A career change plan that maps your skills to a new field
You know you want out, but not how to get from here to a new field without starting over. This prompt has your todo.is agent research real job ads for the role you're eyeing, map your transferable skills, and turn the gap into a month-by-month plan with courses, projects and networking steps, then check in on you every week.
The prompt
- Make me a career change plan. I work as [CURRENT JOB AND YEARS] and I want to move into [TARGET ROLE OR FIELD] within [TIMEFRAME]. I can spend [HOURS PER WEEK] on this and my budget for courses is [BUDGET]. Search 10 current job ads for the target role in [LOCATION OR REMOTE] and list the skills they want. Compare them with my background: [YOUR SKILLS, EDUCATION, SIDE PROJECTS]. Give me: my transferable skills, the gaps, 3 entry routes (e.g. junior role, internal move, freelance), a month-by-month plan with specific courses (with links), one portfolio project, and networking steps. Save it as a Word file. Then every Sunday at 6 pm, message me on WhatsApp with this week's 3 tasks.
What to change
- [CURRENT JOB AND YEARS]: e.g. "hospital pharmacy technician, 6 years".
- [TARGET ROLE OR FIELD]: Be as specific as you can, e.g. "UX researcher" rather than "tech". Not sure? Write "suggest 3 options".
- [TIMEFRAME]: e.g. "6 months" or "by next summer".
- [HOURS PER WEEK]: Be honest, e.g. "6 hours on evenings and weekends".
- [BUDGET]: An amount, or "free resources only".
- [LOCATION OR REMOTE]: Where you'd work, e.g. "Manchester, UK" or "remote".
- [YOUR SKILLS, EDUCATION, SIDE PROJECTS]: Rough notes, or attach your resume.
Example result
- Career change plan: Teacher to UX Researcher, 6 months
- What the job ads ask for (10 ads)
- • User interviews and usability testing (10 of 10)
- • Survey design and analysis (8)
- • Synthesis: affinity mapping, personas, journey maps (7)
- • Tools: Figma, Dovetail or Miro, Maze or UserTesting (6)
- • Presenting findings to stakeholders (9)
- • A portfolio with 2 or 3 case studies (9)
- Your transferable skills
- • Interviewing and active listening from parent meetings and student check-ins
- • Designing assessments, which is close to survey design
- • Spotting patterns in student data
- • Presenting to groups every day
- Gaps
- Usability testing methods, research tools, synthesis frameworks, a portfolio, industry vocabulary.
- Entry routes
- • Junior UX researcher at an edtech company, where your teaching background is a plus
- • Internal move: offer user research help to your district's learning platform team
- • Freelance: usability tests for small local businesses to build case studies
- Month by month
- • Month 1: foundations course on UX research; read one research case study a week
- • Month 2: run 5 practice user interviews with friends about a real app; learn affinity mapping in Miro
- • Month 3: portfolio project: usability study of a public library's website, 5 participants
- • Month 4: write up the case study; second mini project with a survey of 30 people
- • Month 5: rewrite resume and LinkedIn for UX research; 2 coffee chats a week with researchers
- • Month 6: apply to 5 to 8 targeted roles a week, prepare research interview questions
- Weekly check-in (example message)
- This week: 1) Finish module 3 of your course. 2) Recruit 2 interview participants. 3) Send one LinkedIn message to a UX researcher at an edtech company.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in each [bracket]. If you're unsure of the target, ask for three options first.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Your agent researches real job ads with links, then sends the plan as a Word file.
- The Sunday check-in becomes a recurring to-do. Reply "done" or "behind" and ask it to adjust the plan.
Tips for a better result
- Talk to 3 people who do the job before paying for any course. Ask what they'd learn first.
- A small, real portfolio project beats a long list of certificates in most career changes.
- Look for a bridge role that uses your old field, like a nurse moving into health tech sales.
- Plan your finances before you quit: many changers keep their job until an offer is signed.
- Re-run the job ad search every few months; the skills employers want can shift.
career change plan: FAQ
- How long does a career change take? Often 6 to 18 months, depending on how far the new field is from your current one and how many hours a week you can invest.
- Do I need a new degree to change careers? Not always. Many fields hire on skills and portfolio, but regulated jobs like nursing, law or accounting do need formal qualifications. The plan flags which kind your target is.
- Is it too late to change careers at 40 or 50? No. Experience, reliability and industry knowledge are real assets. Lead with them and target roles where they matter.
- Can todo.is remind me to stay on track? Yes. The weekly check-in is a recurring to-do that messages you on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or email. Each run uses a few AI credits.
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