Considering a career change? Here's what you need to know before you take the plunge.

• Millions of workers have made radical changes in their jobs and careers since the pandemic began.
• If you're pondering a switch, you're likely hungry for advice.
• Insider spoke with four experts about what people planning a professional change need to know.

When your work life feels impossibly tedious, the prospect of a career change — learning a new industry, honing new skills, meeting new colleagues, and maybe even making more money — is tantalizing.

Just ask the many millions of workers around the globe who've made radical changes in their jobs and careers since the pandemic began. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track career changes, but a July report from McKinsey found that for some, the "Great Resignation" had signaled a new beginning.

The report's findings, based on a survey of more than 13,000 workers in six countries showed roughly half of the 2,800 respondents who quit their full-time jobs within the past two years had pursued opportunities in different industries (though separate research found the rate of industry switching had stayed about the same since 2019).

"The pandemic was such a period of upheaval. It really reshaped a lot of how people thought about their lives," Dorie Clark, a strategy consultant, an executive coach, and the author of "The Long Game," told Insider. "It really led to asking broader questions, which is not just, 'What do I want my job to be?' But more, 'What do I want my life to be?'"

If you're one of those people pondering a career switch, you're likely hungry for advice that can help you understand what the change entails. While there's a lot of good information out there on how to make the switch — do your due diligence on different industries, talk to career counselors, network, and get your finances in order — it's harder to find so-called real talk on the likely challenges.

Insider spoke with four experts about what people mulling a dramatic professional change need to know, from how to find out whether they have the right emotional makeup to switch careers to what to do if they get offered a promotion at their organization. Here's what they had to say.

Don't take that promotion if you're unhappy in your job 

There are many reasons you might be dissatisfied at work — your boss is a micromanager, or you're on an interminable project. But those gripes don't always require a full-scale career change. Often, small adjustments like transferring to a new team or getting a new assignment can make a difference. (More on that later.)

But experts say there's one issue that requires immediate attention — when you're deeply unhappy doing your job on a day-to-day basis. Don't discount that little voice that's telling you to make a dramatic change — and, importantly, don't get derailed from doing so if you get offered a promotion at work, said Maria Kraimer, a professor of human-resources management at Rutgers University who conducted recent research on career transitions.

Her research found people who say they would like to go back to school and pursue a new line of work were less likely to go if they got promoted at their company.

"They get on a fast track, and they get a raise, and then they get sucked into a job and a path because they're having success," she said. "But then they wake up 10 or 15 years down the road, and they realize that this isn't what they want to be doing — it wasn't then and still isn't."

The bottom line: A promotion might help you feel better in the short term, but don't let a new title and a pay bump tether you to a career path that doesn't suit you.

Beware of how you talk to yourself about switching

Switching professions is a risk, and one not to be taken lightly, especially for midcareer folks, many of whom can't afford to give up the time and income needed to build skills. 

Beyond the hours and money, learning a profession requires tremendous mental energy — you're going to be thrown off-kilter, and it won't always feel comfortable. That's not necessarily bad; in fact, studies suggest discomfort motivates learning and personal growth. But depending on your stage in life, you might not have the bandwidth to handle it.

"We can only do so many things, and our attention is limited," Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist who is Dartmouth College's first female president-elect, and the author of "Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To," told Insider.

Before taking the leap, consider how the change might affect your personal life and the time you spend with your family.

"It might not be the right time for you," she said.

Yet Beilock cautions against talking yourself out of a career change based on fear. Her research found that by reappraising how we view difficult situations, we could make them more manageable — and perform better. In one study, a group of high-school students improved their test scores and lowered their anxiety after reading a passage that explained how physiological arousal — a rapid heartbeat and sweaty palms — is the body's way of getting ready for an important task and that the stress could be channeled into higher performance. 

"The most important conversations you have are the ones you have with yourself," she said. "You're not born a choker or a thriver. You can cultivate inner resilience and learn to view a career change with excitement rather than dread."

Distinguish between 'push' and 'pull' factors

Why are you leaving your field?

Morra Aarons-Mele, the host of the "Anxious Achiever" podcast and founder of the marketing agency Women Online, urges people to pause and consider the reason they're leaving. Are you being pushed out of the organization or profession because you don't like something about working in it? Or are you being pulled toward another opportunity because it's exciting and you want to try it out? There are no wrong motivations, but Aarons-Mele said it's important to "try to unpack the why."

If you feel something is pushing you out of your role, consider whether your job might be salvageable. Maybe you dislike your boss, or maybe you have too many video chats.

"Those are things that can possibly change without actually leaving your career," Aarons-Mele said.

It's worth talking to your employer about switching teams or projects or opting out of some regular meetings.

Be patient — and get comfortable being a beginner again

Successful career pivots rarely happen overnight, especially if you're transitioning into an industry where you have minimal experience and few connections. The best way to start might be to keep your current job and spend nights and weekends on side projects that will better position you for a job in your desired field. That way, you'll keep your paycheck before jumping into something that may be less stable. 

"If you need to be more measured," Clark, the strategy consultant, said, "then it's probably a good idea to take a little bit longer than you might ideally desire."

And as scary as you might find your next job to be, try to embrace your newcomer status.

"You very likely will have to take a step or two backwards in order to eventually take a step forward in your new field," Clark said. "It's a necessary part of the process."

An earlier version of this story appeared on September 10, 2022.