There are steps you can take to help maximise your chances of success. We talk to four people who flourished after stepping into the unknown

Today is the first working Monday in January, the most popular day of the year to make a job application, according to recruiters. Agency Reed says more than four million people are expected to kick off their job search this week, and many of them may have more than just a new post in mind. According to research by Standard Life, more than half of UK workers would like to completely change careers.

For many, however, switching careers is a huge financial gamble. “If you’re planning to change, expect to get a lower income in the short term,” says Reed’s chairman James Reed.

If you’ll be working for yourself you must also make sure you have the temperament for it. “You need to be able to cope with uncertainty and not be afraid of risk,” he says. “It also helps if you’ve got some money of your own to invest in yourself.”

Unless you start your own business, taking a new direction will also involve convincing an employer that you can do the work. Reed says: “You will need to be able to explain in interviews exactly why you want to make a career change.”

Your biggest advantage over more experienced candidates will be your enthusiasm for your new occupation, says Stephen Evans, CEO of the Learning and Work Institute. “You’ll also be able to show your commitment if you teach yourself some of the requisite skills or do a course.”

There are lots of free courses out there, and Advanced Learner Loans, which are available for retraining costs, don’t have to be paid back until you earn more than £21,000. Career switchers can also take advantage of the National Careers Service’s free phone and face-to-face consultations, as well as its online course directory.

We asked some people who have made big changes how they did it.

From architect to singer

It took a near-death experience for Camille O’Sullivan to work up the courage to quit her job as an architect 17 years ago. “I always wanted to be a performer but I didn’t have the confidence – I didn’t think I’d be any good.”

Then she was in a car crash. “I woke up and realised my life could have been over. I had to grab my moment. So I decided - really decided - I was going to be a singer. I hadn’t a clue how, but I was going to do it.”

She found herself an agent (one of 12 she approached) and took an evening acting class to build her confidence. In the first year she lived off her savings and used fees from commercials and corporate gigs to fund her recordings. Now she earns up to £95,000 a year, has performed all over the world and will start a UK tour in March.

“The work ethic I developed as an architect stayed with me as a singer. I still think about the emotional journey of a show like it’s a walk through a building, with episodes of darkness and light.”

From ballerina to software developer

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Visnja Drinjovski taught herself coding

At the age of 24, Visnja Drinjovski decided to quit her job as a ballerina with the Serbian National Theatre and become a computer programmer. She found the seven years she had spent dancing extremely useful: “Ballet taught me to be self-disciplined and never give up on myself.” Drinjovski says mastering complex dance moves meant she was confident she could learn to do anything.

Eight years later she is working as a user experience engineer for MVF, a technology and marketing firm. “I never imagined, growing up, that I would want to be anything other than a ballerina. But I was badly paid and there was a lack of career prospects. It was making me unhappy.”

She had to move back in with her parents so she could afford to stop dancing and teach herself to code. “I learned everything from Google and free YouTube tutorials. I would sit at my computer and study for at least 10 hours a day, seven days a week. Once, I literally fainted from exhaustion. But that’s the kind of dedication you need as a ballet dancer.”

She got her first job as a software developer 10 months later and has never looked back. “I earn more now, have a greater say in what I do, and enjoy more variety in my work.”

From lawyer to baker

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Harpreet Baura used existing contacts to gain a foothold

Harpreet Baura, 35, left her job as a corporate lawyer six years ago to set up her own bakery, Crumbs Couture. “I went from earning £105,000 a year to earning zero,” she says. “I’d been squirrelling money away for 10 months, knowing I wanted to leave, but it was still terrifying. Every month my savings were slowly depleting.”

To get her business off the ground she made the most of existing contacts in the City. “I asked my friends to tell me who the event planners were at their firms, and got some large cupcake orders from big corporate clients that way. My background working for a big law firm added a lot of clout to my story and I understood that market.”

From TV to pest control

Luke Rutterford, 38, quit his job as a TV documentary sound recordist 10 years ago. “I had three children and felt I was missing out because I was away filming a lot. I was earning good money, but my family was suffering.”

After making a documentary on “pests from hell”, he decided to apply for a job as a pest controller. “My degree was in forensics and I discovered that I enjoyed physically tracking down where a living creature is hiding and figuring out how they were getting in. It’s exciting, like hunting, but it’s also rewarding because what you do is greatly appreciated.”

He found the knowledge he gained from making nature documentaries useful. “For example, I came up with the idea of using thermal imaging cameras to find rats nesting in walls, which was very effective.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Luke Rutterford’s switch initially meant a 50% pay cut

The switch meant a 50% pay cut, but following several promotions he is now responsible for Rentokil’s specialist cleaning workforce. “Rentokil paid for me to do a large amount of training, and although it took me five years to start earning more than I’d earned in my previous job, I’m much better off financially than I would have been if I’d stayed in TV. There were years we struggled, but through it all I was there for my kids – and today, that’s what my children remember.”

TAKING THE LEAP

■ “Put aside savings and set yourself a date for leaving,” says O’Sullivan. “Otherwise it’s tempting to tell yourself you’re not ready.”

■ “Before you pay for a course, see what’s online for free,” says Drinjovski. “You may be surprised.”

■ “Be honest with yourself about how you will be able to survive a loss of income if you need to,” says Baura. “Cut your expenses right down and keep the door to your previous career open, just in case.”

■ “After you quit, consider what you want to achieve in five years and work backwards to figure out what you should be doing now,” says O’Sullivan. “Then force yourself to do four things before 1pm each day that will further your career.”

■ “Look at your new career as an investment in your life,” says Rutterford. “You might earn less at first, but life is a marathon not a sprint, and one day you may earn more.”