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The current trend of radical innovation and technological breakthroughs has ushered in economic change and a Great Reshuffle in industry. Breakthroughs in technological advancement influence changes in business models and operations, the emergence of new careers and tech industries, and new career expectations.
The Great Reshuffle began in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers had to switch to remote working. They began to experience elevated levels of burnout due to unreasonable workloads and the inability to switch off from work. Also, they faced a change in lifestyle due to the prolonged lockdown.
Consequently, they began to evaluate and prioritize other aspects of life. After the lockdown, employees demand more reasonable working conditions and change careers.
What is a Career Transition?
Career transition is simply the change from one career to another. It is an action born out of a need for personal growth, financial stability, or self-discovery.
Career transition is not magic! It is a process with no specific duration of time or period to achieve. One can change one's career as many times as possible before retirement; this indicates there is no age barrier to changing careers.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labour Statistics, 75.6 million got hired in 2021, an increase of 2.9 million from 2020. Quits increased to 47.8 million in 2021. Technology advancements like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Cloud Computing have created new jobs and in-demand skills.
Between 2020 and 2021, Udemy recorded massive enrolment and demand for tech skills courses. In Australia - Google Cloud Certification (409%), Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer (390%); In India - Cloud Computing (366%), Next.js (843%), Software Practices (494%), Terraform (371%); Microsoft Azure (437%), Terraform (278%), Microsoft Certification (271%).
How can you successfully transition into a Tech Career Path?
Have you been wondering how to change careers? What transferable skills do you need to satisfy the requirements in the job market? Are you in need of career ideas for transition? Here are some tips for you.
1. Evaluate yourself and your current job
Self-evaluation is central to your growth. You need to understand the factors that make you want to change careers. People change careers for various reasons. Make a realistic list of what your current job lacks or makes you dissatisfied with your current company. These will help you set expectations in your job search.
2. Set a clear intention and create a strong “why”
Career transition is not a thing to jump into without a clear conviction. Write out concrete reasons for a career change before setting an action plan to initiate the process.
Do you think you can get self-fulfillment with your new career choice? Are you confident about a career change? You may not know what it means to feel fulfilled until you do this. It is crucial to understand what gives you a sense of fulfillment.
3. Consult for career advice on current and future career paths
Sometimes, you get excited when you hear about a job with its attached privileges, or you have always had a dream job and are ready to chase it. Hold on! Before you undertake that step, you need to consult a career coach to understand new career trends and in-demand skills. A piece of career advice gives you a clear idea of what your new career path entails
4. Set your new career goals
When embarking on a career shift, you need to set goals. See career goals as a way to have a clear vision of your new career expectations and strategies to achieve them. It helps you stay focused and motivated, measure your progress, and get a successful transition.
Goals could be designed to acquire certain skills, update, or change an existing network, attend networking events, work-life balance, type of job - a full-time job, remote, or part-time.
What type of industry are you interested in? What type of work mode do you want? What level of salary? What do you want to achieve with the career change?
5. Make a list of your values around work-life balance
Do not overlook how a career fits into your values and goals. Does changing career matter? What makes some people more confident and productive than others? Does your work give you time to start a new family? Is your work flexible enough to focus on other aspects of your life?
These questions enable you to create the work/life balance you are interested in obtaining. You may be interested in having a family, exploring other talents, or traveling to various countries. You want to go for jobs flexible enough to get free time or work from home. Create a list of your best interests and make it a guide in your career shift.
6. Work on yourself
Sometimes, you get carried away with needs and activities around you and forget that you are a priority. Working on yourself means focusing on your psychological, emotional, social, and physical well-being. Your personal life should be a priority.
Focusing on personal life will help achieve personality development. Good personality development influences the self-confidence, self-discovery, and communication skills you need for a better professional life.
Consider self-discovery. Create a list of things that interest you. What are the most intriguing things about yourself? Make a list of your hobbies. Write out fun and creative things you can do, some that interest you. Do not question your passions or worry about making more money with them. Try suspending your self-talk and jot what comes to mind.
