Practicing law is a rewarding career. However, as a college student, you may be scared to settle on one career because you may change your mind in the future. Really, there is nothing to be scared of. Law flows into many different careers, and one field you can easily switch to down the road is business. It may be scary, but sometimes a career move is necessary in order to advance our careers the way we want to. Here are some tips to make a successful transition from law to business.

1. Improve Your Ability to Network

Business is about helping people and forming relationships, so being able to converse with and develop relationships with a network of professionals is essential. If you already have excellent networking skills, you'll discover the transition to business is not that difficult. As a lawyer, you already deal with people, but as a businessperson, you need to be able to connect with everyone you come into contact with on a deeper level. They need to feel a connection with you so they remember you when a job opens up or when they find some cool educational material. You have to leave a lasting impression. Try practicing with people at school and at your current job, and you’ll be a pro at networking in no time.

2. Develop a Business Mindset

Changing your mindset is crucial any time you want to radically alter anything in life, especially a career path. We become accustomed to thinking a certain way, and a career path change will require thinking in a different way in order to be successful. Spend time with those in the business field and learn from them how to think, talk,and act like a businessperson. You wouldn’t want to be acting and thinking like a lawyer when you start a new job in the business field. There will be an adjustment period, but if you spend time with businesspeople, you'll be thinking, talking, and acting like one of them in relatively no time at all.

3. Diversify Your Skills

In business, you need to come ready with the skills you need to succeed. Employers in the business industry look for candidates who are well qualified in many fields and if not qualified, the candidate must be a quick learner. You’re going to need to be well-versed in computers as most businesses operate solely digitally. It would likely be good to understand the basics of marketing, accounting, and economics among other business topics. Consider taking some online courses or reading up on these topics so you can be well-versed in the world of business and have the necessary skills to succeed. If you do this, you can quickly advance in business.

4. Develop Some Tech Skills

Familiarize yourself with all the types of business software. Learn how to use BPM software or other in-demand applications like diagramming software, CRM software, video conference tools, and project management software. Business is very technology-oriented and understanding the basic software and how to use it will allow you to excel in this field.

5. Embrace Change

Life is ever-changing. You change as a person, the dynamics in the company change, family situations change; whatever the change, learn to recognize when what you are doing is no longer right for you and do not be afraid to change what you’re doing. Change is difficult, and sometimes you fail, but each failure works together toward your eventual success. One of the main reasons businesses fail or go bankrupt is because they were not willing to change to become more efficient or to embrace the changing societal needs and beliefs. However, when these companies take a risk and try to change and improve, they almost always come out of it even more successful than they were before. This will happen to your life too. When a change becomes necessary, do not be afraid of it. Embrace it with the knowledge that you will come out of it happier than you were before.

Be confident knowing people switch career fields all the time. Working becomes a drag when your heart is no longer in it. You owe it to yourself to put forth the effort to change careers and do something that makes you happy, where you feel you can make a difference. Change is terrifying, but so is the possibility of doing something you hate for the rest of your life. It is definitely worth it to work to find that career and that job that is perfect for you and your needs. After all, when you love what you do, you won’t have to work a day in your life.