A local client came to me recently seeking a career transition after 23 years in the same job. Like many others before her, she asked, “Is it even possible?”
In their minds or, to be more accurate, in their emotions, it feels like a career change means “starting over” from the point of departure 23 years ago when they started their career from scratch.
No, a career change doesn’t mean you are starting from the beginning. Having been in the world of work for 23 years, this client has many transferable skills and knowledge because there is no substitute for experience.
To transition to certain jobs that require a specific license to practice—such as medicine or law—then a career change might involve much more education.
But for many individuals, including this client, there are dozens of jobs that match her work experience. I provided her a list of such jobs that she can easily transition to without further education.
And, today, there over 1500 micro-credentials that she can acquire in the space of a few weeks or months that will qualify her for dozens of other jobs that are in demand.
With just a little career exploration and a few hours of simple research or assessment exercises, most individuals can identify a handful of job targets.
Then it’s a question of hitting those targets with proven job search strategies and tactics.
Remember, it only takes one employer to recognize your value in this very dynamic job market in which employers a desperate to meet with experienced candidates.
Some individuals prefer to go all in with a job search. They quit their current job and dedicate themselves to finding a better job fit.
Others, like my recent client with 23 years’ experience, prefer to keep their current job while taking small steps to reposition themselves for jobs that they are targeting as a better fit.
Return To Work
A client in Calgary is looking to return to work after 12 years of childcare, eldercare and pandemic isolation.
Like many individuals in her situation, she does not like the idea of jumping into job hunting after an extended absence.
In her case, we are undertaking an assessment of her natural talents and previous work and education to match with sectors of the economy where there is a high demand for new employees.
Then we will identify the micro-credential that she can acquire in the shortest time that she can leverage into a targeted sector where there is a significant shortage of workers.
This is the quickest way to re-enter the workforce—to acquire a technical skill that is in high demand by employers. Here is a link to the Massive Open Online Courses.
The great advantage for workers nowadays is that the preponderance of remote work expands options for individuals with a technical skill, especially a computer-related technical skill, because computer skills are now core skills required in traditional sectors—such as transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, education, public administration—as well as new sectors, such as IT, SaaS, cybersecurity, data science…so workers are not restricted to jobs only in their geographic area. Instead, they can work remotely from anywhere in the country for employers located anywhere.
The key is to identify the sector and skill that best suits you for a return to work sooner rather than later.
If you would like to discuss your situation, please contact me.