PAVING A PATH FOR A SECOND CAREER

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a ripple of unexpected events and disruption to our everyday lifestyle. It caught us unprepared both mentally and financially. It changed the landscape of the job environment, necessitating people to revaluate their skill sets. Many who lost their jobs realized the need to learn new skills to return to the workforce. This drastic shift in employment outlook is paving a path for second career.

A study shows mass departure is happening, especially in service and retails jobs. Workers are departing in favour of entry-level jobs in various other sectors to learn new skills aligned with their interests.

As the economy opens up, so will the opportunities, and if you want to make a change, start by investing in yourself. It’s a great time to merge your interests with your skill sets.

What is most important in this fluid situation is a career reinvention, which is acquiring holistic approach of evaluation and improving knowledge by attending courses, acquiring skills and developing relationships until there is the confidence to delve into the new career.

Quick tips for second-career transition:

• Self-evaluation: Why do you want to make this transition? Are there other alternatives? Is it really the right time? Can you accept the challenges involved?

• Professional assessment: Evaluating soft skills, hard skills and new skills one might want to acquire.

• Discovering opportunities: Look for opportunities that might be unknown but can play a vital role while choosing a second career.

• Narrow your career list: Taking into consideration the points mentioned above, refine your list of second-career options while defining the pros and cons of each option. This should yield a stronger decision-making process.  

As said by Milton Berle, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” One such door is Second Career, a program from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. Second Career is designed to launch people back into the workforce in a new field, providing financial support to applicants participating in training programs of 52 weeks or less.

It is the time to knock for an opportunity and build a door that will lead the path to a better future.

For more information, visit Ontario.ca/secondcareer.