Being unsettled in your present job could prompt you to start looking around for something else. This might be more than just another job in the same profession. You may start to think that you could benefit from a complete change of career path. It does not matter what prompted these feelings in the first place, there is a certain way of going about achieving your aim.
Start at the beginning. Think carefully of what other careers you could possibly move into. Revamp your CV, replenishing it with the kinds of transferable skills that you feel could be useful to another employer in a different profession or sector. Get involved in some intensive networking. There are plenty of professional networking websites that will allow you to do this easily. You can communicate your plans online to those working in possible alternative sectors. You can find out at first-hand what jobs are available, and the roles and responsibilities they entail.
Next, ask yourself if you need additional qualifications and/or training. This will almost certainly be the case, but will depend on the extent to which you really are moving sectors. New qualifications can be done part-time, by distance learning or online, or even a combination of all three. These options will allow you to make progress here while you continue in your current job.
There are other important points to consider. What new opportunities will a change of career give you? Could this involve quicker promotion, for example, or the awakening of an interest in an area that has always held an attraction for you? Will you need to relocate? What impact might a possible move have on your immediate family and friends?
When does your career change need to happen? If you are in no particular hurry, this is in fact an advantage because you can then do more preparatory work. Do you tell your line manager and/or colleagues? This is a difficult question. The answer will depend entirely on the kind of professional relationship you have with them and whether you feel comfortable discussing a change of career while you still work there. Such a discussion may change their outlook and opinion of whether you can still contribute to the organisation in the same way as before.
There is of course an alternative. Within your company there may be other positions available in another department which will give you the change of direction that you strive for. You can confirm through diplomatic inquiries whether these alternatives will take advantage of your knowledge, experience and of course those crucial transferable skills.
Having answered all of these questions to your satisfaction and carried out your initial research, it will be time to start looking for jobs. Do not be tempted to wait until the business cycle is wholly favourable in your new profession. If you do, your career change might never happen.
Be patient, keep an open mind, and be determined to get to that place you really want to be.