapping competencies, verifying assumptions and testing the profession in practice

This is the stage that we most often start with a list of shortcomings (“what do I need to make up for?”). This is another mistake. Anna Gniadek advises start with a list of resources, dividing competences into three groups: technical (easiest to complete), transferable (transferable between industries) and soft. Many successful changes are horizontal moves, where the sector changes, but the core of the work – e.g. data analysis or project management – remains the same.

It is also crucial to analyze the so-called energy adjustment. Please check whether the daily tasks in the new role are consistent with our temperament.

— You can fit the salary range and responsibilities perfectly and yet burn out very quickly. If a role requires constant presentations and someone hates them, they will not be able to defend themselves in the long term, the expert notes.

Without this reflection, even a well-planned change can quickly end in another burnout. Only after mapping your own potential does planning specific training make sense.

Instead of investing in expensive training without knowing the realities, the expert suggests a simplified one “job shadowing”. It involves verifying ideas through system analysis (e.g. video demo on YouTube), networking with practitioners on LinkedIn or participation in industry events. This is the easiest way to understand what the daily routine looks like in a given industry.

Prepare for the role of Junior and a decline in professional status

Changing industries rarely means entering the senior level straight away. It is more often associated with a symbolic retreat – and this can be one of the biggest barriers, especially for people from high managerial positions. The reality, especially for juniors, is different today: the market is saturated and the dynamics of salary growth has slowed down.

— Even if it's financially tight, the decline in status can be difficult to accept. This is a real problem, not a matter of ambition – says Anna Gniadek. That's why it's so important to set realistic expectations – both towards the market and yourself.

Read also: How to find your first job in 2026? The labor market poses challenges

Building an advantage – professional portfolio

One of the key elements of effective change is showing your value before you are hired. That's why it's worth spending time building a professional portfolio. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a tool reserved only for graphic artists or designers.

— Literally everyone – from a miner, through a nurse, to an HR director – can and should have a good professional portfolio showing achievements, work style, but also way of thinking, case studies and ideas for improvements.. Even if these are simulation projects, they show what someone brings – emphasizes the expert. — The market is not waiting for us, we have to show it what value we will bring.

Read also: Negotiating a raise: how to avoid mistakes and talk effectively with your boss

Choose jobs of the future that are resistant to automation

The expert recommends caution when choosing a new direction. Advice from friends can be disastrous — what is good for one person will not necessarily be good for us. The prospect of high earnings may be tempting, but payroll reports can be confusing — are often based on data from large corporations that can afford to use expensive recruitment agencies, which artificially inflates the market average.

Read also: The whole truth about Poles' earnings. Check how many people have the same salary as you

— Given the current changes in the world, I would absolutely not be guided only by where you can earn the most. The fact that today you earn the most in a given industry does not mean that it will be the same tomorrow – warns Anna Gniadek.

Nevertheless, the expert points to industries related to well-being, mental health and care for the elderly — areas where demand is growing with demographic changes. These are also professions based on typically human competences, such as empathy, relationships and responsibility, which are much more difficult to automate. In the long run, they offer greater stability than roles that depend solely on tools or technology.

Patience is the key to success. Real time to change your profession

There is no single scenario or guarantee of success in changing the industry. It is a process that requires many adjustments and resistance to disappointment.

— Slogans like “transformation in three months” do people a lot of harm. A realistic horizon is probably from half a year to even 18 months — depending on the starting point and the time you have – sums up Anna Gniadek.

The difference between half a year and 18 months depends on how many hours a day we are able to devote to learning without compromising our current responsibilities. The expert clearly states: rush is the worst advisor here, because it generates pressure that leads straight to another burnout.

Read also: Job prospects in 2026. Check who employers are looking for

Ultimately, changing industries is not an escape from problems, but a strategic investment in yourself. It can bring spectacular profits, provided that the foundation is not a panic retreat, but hard data: knowledge of the realities, awareness of one's own deficits and readiness for a long-term adaptation process.