The past two years brought us it a point where we had to face new realities. The world of work will never look the same and economic uncertainties give a bleak view of the future. However, there must be more to life!
People are talented and creative. Who says that you can’t live more than one career dream in your lifetime? Hard times are often the springboard for starting new things because you are gifted, and you have diverse skills and experience. I am talking about upskilling, reskilling, and finding multi-vocational opportunities.
Upskilling assists employees to learn new skills to progress within their current career. The new skills and experiences add to their existing skillset.
Reskilling is the process of learning new skills so you can do a different job. Traditionally this referred to teaching the unemployed skills, but the economic reality and changes in essential careers we face make it necessary for people to be reskilled. Just think about how many careers became irrelevant during the past 20 years.
A third important concept is the broader term new skilling, which describes a continuous learning approach. New skilling means the people are life-long learners who rely on learning to keep up to date with best practices and techniques.
These terms are usually discussed from an employer’s perspective, but so many people are replaceable and can become redundant that is essential to look out for multi-vocational opportunities. Please note that I am not referring to going on a “higher self” mission because I am not talking about multiple belief systems.
I am referring to assessing your existing skills and competencies and the possibility to make a transition into a new career. Multi-vocational opportunities can go hand in hand as you see opportunity gaps in your community. This means your existing skills can translate into your dream vocation. These skills can come from previous experiences, hobbies, or talents. You may be gifted to work with numbers and bookkeeping can become a possible source of additional income. You may be gifted to work with young people and tutoring can make a difference to someone’s life while you earn to supplement your funds.
The list of possibilities is endless, but you may need to train and acquire more skills for your dream role. Additional skills build confidence and the competency you need to make the best of the new opportunity.
I found that two essential things help people to get the process started: planning a timeline for growth and budget-friendly online courses. Everyone’s timeline and budget look different and there are no guarantees for success. How long upskilling or reskilling will take depend on many internal and external factors.
Your challenge is to look further than the traditional job searches. Think about alternative careers and new career directions. Explore new ideas that align with your natural talents. As you investigate different career paths you will see how your skills can translate into various other positions. You may also find that your unique skill set may open an entrepreneurial idea. You can find that your hobby, special ability, or talent lends itself to starting your own business.
If any ideas jump to mind, write them down because the next step is to plan a transition timeline. This includes training periods, application processes, formal planning, and mentoring. Changing careers must not be done haphazardly because there can be contractual and financial implications. Look out for community volunteering, part-time and freelance opportunities as a short-term option while preparing for the next step.
Very few people can make career changes without a safety net or two. Consider multi-vocational ventures, especially if you have many talents and passions. There are various things you can do after traditional working hours and over weekends. Working on your dreams is most effective if you start with a plan. The plan includes goals, timelines, a realistic budget, networking and working on your resume. Knowing what you don’t want to do is as important as knowing what you want to do.
If you choose to add Christian Pastoral Counselling to your life’s dream goals, we can help. Kailo Training Institute teaches you the skills to help people and has an ethical Christian ministry.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they try to navigate this process alone. They put off “researching” until the very last minute and sets them up for a very stressful time trying to juggle teaching, figuring out a resume, researching jobs, and hoping to nail down something as soon as possible. I want to help you get some insight into the options available to you and to know what you need to do (and not do) to make a career transition.
Aquilla Training - Short courses for self-development and continuous professional development
Kailo Training Institute – Christian Pastoral Counselling training - Year programmes and post-graduate opportunities.
Dr Barbara Louw – personal or online appointment via Aquilla Wellness Solutions (Fee for service)
Rev Wynand Louw – financial related advice and practice management guidance via Aquilla Financial Solutions (Fee for service)