Is Switching Careers a Good Idea? 8 Truths About Changing Your Career

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As the holiday season approaches, many are taking the time to reflect on the past year. And some are even taking some much-needed time to slow down and unplug from work. 

Times like these are helpful in taking stock of the status quo and potentially even igniting change. It’s a great time to ask yourself questions like: 

  • Are you looking forward to ramping up again in January? Or is going back to work making your stomach turn?
  • Is your job allowing you to take the vacation time you deserve? Or are boundaries between personal life and work life too blurred? 

These may lead you to consider much bigger questions like: 

  • Do you want to stay in your current job? Or is switching careers a good idea? 

We spend a lot of our time at work, and feeling uninspired or bored isn’t the only consequence of sticking with a job you hate. In fact, there can be dire repercussions, including risk of illness, lack of sleep, poor mental health, and stress —  just to name a few. 

For these reasons and more, making an intentional change to your professional journey can be immensely rewarding. As you reflect on your situation and consider your options, here are eight things to keep in mind for your career change journey. 

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Unwrap Your Career Change: How to Talk About It With Your Family Over The Holidays

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The holidays have arrived, and with them, time spent catching up with family and old friends. It’s only a matter of time before someone asks, “So, what’s new with you?” 

For the recently anointed career changer, this could mean breaking the news for the first time about a big life decision. 

This can be daunting, but bringing in your support system during this time of transformation is a good thing. You want your inner circle rallying to support you and lift you up, because inevitably, there will be bumps along the way. 

Take comfort in knowing you aren’t alone on this mission. The percentage of employed people who left their jobs voluntarily in September rose 15.9%—the highest level seen in 30 years. Despite a slowing economy, dissatisfied workers still aren’t afraid to walk away. You (and your family) should be proud to join these ranks.  

If you’re nervous about having tough conversations about your career change around the holidays, we put together a guide to help you navigate. 

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Giving Tuesday: FREE On Demand Content for Laid-off Workers

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If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that the world changes— fast. Back then, we faced a global pandemic with no real sense of when things would get back to “normal”. Workers and employers brought new meaning to the word resiliency. Fast forward to today and we’re in the midst of a once-in-a-generation economic downturn that’s hard to ignore. 

If you’ve logged in to LinkedIn lately, you’ve probably noticed post after post from friends, family, and strangers announcing that they too have been impacted by a downsizing.  In the US alone more than 73,000 workers have been let go in mass job cuts so far in 2022, according to Crunchbase, with more predicted. While recent layoffs have happened en masse, one thing remains true— there is still a shortage of technical workers and skills. A recent Korn Ferry study found that by 2030, more than 85 million jobs could go unfilled because there aren’t enough skilled people to take them.

Starting today, Giving Tuesday, we want to help by offering our On Demand content for free to those who have been impacted by a recent layoff. Our hope is that this will give laid-off workers the opportunity to learn a digital skill or test a new career path and get a leg-up in their job hunt.

So, if your job has recently been lost, keep reading to learn how you can access our On Demand content—at no cost to you.

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We Think There’s Been a Glitch: Cyber Week Discount Activated…

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Waiting for a sign to get started on your career change? You’re in luck because this is it. If you caught our social media presence on Black Friday, you may have noticed a glitch. Thanks to that glitch, we’re excited to offer $1,000 off an immersive program* for residents in the United States and Canada. 

It can be tempting to wait until the new year to start thinking about actioning on a career change, but there’s no time like the present to get started on the next chapter of your career.

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Thinking of changing careers? Here are 4 Celebrities who did something different

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Raise your hand if you’d consider yourself one-dimensional.

Didn’t think so. 

We all have a multitude of interests and talents that are ever-evolving. So it’s not surprising that around one-third of the workforce changes jobs every year.

Many successful people have experienced a career change or two that led them to where they are now. While it can be challenging to make such a drastic change, it often pays off in dividends. 

Some great examples can be found in a number of inspirational celebrities, who, despite their current fame, have navigated major career changes that led them to the success they hold today. 

This article takes a look at five famous people who pivoted to start new jobs, and a few tips if you’re looking to do the same.

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6 Surprising Celebrities Who Know How To Code & Why You Should Too

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Are you thinking about a career in tech? If so, consider learning how to code. With the mass adoption of the digital era across all industries, businesses big and small are on the lookout for tech-savvy talent. 

According to Forrester’s recent report, the global tech market will experience robust 6% growth in 2023 (significantly faster than pre-pandemic levels). With the tech industry thriving and companies hiring, consider learning in-demand hard skills like coding. 

Coding is the building block of the digital world. It’s the set of instructions designed to make computers perform tasks. Although it may seem daunting initially, coding is much easier to learn than you might think. When learning to code, you have the option to learn many different languages like HTML, JavaScript, Ruby, Python, C++, SQL and many more. After all, celebrities like the ones we’ve listed below have all learned how to code without a dedicated tech career background. 

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Bridging Tech Talent Shortages: How Upskilling and Reskilling Can Help

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When it comes to tech talent, we’re facing a supply and demand problem of unprecedented proportions. In the U.S. there are five jobs for every one software developer. In 2020, 4% of emerging technologies could not be implemented due to a tech executive shortage; today, that percentage has increased to 64%, according to Gartner—highlighting the impasse global enterprises face when it comes to accelerating innovation. The trend is set to continue—one report indicates 85 million tech jobs may go unfulfilled by 2030 due to lack of skilled talent. 

As a result, HR and technology leaders are increasingly searching for new ways to fill their open technology roles. Depending on organizational goals, businesses have started to leverage reskilling and upskilling to ramp up the tech skills they need. 

These strategies have not only proven effective, but they’re also helped increase employee retention and loyalty. Today’s top talent wants to work for businesses that invest in them. In fact, 74% of employees say they’re eager to learn new skills outside of work hours to improve their job performance.  

Upskilling and reskilling are often lumped together, but the two terms have very different meanings and different business use cases. Let’s take a look at what distinguishes the two—and how each applies to your organization.

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The Dark Reality Behind Being “Grateful” To Have A Job

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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. 

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Secrets to Climbing up the Tech Startup Ladder with Zero Tech Experience

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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. 

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Ready to FatFIRE? Fast-Track Financial Independence By Breaking Into Tech

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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.

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