Career Development Category Archives - General Assembly Blog | Page 5

From Driver to Working in Tech: The Best Jobs for Struggling Uber & Lyft Drivers

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COVID-19 negatively impacted many industries, among those was the rideshare industry. According to Forbes, Lyft and Uber ridership dropped between 70% and 80% during the pandemic. Now, three years since the pandemic’s start, industries have gotten back into the flow of daily business, with travel open in most countries. 

However, the impacts of the pandemic are far from over. We’re seeing how the global recession and inflation rates make it impossible for drivers to survive paycheck to paycheck. As a result, taxi drivers have been trading in their yellow cabs for Uber and Lyft with the promise of more money and working on their own terms. 

With the looming recession, things continue to change. According to new research from the Taxi and Limousine Commission, Uber and Lyft drivers now earn less in fares and tips than taxi drivers. Although Uber has increased earnings for their drivers, rising inflation rates have canceled a number of of these wage increases, making it impossible for drivers to pay for basic living expenses like rent and food.

The Rideshare Guy, a well-known blog that drivers follow, polled over 300 drivers, finding that roughly 40% were driving less and that 15% had given up driving completely. 

Sound like you? If you’re reading this and thinking of leaving your driving profession but are afraid to make the first move, we hope this blog encourages you to take the first step in your career change journey. 

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Meet Your Match: Breaking Into the Manufacturing Industry in a Tech Role

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Calling all job-seekers looking to earn decent pay with benefits, job security, and advancement opportunities: the manufacturing sector is hiring. Better still, the promise of upward mobility is long baked into the jobs that build a nation’s wealth. 

Of course, much has changed over the years. Modern opportunities in manufacturing have evolved alongside the proliferation of technology that now touches nearly every facet of factory operations, from product design and machine operation, to quality control and efficiency management. 

While it’s undeniable “every industry is a tech industry” these days, the manufacturing sector is just awakening to all the possibilities—and you can take part in what some are calling the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

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Career Tarotscopes for April 2023

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Rebecca Szymczak, aka Cardsy B, author of The Saturn Diaries and tarot reader to the stars, consulted her cards and has tips for which signs should ignite those Aries fires to charge ahead and which signs should use the astrological new year to take a breath and recalibrate. She also has some insight into some unexpected evolutions in the workplace due to the post-equinox energies.

As we enter April, Aries season is in full swing, providing more energy and inspiration than many of us have felt since late 2022. In the northern hemisphere were already in the “lighter” part of the year as March’s equinox marked the spring. More of the sun’s light reaches the earth’s plane between now and June, bringing much-needed illumination to decisions that may have felt a little hazy on the career front in the year’s first quarter. The powerful full moon in Libra on April 5th clarifies what is calling us to move ahead and what needs to be cleared, or at a bare minimum, what needs to be firm boundaries. April is one of the most powerful months of 2023 as we celebrate the astrological new year while having all the planets in our solar system move direct until the 21st, when Taurus season enters, and Mercury goes retrograde.

Whatever your sign, there are many wins — plus a few distractions to watch out for this month, so read on to see what the cards have in store.

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Meet Your Match: Breaking Into the Professional Services Industry in a Tech Role

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Are you looking for a personal growth and career development path alongside giants, considered the best in their field? Do you appreciate autonomy as much as teamwork? Looking for a broad playing field where you can address large-scale challenges? You just might find such a place in the professional services industry—a top employer of tech talent in our increasingly digital world. 

All told, the industry’s worth $6,382.56 billion in 2023, and it’s expected to grow at a CAGR of 5% to top $7 billion by 2027. Thanks to burgeoning technology, professional services firms are able to offer their clients more value than ever before—and you can play the role of changemaker for countless other businesses in search of bold, bright solutions.

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No Tryout Required: Sports Tech Careers From the Evolving World of Sports

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When you think about jobs in sports, your mind probably jumps to professional athletes, coaches, or high-powered agents (à la Jerry Maguire). If you didn’t win the genetic lottery and those other highly competitive roles weren’t in the stars for you, you might have written off a career in sports. Sports lovers everywhere, rejoice: Sports tech is creating pathways for more professionals to join the game.

