Figure out what career to change into

Most career change advice assumes you already know what you want to do next. This prompt is for the step before that — when you know you want out but haven’t figured out where to go.

It takes your background, pulls out the skills that transfer, and suggests specific roles you might not have considered. Then it helps you evaluate the options so you can pick a direction and stop spinning.

Copy this into ChatGPT, Claude, or your AI tool. Fill in the brackets.

I'm thinking about changing careers and I need help figuring out what to change INTO. I don't want generic advice. I want you to look at what I've actually done and tell me where those skills are valuable.

**My background:**
[Paste your resume, or describe your work history in detail. Include: what you did day-to-day, what you were good at, what you managed, and any numbers you can remember (team size, budget, revenue, etc.)]

**What I know about what I want (and don't want):**
[Be honest here. Examples: "I want to make more money", "I'm bored and want more variety", "I hate managing people", "I want to work remotely", "I want to get into tech but I'm not a developer", "I have no idea what I want, just not this". The more specific, the better.]

**Constraints:**
[Anything that limits your options. Examples: "I can't take more than a 20% pay cut", "I need to stay in [city]", "I have a family and can't go back to school full-time", "I'm willing to relocate anywhere". Skip if none.]

**Instructions:**

1. **Extract my skills.** Read my background and identify my 5-8 strongest transferable skills. Don't just list soft skill buzzwords. Find specific abilities backed by what I've actually done. For each skill, point to the evidence in my background.

2. **Suggest 5-7 target roles.** Based on my skills AND my preferences/constraints, suggest specific job titles I should be exploring. For each one:
   - The job title and what the role actually involves day-to-day
   - Why my background makes me a realistic candidate (connect specific skills)
   - Typical salary range
   - How big the gap is between where I am and this role (small pivot vs. significant leap)
   - Whether I'd likely need any new credentials or training

3. **Flag the best fits.** Of the roles you suggested, rank them by fit:
   - **Strong fit (apply now):** My skills map closely, minimal gap, I could start applying with a good resume reframe
   - **Good fit (some bridging needed):** Solid skill match but I'd need to build 1-2 things (a project, a certification, some networking in the space)
   - **Stretch (longer play):** Interesting match but would require significant ramp-up or a bridge role first

4. **Give me a reality check.** Based on what I said about my preferences and constraints:
   - Which of my "wants" are realistic given my background?
   - Which ones might require trade-offs I should think about?
   - Is there anything I should consider that I probably haven't thought of?

5. **Suggest next steps.** For the top 2-3 roles, give me one concrete action I can take this week to start validating whether it's the right direction. (E.g., "Find 3 people on LinkedIn with the title X who came from a background like yours and ask for an informational interview.")

Important:
- Be specific. "You could work in tech" is useless. "You'd be a strong candidate for a Customer Success Manager role at a mid-size SaaS company" is useful.
- Be honest about gaps. If something is a stretch, say so. I'd rather know now than waste months.
- Don't suggest roles that require going back to school for 2+ years unless I specifically said I'm open to that.
- If my background is too vague to give good suggestions, ask me follow-up questions before guessing.

Tips

• Be brutally honest about your preferences. “I want to make more money” is a valid input. So is “I want less stress even if it means a pay cut.” The more honest you are, the better the suggestions.
• Run it twice with different preferences. Try once with “I want maximum earning potential” and once with “I want the best work-life balance.” Seeing both sets of options helps you understand the trade-offs.
• Validate with real humans. This prompt gives you a starting point, not a final answer. Once you have 2-3 target roles, find people on LinkedIn who hold those titles and ask for a 15-minute conversation. Nothing replaces talking to someone who actually does the job.
• Pair with the transferable skills audit for a deeper skills analysis, and the career change plan once you’ve picked a direction.
• Read our guide on how to change careers for the full step-by-step process from deciding to getting hired.