The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.—Steve Jobs
What if one day you wake up and experience a midlife career crisis. Then, you realize that you want to quit your job and change your career. Either you had enough of your boss’ crankiness, or you’ve become bored with your daily work routines or become unsatisfied with your monthly salary.
Suddenly, a BETTER CAREER OPPORTUNITY comes: Are you going to Take it or Leave it? Probably, yes. But is it worth the risk?
According to The Balance Careers, a leading source of personal finance and career information, an average person changes jobs 10 to 13 times (with an average of 12 job changes) during his or her career; so if you want to switch your career after you weigh up the pros and cons, do it. I’ve been there, and I survived the 0° to 360° career shift. At first, I have no clue where to start because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do. I almost gave up because of uncertainties and difficulties, but I learned to overcome those career roadblocks.
Now, I’ve found my passion which is writing; and currently coding caught my interest too. I realized when you step out of your comfort zone; you might find your true happiness— waiting for you to claim it.
Why People Change Careers?
Career change, career switch, career shift, career move; call it whatever you want, these terms only mean one thing – a more significant change than just switching jobs. It refers to a bigger shift in career direction or position with a different responsibility and salary rate, which sometimes requires people to learn new skills and abilities.
In 2015, LinkedIn Talent Solutions conducted one of the largest behavioral research studies of professionals in the world on how and why people change jobs. There were 7 million LinkedIn members and more than 10,000 respondents who took the survey. Based on the result, 34% of them changed their jobs and had shifted to another career because they want a more meaningful and challenging career. The findings have also shown that the reason why people change their jobs depend on their age, gender, location, and industry.
6 Career Hacks for Career Changers
If you’re a career changer, you must be very eager to relaunch your career, carry out your plans, or try your luck in other fields. But hold your horses, changing your job, and getting yourself a new one is not as easy as shopping for brand new clothes. You have to check first if it suits your lifestyle, work ethics, core values and goals before pursuing your next career. Here are 6 career hacks for career changers out there.
1. Assess yourself. Aristotle once said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” It’s important to know your strengths and accept your weaknesses, and learn to use them to your advantage. Discover your real passion. Sometimes, genuine interest combined with commitment and perseverance can be a source of income and pure joy in your work and private life.
2. Make plans and set your goals. Plans and goals are arrows that help you hit your target objectives. Brian Tracy, a Canadian-American motivational public speaker, and self-development author said, “Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.” Successful people aren’t just dreamers; they’re doers. They execute their plans and work hard to attain them. In Coding Dojo, we help people achieve their goals to become a web developer/software engineer.
3. Know the most in-demand and the highest paying jobs on the market. Whether you’re a career changer or a job seeker, it’s necessary to be aware of popular job trends. Check out these links from U.S News, Forbes, and CNBC, and see if any of these jobs speak to you.
Notice that most of the jobs now are related to technology, health, engineering, and management. But how about the jobs of the future? A report published by the World Economic Forum claimed that global workforce is expected to experience a massive disruption in net employment due to technological advancement. The bad news is it could lead to 7.1 million jobs lost by 2020. And by 2025, we might lose over 5 million jobs to automation, like in factory production and online customer service, etc. As a result, a new line of employment would emerge while some jobs would displace other occupations and professions to conform with the strong market demands and to bridge the global skill gaps.
4. Update your knowledge and learn new skills. Know what the employers and companies are looking for in an employee. You don’t need to earn another degree to have another career. Some companies don’t care about your past jobs or career instead they search for individuals who have excellent skills, positive attitude, and great potentials. If you’re a tech-savvy just like me or has a knock on problem-solving, it’s an edge when landing yourself a new job.
In Coding Dojo, we develop more of those talents and skill through our industry-leading curriculum and effective teaching methodologies. Our teaching philosophy is not just to help people how to code but to guide our students to be an asset in the web development industry.
Devin Fidler, a research director at Institute for the Future, predicted that some powerful forces could alter the nature of works in the next decade. In parallel, the skill sets might change in most industries and job requirements would transform how and where people work. That’s why it’s necessary to acquire those future skills, like coding because the Fourth Industrial Revolution is fueled by innovation, development, and knowledge. In support, check out this link about The Skills Companies Need Most in 2018 published by LinkedIn. It proves that skill sets are changing rapidly nowadays.
5. Submit your resume and CV and attend job interviews. Job searching is crucial if you don’t have enough patience and commitment to pursue your desired career. If you want to win the favor of every interviewer and prospective employee, there are two ways: (1) present them with an attractive resume/CV and (2) ace the job interview. It’s essential to update your resume and CV to ensure it’s well-constructed, clear and informative.
“What we hire for is the ability to learn,” said Rachel Reinitz, an IBM distinguished engineer. You don’t need to sell yourself too much, but it would be wise to act with confidence and professionalism. Remember, you only have one shot to impress the interviewer so make sure to highlight your remarkable skills to stand out. Employers hire people who are open to change and would go an extra mile to attain their companies’ vision.
6. Make some adjustments, work hard and love your new job. Once you get the job, adjust yourself to your new work environment. Don’t compare your previous company to the current one, instead work hard to earn the respect of your co-workers and the admiration of your seniors and bosses. And most importantly, love your craft. John Ruskin, a leading English art critic of the Victorian era, said, “When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”
Career Relaunch in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
The transitional trend of career switchers reminds me of a busy city where most people drive their cars on the road while others prefer to walk on the footpath. Whether they go straight ahead, turn right or left or move across the street— they’re always in motion and keep on changing directions unless they’re caught in a traffic jam, or reach their destination. When you choose a different career path, you also open a new door of opportunity where change is inevitable and constant. So, be brave to face new challenges in the fast-paced world and welcome its surprises with an optimistic smile.
Check out inspiring videos from our Coding Dojo Career Changers/Alumni.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOfSQwIJt7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkztV6go3hM
To know more about Coding Dojo, visit the link below:
https://www.codingdojo.com
https://www.codingdojo.com/faq