Check-in with your body
Health is wealth. It is vital to consider your health when making a career change. Make sure your new career is not time-consuming and provides time for attending to your personal life. opt for a career path that will give you happiness. When a person knows his strengths and weaknesses and makes an informed decision based on his values, he is bound to succeed. Let your body determine what is best for it.
What impact do you want to make?
What impact do you wish to make with your new career? Look out for what the organization needs and how you can provide solutions with your skills and experience. Figure out the best way to make an impact in your new company. Lastly, keep your belief in your limitations out of your list. You can discuss with your close friends how you want to make an impact in your new career and get advice from them. Talking about your career transition with close friends can be helpful.
Transitioning careers requires patience.
Patience is essential in the journey to a new career path. Sometimes achieving that career change takes a lot of process and effort. Success starts from little achievements. Take it one step at a time. The early days in a new career require lots of patience and work.
Work on building your networks. Connect with industry professionals and thought leaders with LinkedIn connections. This way, you get information on the demands of hiring managers, set up informational interviews, and job postings for a successful career change.
It's okay to start small in a new field. For instance, when pursuing your dream job as a graphic designer, you can check for volunteer work or entry-level positions in that field to build your resume. Remember, learning should be consistent for resourcefulness in your new field. Learn and develop creative ways to execute your job. LinkedIn Learning is a platform to update yourself.
Make a list of all your strengths and prior experience.
Your long-term experience in any field increases your chances of employment. Take stock of all your accomplishments and evaluate your educational background and skill set. Make a thorough list of your experiences and skill set to get a picture of everything you have acquired. It reduces the chances of self-doubt and gives you the self-assurance and confidence you want in a job interview.
Discover the best career transitioning method for you
When attempting to switch careers, you should know the best transitioning method. Transitioning to a new profession and industry does not necessarily require you to move to the bottom of the career ladder. Your previous experiences become an advantage to your success in a career change. Although you are in a different profession, experience counts and helps skip a position initially filled in the entry stage.
Research is vital in career transition. Get information to help you make the best career choice when switching jobs. If you are moving into a new industry, you may also want to look at the prospects for that industry. Informational interviews can be of tremendous help in selecting a career transition method.
7. Build your resume
One of the ways to build your resume is job search. You get information on the previous experience and skill demands of hiring managers. Be up to date with the system of job applications in the tech industry.
Make sure you highlight relevant skills and previous experience to attract the attention of hiring managers. Check out professional platforms for tips on what hiring managers look out for, and how to structure your resume.
8. Try job shadowing
One way to learn the nitty-gritty of a new job position is job shadowing industry professionals. It allows you to learn about a career first-hand from an industry professional as they execute their job functions. Shadowing helps comprehend the characteristics, competencies, and challenges of the new job position you are interested in.
Shadowing can take the form of observation and hands-on participation. Shadowing through observation technique is when a shadower closely follows, watches, and takes note of the practical details of the job. Hands-on participation requires you to take on appointed tasks with close supervision. You can see it as mentorship.
Where can you learn In-Demand Skills Relevant to Tech Industries?
Are you wondering how to level up to these career change demands? No worries, all you need is to up-skill or reskill. One good thing to know is that one can master a new skill in two to six months, depending on the skill area. Also, on platforms like Udemy, you can learn at your own pace.
Upskilling is receiving additional training to improve your skill. An example is attending a machine learning workshop to advance your Data Science skill; or taking classes on a new software created to boost productivity in your field.
Reskilling is the act of updating your skill set to enhance productivity and meet business needs. One can reskill in situations of a career switch. Reskilling can be undertaken individually through conferences, seminars, online career training programs, and virtual learning platforms to gain new skills. Corporate organizations also provide reskill programs for employees.
Have you been coming across job openings that require tech skills you don't have? Do you want to move to a new position in your company? Do you need a learning platform focused on careers in tech?
The good news is that you can learn tech skills without applying to graduate school. Take advantage of the GoCreate USA Bootcamp to learn the new skills you need. Sign up to join the Bootcamp waitlist.
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