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EVER BEEN SITTING IN a job, a degree or an interview with the utmost certainty that the industry you were initially attracted to, isn’t actually for you at all?

You’re by no means alone, and often the most successful people have either made a career change or returned to college from the workforce to improve their opportunities.

But how do you weigh up making the right move for your career, whether it’s between companies, back into education or work for yourself?

For some, it was about not being defined by the degree that they may have studied in college:

To study Digital Marketing when I was working in a bank because it opened the door for me to switch into the marketing industry. Even though I had a marketing degree, the digital aspect of that course was more specialised and demand for it was high.

To not feel trapped by the academic choices I made when I was young. When you’ve put a few years into earning an official qualification, it can feel a waste not to ‘use’ it. What is a waste is sticking to it for the rest of your life if it’s not right for you.

For others, it was about reaching out to the right people at the right time, sometimes even in chance encounters:

Sharing a taxi with a friend of a friend one night, I mentioned a job ad I had seen at her company out of small talk more than anything. She approached me at a networking event a few weeks later asking would I apply and we’ve been working together ever since.

Tweeting my now boss to see if I could help with his new website. I started helping out in 2010 and have worked for the site ever since. He followed me as I was one of the few people tweeting in Ireland about the subject he needed help with.

And for some, it was about chasing what they were passionate about over what they saw as maybe a more ‘logical’ option for their career:

To leave a steady, well-paid job that had no real prospect of progress or advancement for an internship that paid only a stipend at a startup I was very excited about.

Leaving a very well paid job for a leap into working for myself. What I missed in salary, I earned back in making new contacts, putting myself in front of new people, exploring what I actually wanted to do rather than what I had to do. It was very hard work but I’ve never regretted making that move.

So, what’s the best career decision you ever made? Let us know in the comments.

Do you aspire to the same level of success? This year, we’re partnering with UCD Smurfit School to offer one reader an MBA scholarship. The globally-ranked UCD Smurfit MBAprovides an unequalled opportunity to unlock and develop your leadership potential, accelerate your career and build your global network.