Best Practices to Make a Successful Career Change in a Tech-Driven World

Technology can help you maximize your chances of landing an amazing job, steer your new career in the right direction, and make the right choice every step of the way. Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

Anchoring yourself to a secure job that you can depend on for the rest of your professional life used to be a popular option. While times have changed — that doesn’t mean that people are too keen on making any radical career changes nowadays. During the COVID-19 crisis, people will do whatever it takes to hold on to a stable job.

That said, the new generation of employees has certain demands and expectations, and if you’re not happy with where you’re at right now, you shouldn’t hesitate to make a career change. More than ever before, the job market is teeming with lucrative opportunities, especially in the tech sector.

What’s more, you can leverage technology to make the most of your efforts. It can help you maximize your chances of landing an amazing job, steer your new career in the right direction, and make the right choice every step of the way. That’s why today, we’ll be going over the best practices you can employ to make a successful career change in the tech-driven world, survive in the world of IoT, minimize the risks, and maximize professional growth along the way.

It all starts with a personal SWOT analysis

Let’s start with an essential task all aspiring business leaders and career-driven individuals need to tackle first – creating and acting off of a detailed personal SWOT analysis. If you want to lead a thriving professional life and make all the right decisions during your career change, then you have to act on data, not your whims.

The personal SWOT analysis allows you to put things into perspective and take an analytical, data-driven approach to your career. What’s more, you can leverage SWOT analysis during multiple stages of your career change. That way, you’ll see if you’re on the right track, and use the information within to make any adjustments at a moment’s notice.

It’s the kind of flexibility you’ll need to make smarter long-term decisions.

Begin by defining your core strengths as well as the industry-specific strengths you have acquired thus far. Next, identify any innate weaknesses you might possess as well as the potential weaknesses that may come to light depending on the industry and field you’re interested in.

Continue by analyzing the industries and noting down as many opportunities as possible. These opportunities should pertain to job availability, salary potential, professional growth and advancement, networking, potential entrepreneurship down the road, and more.

Finish off the SWOT analysis by being honest with yourself and analyzing the fields you’re interested in. Pay attention to immediate, long-term, and potential threats driven by socio-economic, technological, and pollical changes. Armed with this information, you can easily narrow down your search and start networking with the right people.

What process do you follow when making a career change? ketut subiyanto/ pexels

Use video calls to connect with industry professionals

Successful people don’t like it when people waste their time. So if you’re looking to venture into a new industry, you have to do it without stepping on anyone’s toes. After all, making friends right off the bat is one of the best ways to get your foot in the door. You just need to network in a smart and efficient way.

During the pandemic, the chances are that nobody will want to meet with you in person. By the same token, they won’t be inclined to waste their precious time teaching you the ways of the industry. That’s okay, though; you can always use communication tech to compensate. You’ll be able to make networking more efficient, learn from the best, and most importantly, not waste anyone’s time in the process.

You need to learn to love virtual conferencing and accept the fact that you’ll be connecting with industry professionals almost exclusively online for the time being. Make sure to work on your soft skills and prepare a detailed itinerary for every call in order to extract as much valuable information from your interlocutors as possible.

As for where you should look for these people, well, that comes down to your industry, but generally, the best way to connect to industry professionals is through specialized platforms like LinkedIn. Alternatively, you can use one of many email finder tools if you don’t mind paying.

Leverage online learning to get certified

One of the most important steps you need to take to make a successful career change is to upskill. That typically means that you need to get certified to become qualified in that particular field. During the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional learning and training methods might be limited — but that’s nothing you can’t overcome with eLearning.

Take the healthcare industry as a prime example. The medical systems around the world are crumbling under the weight of the pandemic. At the same time, healthcare institutions in all medical sectors are in dire need of specialized and certified professionals.

Emergency life support is one of those fields that is highly sought-after now, so people looking to transition into the medical sector should look for online ACLS certification training to get the skills they need to join the fight against the pandemic. Following the same mindset, you should find the certification programs that you can complete online. Make sure to invest in eLearning programs with a high potential for professional growth, financial stability, and job security.

Career Change. vlada karpovic/pexels

Build a career in tech and development

Technology is an extremely broad term that encompasses hundreds if not thousands of job opportunities in dozens of sectors. This is a thriving field, one that offers many lucrative prospects. It’s also a good place to build a career safely. After all, there will always be a job for tech talent in the modern world.

From cybersecurity and web design, all the way to software development and beyond, venturing into the tech field is a good way to future-proof your career. Of course, you have to make sure that your SWOT analysis allows such a transition. This is especially true if you’re coming from an unrelated field. You’ll have to devote time, money, and effort to upskill and get certified. Only then will you become a strong contender in the tech job market.

It’s also important to note that the entrepreneurial scene in the tech business represents another lucrative opportunity. While industry-specific knowledge and experience are a plus, you can choose to become an entrepreneur if you have a good enough idea and the resources to bring a crack team of professionals together. Get your investors lined up, and you can launch your very own tech startup.

Be mindful of AI advancements to future-proof your career

The technological revolution has definitely changed the way we do business, the way we run our companies, and how we perceive our jobs. For one, people are scared more than ever before of the threat that AI advancement poses for their job security. Now, you have to ask yourself whether or not your new industry and job will be impacted by AI and to what extent.

In some industries, AI will create more job opportunities and make your life easier. In other industries, it will automate certain tasks and render some job positions unnecessary. You must follow the trends and AI-proof your career.

The key is to make yourself invaluable to the sector and work with AI, not against it. Be proactive and creative, and figure out the unique opportunities of complementing AI advancement with your talents and expertise. If you do that, you become an indispensable asset to employers. Alternatively, leverage the right AI applications to take your own company forward.

Wrapping up

Making a career change is never an easy task. However, you can make the challenge a lot less daunting if you leverage technology and use an analytical approach. Combine tips into one grand strategy to create a plan for a successful career change, and to start your new career path with a distinct advantage over the competition.

by Marie Nieves

This article was originally published on ReadWrite.