Industry analyst Research and Markets predicts that the sports technology market will reach $41.9 billion by 2026, a rise of 21.4% since 2020. Innovations using AI and machine learning that seem straight out of a Sci-Fi novel are here—but they’re not limited to just elite athletes. Sports tech has consumer health applications that can help all of us avoid injuries, build strength, and eat and sleep better.

If you love sports, there are many career tracks for programmers, data analysts and scientists, designers, and digital content producers. We’ve compiled the top areas that tech is transforming and the top tech careers in sports—no tryout required.

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How Data Is Revolutionizing Basketball: Q&A with Ballstar Co-Founder Vaughn Caldon

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Basketball has always had an incredibly passionate fanbase, fueled by the exciting and fast pace of gameplay and high-scoring matches. Some of the most famous athletes globally are professional basketball players, like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Today, the NBA is broadcast in over 200 countries. 

As basketball has grown into a global phenomenon, technology has played a key role in taking the sport to new levels. Data analytics has transformed everything from how the sport is played and coached, to how fans engage with games and athletes. From tracking players’ performance to predicting game outcomes, data has become an indispensable tool for athletes and fans at every level. 

This surge of data in the industry has created unique opportunities for data scientists and data analysts who have a passion for both numbers and sports, as well as for UX designers and software engineers who bring this data to life via fan engagement apps and websites. 

To learn more about what’s behind this data-driven revolution in sports and the career opportunities it’s unlocked, we sat down with Vaughn Caldon, GA instructor and co-founder of Ballstar, a company at the forefront of data analytics in basketball. 

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Fast Break Your Career Change: Players You Need on Your Team

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March marks the beginning of the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament, also known as the Month of Madness. The tournament is known for its unpredictable upsets and exciting games, with fans filling out brackets and following the action closely. March Madness is a major sporting event in the United States, with millions of fans tuning in to watch the games on television or streaming online. 

But what if we told you that the concept of March Madness could also be applied to the world of a career change? Basketball teams are usually composed of 12-15 athletes, all of whom share a common goal and work together to achieve it, supporting and trusting one another. 

Just like in basketball, you need a team of people on your side to help you navigate the twists and turns of a career change. Making a career change often means entering a new industry or field, which can be daunting and uncertain. A good support system can provide the emotional and practical support you need, helping you stay motivated, focused, and positive as you pursue your goals.

This article explores the different types of people you need on your team when considering a career change and handy tips and tricks to fast-break your career transition. 

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The Ultimate Guide: Land a Tech Role This Year

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Dalona Turner, Partnerships Specialist at General Assembly, recently sat down with career expert and best-selling author Ashley Stahl, to discuss how to pivot into a career in tech. 

Both Dalona and Ashley are career changers themselves, which is important because it’s sometimes hard to discern if advice is rooted in theory or experience. If you’ve been thinking “I need a new job”, “I need a career pivot”, or “is technology a good career path”, here is some career advice that will help you get any job you want. 

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Rising in the Ranks: How One Military Spouse Unlocked Career Mobility From the Homefront

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It was 2021, and Michelle Artreche was working at an edtech startup in a marketing role. Although she had a passion for the discipline, she wanted formal training. Michelle wanted a stronger educational foundation so she could take her career to the next level, though she wasn’t sure where to start.

As a military spouse, potential relocation was a fact of life—which meant enrolling in a traditional in-person training program wasn’t really a viable solution. She needed a flexible, career-focused program that could fit her life.

Through a connection on LinkedIn, Michelle heard about The Adecco Group U.S. Foundation Service Scholarship, which awards scholarships to women veterans and military spouses that can be used for courses offered through General Assembly (GA). She took the initiative to apply, landed an award for GA’s Digital Marketing course, and began a new chapter in her tech career story.

Michelle has parlayed her newfound skills into a role where she’s tripled her income—and continues to grow in a career she’s passionate about. She is an incredible example representing the military/spouse community and showing continuous growth as a professional in her field. Read the following interview to learn more about her journey. 

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