4 Ways To Upskill Yourself If Ur Recent Existential Crisis Has Sparked A Potential Career Change

upskill

I personally love an existential crisis. I have them quite often and, after every meltdown, see life from a slightly different perspective.

If you’re currently going through one or plan to go through one (pencil it in your diary), there’s a chance you might be reconsidering your current job or studies.

That’s quite normal (I hope), however if those feelings last after your own crisis has faded, it could very well be time to reassess and pivot, as they like to say in the business world (I think).

So, here are just a few ways you can upskill and pivot in your studies or career.

Whittle down your areas of interest

If you have a vague idea of what you’re interested in but don’t know where to go next, put pen to paper and start narrowing down your options.

This will naturally be different for everyone, but you want to strike a good balance between finding something you want to study / an area you want to work in without it necessarily being an existing hobby.

Generally speaking, turning a hobby into a career can be a risky move. Best case scenario is it all works out and it’s nothing but rainbows and sunshine until you die; worst case scenario you end up hating your hobby and your job.

Speak to people who have experience in that field

I used to desperately want to be a locksmith when I was younger, until I realised the traditional sense of being a locksmith was quickly becoming redundant, with technology taking the driver’s seat.

All I wanted in life was to rock up to a house or a car with my little lockpick set, help someone get into their house (or unwittingly aid a robbery) and then go on my merry way.

So, definitely speak to someone who has experience in the area you’re interested in. It could turn out that it doesn’t sound like the job for you, in which case you move on and pretend that entire ordeal never happened.

Suss out vocational education and training

Now that you have a rough idea of what you want to do, it’s time to take action.

There are countless vocational education and training (VET) programs floating about across Australia – and NSW Gov’s VET courses are a shining example.

VET essentially equips people with practical skills in a range of fields, including agriculture, nursing, finance and accounting, management, design and childcare. Those right there should be able to spark some sort of fire in you – there are so many options.

Once you’ve enrolled in the course of your choosing (which are all designed by industry experts so you know you’re in good hands), you’ll work towards having those skills certified (which potential employers will look upon very fondly).

If you’re in a tight situation with money, you can use NSW Gov’s Skills Navigator to find low-fee and free courses, too.

Put those skills to practise

There is truly no downside to upskilling – especially if you’re acquiring practical skills, as industries across the board are always looking for skilled Aussies to dive in headfirst.

Using some form of ‘skill’ three times in one sentence is a power move, if you ask me.

If you want to get a headstart on the competition, start looking at jobs while you’re studying. Some people might argue that you’re getting ahead of yourself, but if you don’t have faith in your efforts then who will? Your friends? Nah, lad, they want to see you fail.

Trust nobody (except yourself).

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV