How Modern Education Makes A Career Pivot Easier
You want to change careers. It happens. People working today may pivot into new job paths just short of ten times before retirement. Everyone wants to do work that excites and engages them, but sometimes the barrier to entry feels too high. There is, after all, that saying about old dogs and their attitude towards new tricks. But what if there was a way to develop valuable job skills in an environment that suits your bandwidth and your preferences? In this article, we take a look at how it is easier than ever to pivot into a career that you will love.
Technology Changes Everything
One of the biggest innovations in the world of modern technology is remote communication. Online schools have existed for decades, but reached their current iteration through COVID-19, when all students—and for that matter, working professionals—were forced to work from home. Now digital technology makes learning:
- Flexible
- Affordable
- Easily personalized
While it is not for everyone, remote learning gives students the option to acquire new skills in a format that makes sense for them. This is particularly valuable for people who are making a career pivot.
If you are a 35-year-old parent who wants to acquire the skills necessary for a new job, you probably have little to no interest in enrolling as a college freshman. Remote learning, coupled with the accelerated certification programs most universities offer for a wide range of careers, allows you to earn your credentials in a flexible environment that makes sense for you.
What Are The Easiest Careers To Pivot Into?
“Easy”, of course, is a subjective term. Pivoting into a new career always requires a combination of effort, time, and money. That said, certain careers are easier to pivot into than others. Education and healthcare both have very clear paths of entry for people who have already obtained a college degree in a different field. Though these jobs require unique certifications, most of the time you will not need to start your educational career over as a college freshman. Naturally, this in itself is an enormous benefit.
If you are hoping to make the transition as quickly as possible, you may be particularly attracted to accelerated programs. Education and healthcare both have them, which is one of the reasons that both fields are popular second career paths. These options may allow you to achieve your certification in as little as 18 months. Naturally, they are labor intensive. They may also require you to participate in an apprenticeship program of some kind. What’s more, because both of these careers are in fields with massive shortages, you may be able to find state-sponsored scholarships and grants that pay for most or even all of your education. For example, programs like Teach for America provide job training and even stipends for participants.
Other careers may not have as clear a path to certification, but they will be easier than starting from scratch provided you already have a college degree. For example, let’s say you majored in English in college. Now you want to become an engineer. While the two career paths do not have much obvious overlap, you may be surprised by how many of your existing college credits transfer over to the engineering program that you are interested in. At the very least, you should be spared the obligation of most prerequisite classes. This will allow you to get your credential faster than the traditional four years.
College Isn’t For Me. What Should I Do?
There are lots of educational paths toward a new career that do not require you to get a traditional college degree. Trade schools for example have seen a big boom in new enrollment from people who would like a high-paying job that does not require them to take out six figures in student loans. Trade professions are flexible and lucrative, and some even have the potential for entrepreneurship down the line. If you are interested in pivoting into a new career but do not necessarily want to heavily invest in a college education, this may be an appropriate path for you.
Ok. Anything Else?
Sure! There are also loads of upscaling opportunities that may be appropriate for people who are hoping to do a soft reboot on their careers. These boot camp educational opportunities allow you to upgrade your skills in a matter of months instead of years. If you can find an upskill opportunity in a field related to the one you are currently working in, your employer may pay for some or all of it. If that isn’t your situation, you should still be able to find opportunities that are flexible and affordable. Like most modern educational opportunities, these can be completed online, often in a format that complements your learning style.
Note that these options are not necessarily ideal for people looking to do a major career pivot. If you are a dental hygienist who wants to start working as an engineer, an eight-week class won’t get you there. If, on the other hand, you want to focus on an area of your existing career that interests you the most, this will be a good way to get it done.
So Many Ways To Pivot
Thanks to digital technology there are more ways than ever to acquire job-relevant skills. The flexibility of remote learning allows people to find classes that not only fit their schedules but also their ideal approach to learning. Do you prefer live lectures? There are many remote learning opportunities that include them. Maybe you want a hybrid approach. There are tons of programs that require a combination of classroom and remote learning. Maybe you prefer to work in a more self-guided environment. There are also lots of online college programs that consist of prerecorded lectures and assignments that you can complete at your own pace. The options for acquiring new skills and credentials are almost endless. Find something that works for you.
