We can try online jobs or what?

I am in my late 20s and want to try a new career.  How can I explore new jobs the way a college student does through internships?

• Back in college it was so easy to just try a new internship each summer.  I've gone through 4 years of my first job and would like to try something new...the problem is I don't know where I want to go.  Given that I have settled into an apartment in San Francisco and am used to having a paycheck every 2 weeks, how can I go about trying new jobs?

• Answer:

  Hi!  The best place to try a new career is to expand your work in your current job at your current company.  Assuming you ideally want to keep that paycheck coming in - are there ways you can work additional hours (5-10) in a different area in your current company?  Are there friends/co-workers in another department that would be open to bringing you on to help their project?  You would need to work extra hours - but this is FREE experience and what you gain is in gold - experience!  This in many ways is your on-the-job internship.  The thing you have already is likely credibility and trust after 4 years.  Trust and credibility is "Trust Equity" - and you can turn this in ONLY at your current company.   The 5-10 additional hours a week is nothing compared to the effort to on board to a new company with new boss and people where you are starting from a low trust equity or more likely 0 trust equity.  I started over a few times to 0 trust equity for the chance to work in a great job/company - and it was hard to build that trust but I got there and it was worth it in the new relationships and experiences.  Talking about changing careers though - it may be that taking on additional projects at your current company isn't really going to be an option to change careers the way you are thinking.  I am not sure you are going to find those short term assignments that are almost like job samples.   Most jobs are full-time versus project based.   The other idea I have for you is to have exploratory chats with people.  People love to share a day in the life - and pay for their coffee and learn about careers of people to see what stands out to you.  This is something you can do outside of work and helps you be more practical about what you really would like to do next versus a perception of what might be interesting.  Ok - good luck!  Great question, Kara