Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’ve worked for a while after college and realize that you declared a major that you simply don’t enjoy anymore. Your education and college degree will serve you well no matter what field you work in. You have a full and productive future ahead of you so you’d better make sure that the work you do is enjoyable to you. Below are some tips for making your transition into a new field:

1. Keep your hobbies out of the mix. While it may be a pleasant thought to imagine your love of dogs parlaying into a new career choice, it may not be the best idea. Hobbies and personal interests are a great way of diversifying yourself and enjoying your off hours. Turning them into careers isn’t always quite the nirvana you think it might be.

2. Do some volunteering to see what might be a good fit. By all means, keep your existing job while you explore different areas. Use your off hours to volunteer at various organizations from the ground up. If you have a degree in early education but find that teaching isn’t right for you, an entry level job at the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization might be a better fit. The best way to find out is to volunteer and see what it’s all about.

3. Build a nest egg before you quit your job. Switching tracks into a new career path can be costly so it’s best to do so with a relatively clean slate. Pay off your credit cards and college loans and have some savings to fall back on if it takes a while to get hired in your new area of interest. Ideally, you should find a new job before you give notice to your existing one.

4. Network, network, network. Get in front of everyone you can think of who is somehow related to the type of business that you want to get into. You know how it works from your efforts in finding your first job out of college, right? You never know who might know someone who can open a door for you.

There’s nothing wrong with changing career paths several times in your life. Your college time served as a meaningful transition between adolescence and adulthood and provided plenty of examples you can draw from when interviewing. Don’t settle for anything less than a career that you are happy to share your life with, even if it was your major. Each day provides an opportunity to evolve.

Alan Greene has written dozens of essays and articles about online degree programs, scholarships, and career preparation.