Preparing for a Career Change? Here’s How Tech Can Help

Almost everyone has to work at some point in their lives. You need money to afford food, electricity, housing, clothes, and all your wants and needs. The only way to get that money consistently is with a job. Often, the pressure to find a job quickly after school may lead you into an industry that is not ideal. Even if you do love your first career, that doesn’t mean you will always love it.

At some point in your life, it may be time for a career change. For the sake of this article, we are talking about switching to a new industry. When you find that you are no longer interested in your current career path, it can be intimidating to consider making a big change. Perhaps you learn about a specific industry and it sounds like a dream.

No matter what your reason is for pursuing a career change, it is important to start preparing well before you leave your current job. Fortunately, you have many technologies on your side that can help you prepare.

Online Classes

A career switch to a new industry has many obstacles, but the biggest one might be a lack of knowledge in the subject. You might be really attracted to the concept behind the new industry, but your practical knowledge is near zero. Luckily, you can easily cover up those gaps with an online education. Nowadays, you do not have to attend school physically to get an education. You could take online courses from a university as you pay tuition. There are many online course platforms like Udemy or Coursera that charge you a fee to take some of their lessons, though many are completely free. There are plenty of creative ways to learn in 2023, and many of them can be done from the comfort of your home.

Find Subject Matter Experts

Pursuing an education through classes is one way to learn about a new industry, but sometimes getting in touch with subject matter experts is better. They can help you learn the ins and outs of what a career in this sector looks like. The key is knowing where to find them. Wellness brands may have a huge network on social media platforms like Instagram. Attending a trade show within the industry is a great way to network and meet many sales professionals who are currently working in that space. If you want to dive into computer software/hardware topics, then you can find newsgroups on those very subjects on Usenet, a server network that features unregulated discussion platforms and downloadable articles. As you communicate with subject matter experts, what they say can help you make your decision.

Optimize Your Resume

If you are thinking about a career change, then your resume may need updating. First and foremost, it should be written to reflect the job you want, not the job you have had. You can look up helpful resume-writing tips online, and you can likely find resources for editing a resume for a specific industry. Remember to highlight the soft skills that would be beneficial in your new career. If any hard skills translate well, then write about your experience with them. A copied and pasted resume that is very basic will draw little attention from hiring managers, so use tips from the Internet to optimize your resume, and feel free to use resume templates on Google Docs or Microsoft Word for a professional look.

Download and Learn Relevant Software

Every company uses software to some extent to manage its operations. Everything from internal communication to customer service to supply chain management is made easier with the right tech programs, and you will be expected to use these tools if you are hired. Why not get ahead of the curve and start learning some of these programs now? Plenty of SaaS programs are available as free trials for a short period, and if you know that many companies use a particular tool in the new industry, then having a working knowledge beforehand could help you land an interview. If you already know the software, that will mean a smaller training workload for the company that hires you, making you a more appealing candidate.

Use Tech to Prepare Before Taking the Leap

You probably don’t want to be without an income stream for long, so deciding to quit before you have even explored a new industry is a bad idea. However, if you take advantage of technology with the strategies listed above and prepare yourself for a new career, the runway can be much shorter. Seek out education, meet subject matter experts to ask questions, optimize your resume, and learn the relevant software so that you are positioned well to land a job in a new field.