At the start of each year many of us tell ourselves that this year will be an improvement on the last in at least one aspect of our lives. This can mean anything from attempting to lead a healthier lifestyle, learning a new skill or finally achieving that ‘magical’ work life balance. One way to ensure a completely fresh start is to begin a new career.

To see what kind of impact starting a new career at the beginning of the year can have we spoke to three individuals who have taken the plunge to find out what it’s really like.

Adam Crego – Freelance web designer

"I returned from a backpacking trip around Australia at the end of last year, before I went travelling I worked for a few large corporations in London as a computer programmer. When I got back the last thing I wanted to do was rejoin the rat race as I was tired of organisational politics and stuffy office culture."

"I decided to move down to Brighton and have ago at becoming a freelance web designer. I chose Brighton as it’s renowned for being a great place for freelancing because there are so many creative businesses based here. So far it’s been great, working for myself is really rewarding as I can manage my time how I like, as long as I get all my work done!"

"I’ve got a number of reasonably sized projects secured for the next couple of months which is really important. The main thing I was worried about when I started freelancing was securing enough work to pay the bills, fortunately, so far this hasn’t been a problem. "

"For me starting my new career at the start of the New Year has been great. I’ve been using all that January motivation to get myself right on track with where I need to be in terms of organising myself and setting up my tax arrangements. It might sound obvious, but because it’s the start of the year it’s much easier visualise where I want to be in two, three and six months time in terms of how I want my business to grow."

Tony Bradford – Actor and driving instructor

"Starting a new career at the start of the New Year seemed natural to me as it was as fresh start to go with the fresh year. I was getting things organised at the start of the New Year and it all seemed to fit together. As an actor I need flexibility to commit to auditions and rehearsals, but I do need a profession to help pay the bills when I’m not acting."

"I looked at different options but teaching people to drive just made the most sense. I like meeting new people and I love the satisfaction of watching my pupils achieve their goals. There are times when it can be disheartening when they make a mistake but watching them turn it around is really rewarding; overall I get a lot of satisfaction from my role."

"Starting at the beginning of the year was exciting as well because I could see the whole training process ahead of me at the start of the year which gave me a lot of motivation to get stuck in and progress."

"I really enjoy working as a driving instructor because I like meeting new people and I love the satisfaction of watching others achieve something; especially as driving is a skill which will stay with them for life."

"At the end of the year you can look back at all the progress you’ve made and feel really proud of yourself because of what you’ve achieved. As most people have extra motivation at the start of year I would recommend it to everyone!"

Harriet Mortimer – Disabled child carer

"Before Christmas I was working as a temp in a few shops in town, I’m planning to go to university to study medicine later this year so I really wanted to do something that would give me some relevant experience."

"Starting this new role at the beginning of January has been really helpful as it gives me a chance to build up some great experience before I go to university in September."

"Some of the skills I’ve learnt have helped teach me about medicine. For instance learning about the children’s conditions has taught me a lot about different disabilities and their requirements."

"For me starting this new job at the start of the year was almost a necessity as my temp contract ran out at the end of December. I was volunteering at a centre that helps families with disabled children. One of the parents approached me and asked if I would like to work with them a couple of times a week to look after their kids. I was delighted to help and so far I’ve really enjoyed it. If you get the chance to start a new career at the start of a New Year I would certainly recommend it. It’s a great way to channel your resolutions and New Year motivation into something really positive!"

Our examples have shown regardless of the career you want to get into the beginning of the year is an ideal time to take that change in direction as almost all of us have extra motivation and desire to move on. Sometimes a fresh start is all we need to make that much needed improvement a reality!

Our top five tips for a fresh start from those who have done it:

• If you’re thinking of changing location find a city that you believe your new career can flourish in

• Assess all the different commitments in your life and decide what will work best for you based around your current schedule

• Work out what it was that you least enjoyed in your last job and make sure your new career is different so you don’t become disheartened

• Think about your core skills and decide which you think are your strongest, then work out which kind of career they could be most suited to

• If you’re thinking of going it alone speak to other people in a similar position to see how they mange their finances and work out what level of income you can expect