General Assembly Blog

Thanksgiving is the time of year when gratitude and appreciation are at an all-time high. During this season, some companies extend paid time off to employees, donate to charities for social good, distribute employee bonuses, and much more. Then there are the “others” who only oblige to the federal holiday with no paid time off or will pay a premium to employees who work on holidays. 

Additionally, with a global recession on the horizon, taking a career risk is more daunting than before. According to the Trading Economics Report, US-based companies cut over 29k jobs from their September 2022 payroll alone. Thus, most of us are just grateful to have a job these days. 

But why settle? If the last three years have taught us anything, it’s that life is short and anything can happen. You should be working at a job you love, period. But during such economic uncertainty, many overlook the maltreatment of our boss and the lack of benefits within the work environment because a check or direct deposit is still being received.

According to Gallup’s recent State of the Global Workplace: 2022 report, workers are experiencing staggering levels of workplace disengagement, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction, with 60% reporting being emotionally detached at work and 19% being miserable.

Albeit, being just “grateful” to have a job accelerates the stagnation of professional development and hinders your future career growth opportunities. But you can do more than that. So this holiday season, take the risk to return the gratitude and appreciation at a new job in tech with better benefits and pay that you will genuinely love. 

Since the digital boom, we’ve seen tech startups taking over the world of work. However, unlike big corporations, the Great Resignation has been a one-in-a-century opportunity for startups to snatch up great tech talent worldwide. 

Economic downturns are also times when entrepreneurs look for innovative ways to solve new problems, leading to the creation of new tech-savvy companies. According to ExplodingTopics, there are over 1.1 billion-dollar startups worldwide today. That’s a lot of skill gaps that need to be filled. 

Each year the number of tech startups continues to rise. Since 2020 the number has almost doubled. Startups continue to be one of the most popular companies to break into tech and build up invaluable work experience. Oftentimes, during the beginning stages of operations, company leaders will be heavily investing in the talent (people) who will continue to build, ideate, and refine the business model over time. 

So the demand for tech startup talent is out there, but how do you get into a startup with zero tech experience, and what are the benefits of working at a tech startup? Keep reading to understand the risk versus the reward. 

While “quiet quitting” by doing the bare minimum at work might be all the rage, the FatFIRE movement promotes the opposite: maximizing income today so you can achieve financial independence and retire early (aka, 🔥). 

Adherents to the traditional FIRE movement place a high emphasis on living frugally to achieve financial independence. The FatFIRE movement, on the other hand, encourages earning and saving more so you can live comfortably and prioritize enjoyment in your financially free life. Essentially, people who FatFIRE need to earn a lot more money throughout their career so they can save enough to live the good life, and not worry about pinching pennies.

Not everyone who pursues FatFIRE intends to quit working when they achieve financial independence. For some, it provides the flexibility and financial freedom to explore a passion project, volunteer or even launch a startup. Achieving financial independence means you’re not tied to a specific job or company just so you can pay the bills – you can do whatever you want. 

Ready to join the movement? A career in tech will help you jump start your journey to FatFIRE. Here’s how.

We’re seeing more people re-evaluate their current roles, hoping to swap them for something more fulfilling. The potential benefits of changing careers are plentiful, including increased job satisfaction and higher wages. Despite this, changing careers can be daunting and bring feelings of overwhelm and uncertainty about where to begin.

Our career coach, Sim Khandaker, is answering your questions to help you create a plan for success that aligns with your passion and purpose.

COVID-19 had a huge impact on the hospitality industry that’s still felt today.

With a 2-year halt on travel plans, 62 million hospitality jobs worldwide were lost in 2020, and 44 million in 2021. While it seems that travel has returned to normal, in reality, the entire industry’s seen a paradigm shift. There are labour shortages, decreased business travel, and a stronger reliance on technology.

The instability of the industry over the last couple of years paired with the current state of the industry has caused many people working in hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality jobs, to reconsider their careers.

If you’re in this position and feeling like it’s time to take action, you’ve come to the right place. This article walks through why people are leaving the industry, jobs to consider and how to make a career switch from hospitality worker to working in tech.