There are many ways to move into a management role, writes Jim Bright.

Lachie from Sydney feels trapped in an unfulfilling career. He writes: "I feel like changing my career before it is too late. I did a masters in computing but I have been working in insurance for the past seven years and I would like to change my career path. I would like to go into management roles. What is the best way to approach this? I am planning to do a graduate course in business administration and pursue a career in this area."

Well, Lachie has already identified one obvious career-change strategy and that is to complete a business degree. There are lots of sound reasons for doing a business degree, not least the solid grounding in a broad range of business practices that such degrees provide but also because business schools are particularly adept in developing good networks and networking opportunities for their students and alumni.

Thus, for some students it may be the contacts they make during their business studies that are ultimately the most valuable aspect of their study.

The downside to enrolling in this course (or any other course for that matter) is the cost of studying either full or part-time and the cost associated with either being out of the workforce or at least not fully engaged with career opportunities while one studies. This is not an insurmountable problem but nonetheless one many people fail to consider properly.

Lachie's existing qualification in computing probably has most worth now as a general marker of his intellectual acumen rather than indicating particular technical proficiency given that the best part of a decade has passed since he originally enrolled.

Things in the IT field move on particularly fast, probably making a lot of what he learnt somewhat out of date. This assumes, of course, that he wasn't keeping up to date either through his work role (seems unlikely) or in his spare time.

Lachie is well advised to explore the management possibilities within his own organisation and, if he has a good relationship with his manager, to raise (in general terms) his ambitions and desires to get into management. This may be welcomed as a sign of drive and ambition by some employers and, without getting too carried away, there may even be some possibility of his current employer sponsoring or supporting his study, for instance by giving him time off.

Lachie should also work on articulating more precisely the aspect of management he is drawn to. Management covers a lot of ground and his work experience might best equip him to work in operations or administrative managerial roles - as opposed to broader leadership, creative or marketing roles.

This should also encourage Lachie to consider what it is that is motivating him to move in this direction. Identifying the drivers can be very instructive: is it simply a case of wanting or needing to earn significantly more than he is currently, or are there issues of wanting to achieve a certain degree of status, or job autonomy, or does he see management as an antidote to monotony?

Lachie could also volunteer for secondments, pro bono work or get involved in community and/or charity work in a management role. Engaging in the work of a manager in these contexts can be a useful way of exploring possibilities without compromising one's current role.

The most obvious and perhaps safest, but also possibly the least inspired, approach would be to seek out roles managing staff doing the job he currently does in insurance. This has the benefit that he already possesses the inside knowledge of an incumbent and is an area where his immediate work history may be weighed more heavily in his favour. This may not be where Lachie wants to end up but if he sees it as the first step in a longer series of moves, this strategic approach may well be his best bet.

Jim Bright is professor of career education and development at ACU and a partner at Bright and Associates, a career management consultancy. Email brightside@jimbright.com

For more workplace advice, see mycareer.com.au/advice.