Reflection: jobless and career change

Jobless is a depressing period. When you are jobless, you probably enjoy the first month. After the first month of jobless existence, you start to panic as you sense that the prospect of getting a job is very bleak.


After a few more months of jobless existence, you start to question whether you are a victim of structural unemployment.

Structural unemployment means that the job you lose is not going to come back. The whole industry has relocated to other countries, and not going to provide you with a job anymore.

At this point of jobless existence, you start to think of career change.

It is easier to think of career change for a young, jobless person. A young jobless person probably has to work for another thirty years before retirement, so a career change is not a scary thought.

For a jobless person nearing retirement age, and has been in the same industry for the past thirty years, the thought of a career change is frightening. The thought of starting all over again, going to school, getting a job that is a third of former salary, and reporting to a superior younger than your son is scary.



Questions to ask about Jobless and Career Change

The first and foremost question when you are jobless is: Do you need a career change? You may not need a career change if the job market shrinks, but the industry is still around.

For example, the construction industry has a boom and bane cycle. If you are a civil engineer, you may not need a career change in a down cycle of construction industry. You are only temporarily jobless. What you can do is to upgrade your skill and keep up with the latest development in the industry.

The second most important question when you are jobless is: Do you want a career change?

If the job is not going to come back, and you do not want a career change, you have to consider the prospect of working overseas. Since jobs are going overseas, you can follow the jobs and work overseas if you do not want a career change.

If you are temporary jobless, you may think about this question. Some people want a career change, since they do not enjoy their work. Some people want a career change when their circumstances change.



Career Change

If you are jobless and have decided on a career change, you can consider the factors below:

The first factor for a career change is to decide on capitalizing your existing skills. If you are a welder for the shipyard, and the shipyard closes down, you can consider utilizing the welding skill in other industry.

You have to make a list of your existing skills and a list of jobs that require the skills.

The second factor for a career change is to consider your hobby and activity that you are good at.

You can consider converting your passion into a career or a business. You can consider teaching others to participate in your hobby, sell products for collectors or participants. For example, your hobby is running. You can consider a career change as a fitness trainer or instructor.

The third factor for a career change is to network. If you are jobless due to economic factors, chances are your friends are also jobless. You can network with your friends to consider the next stage in life. If your friends have some business ideas, and need helpers, you can consider joining the business venture.

The fourth factor for a career change is to lower your expectation. When you enter a new industry as a newbie, you will have to take the salary of new entrant. You have to lower your expectation, and prepare to climb the corporate ladder from the bottom.

The fifth factor for a career change is to think long term. You want to go into a promising industry with long term prospect. You do not want a job in a sunset industry. A career change in a life time is enough. You do not need career changes so many times in your life.

The sixth factor for a career change is to acquire skills that are needed in every industry. Accounting and financial reporting are two areas that are in demand across all industries. You hardly hear accountants jobless for long. When the accountants from one industry are jobless, they can find jobs in another industry.

The seventh factor for a career change is the cost of education. When you are jobless, that is the best time to pick up new skill. You can consider returning to school. However, you have to consider the cost of education and learning a new skill.

It might be more practical to pick up a skill within a few months than to enroll in 2 years degree course. You can check the financial assistance available.

The eighth factor for a career change is to work freelance. You can consider getting a certification for whatever skills you have. Once you have the relevant certification, you can consider working as a freelance agent.

The ninth factor for a career change is to explore online opportunities. You can consider making money online by affiliate marketing. You can consider setting up a website based on your hobby. You can consider writing articles to identify yourself as an expert in relevant field. You can make recommendation for certain products and earning commission for the sales of certain products.

The last factor for a career change is to be flexible. If you are new to an industry, you can start from different position. If you are not selected for a given position, you can ask the company to place you in another position.



Further thoughts on jobless and career change

While jobless is a depression period, it is not the end of the world. In many cases, getting jobless is not the fault of anyone. The changes in the world are too quick and unpredictable for anyone or any company to react.

Many people get into depression when they are jobless. It is useless to think of how bad things can be when you are already jobless. Thinking negatively does not make you happy and does not make money for you when you are jobless. It is best to get the most of jobless stage to improve your skill and prepare for career change.

You can make full use of the current jobless stage to prepare for the future. Economy goes up and down. Eventually the economy will boom and there will be a job for everyone who wants to work.