Heading back to school to change your career? Do your homework first, experts say

Daniel Buchardt is seen in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Daniel Buchardt (Mandatory Credit)

Daniel Buchardt was about seven years into a sales career when he looked around the insurance company he worked for and realized that not only did the job feel monotonous, he also wasn’t very interested in it.

“I’m not really passionate about insurance. I don’t think anyone really is,” said the 31-year-old Guelph, Ont., man.

“There really wasn’t a lot of upward mobility and it’s kind of like you’re doing the same job day in and day out. I was getting antsy. I wanted to get out of the office, get outside.”

Given his love of the outdoors and interest in sustainability, Buchardt eventually decided to head back to school to study environmental engineering.

While he made the decision quickly, there was a lot he had to think about first: a return to school would make juggling work difficult, finding a job in a new field isn’t always easy — and there’s no guarantee you’ll like that new gig better.

Experts like Sangeetha Dikshit, the Toronto-based founder of career coaching business Pod Transformations, say these are some of the top things they advise anyone mulling a career switch to consider long before they start the admissions process. If you don’t think ahead about the financial, emotional and career consequences, they say you risk worsening your situation rather than improving it.

While people have always wanted to pursue additional education to make a career swap, Dikshit said it has become a “huge phenomenon” more recently because the COVID-19 pandemic ended some jobs and gave people time to reconsider their ambitions. The proliferation of artificial intelligence, which stands to dramatically change the way we work, is also fuelling career shifts, she said.

She recommends anyone wanting to make a transition take four steps. The first is clearly identifying what their next career move is and whether it is suitable for them.

“There is a significant chunk of people who tend to make these career transitions based on what they see outside, right?” Dikshit said. “It could be social media, it could be what they hear ... or maybe a perceived expectation of what could be the next best thing.”

She thinks it is better for clients to cut through that noise and think more closely about jobs that fit their values, interests, skills and strengths.

Once they’ve done that, it’s time to become aware about job market realities, she said. That can be done through coffee chats with industry experts who can share the pros and cons of sectors and help you consider if a job aligns with your aspirations.

Buchardt was able to talk to his father, who worked in the environmental engineering industry and told him demand for the kinds of jobs his new studies could deliver are “only growing” as developers look to build more and need environmental surveys and other due diligence.

If you need more reassurance after a coffee chat, Dikshit suggested taking short courses online from LinkedIn Learning or YouTube to get a feel for the field or job they want to enter.

The next step is all about resilience.

“Returning back to school could mean a huge shift in priorities, in their finances. Are you really prepared to go through that process?” she asks clients.

To give her an answer, people have to consider whether they can afford to go back to school, especially if classes require so much of their time that they won’t be able to simultaneously manage a job.

It’s an important calculation because people working full-time often don’t qualify for government grant and loan programs, said Lance McCready, an associate professor affiliated with the University of Toronto’s adult education and community development program. They usually need to pare back work hours to get the funding or rely on savings, loans or family to finance their studies.

If they have kids or are caring for sick or elderly loved ones, they will also have to consider whether that will conflict with the demands of their education or new career.

“In order to finish the program and get this degree, you’re going to have to take some time away from something else,” said McCready.

If they determine they have the support they need, Dikshit said they can move onto her final stage: a look at their emotional readiness.

Transitioning to a new career often means going from being an expert in one field to a newbie in another. Sometimes the shift will come with a pay cut or a much younger group of peers that may be hard to relate to.

While many people go through these steps and emerge prepared for a job switch, others realize it’s not the right time or they’re not as ready as they thought.

That’s okay, too, she said.

Sometimes you can take online classes to upskill or pursue certifications to help transition your career while you remain on the job.

Many schools also allow students to complete programs on a part-time basis or offer shorter but more intense degrees and certificates, reducing the amount of time you’ll spend away from work.

For example, Buchardt was able to find a one-year program in environmental engineering at Conestoga College.

A friend he consulted who had gone back to school to start a new career before him warned a shorter program is “not a walk in the park” because you “have to be studying every single day.”

But so far, Buchardt has found the work has paid off. He’s now completing a co-op he enjoys at a biofiltration business.

McCready said that’s often how mature students feel about their transition.

“What they feel challenged by is ... balancing the financial, the social support, the learning expectations, but no one ever regrets it once they do it,” McCready said.

“It inevitably opens more doors for them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2025.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press