#careerchanges #coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #employment #jobs
Erica Hanley was a business development representative for a travel company.
She was laid off when the pandemic hit.
A year later, Hanley, 37, gainfully employed in a new career – mortgage data processor for a local bank.
She was trained for the job through Rhode Island’s Back to Work program, a public-private partnership that was launched during the pandemic to help out-of-work residents learn new skills to find jobs in other industries.
Hanley’s story, and the program in Rhode Island, was told in an article by Andrea Noble, who writes for Route Fifty, a digital news publication that connects people and ideas advancing state, county and municipal governments. It was published May 31, 2021, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Lots of folks, undoubtedly, can see themselves in Hanley’s shoes. Though many employers are gearing back up after the pandemic shutdowns, and are desperately looking for workers, many workers have had to change course in mid-career.
It’s not easy. It’s probably not fun. Plus, not every state offers what Rhode Island does to help workers through the process.
The coronavirus outbreak has prompted other companies to re-evaluate what they do, and how they do it.
The work-from-home experiment was difficult for some, but very convenient for others. As companies saw little to no change in productivity among some employees working from home, many are now rethinking how much office space they actually need.
Will we see a glut of empty office buildings, or, at least, a decline in the number of new ones being built? Time will tell. It may suggest that the commercial real estate business may not be a preferred career for those who have had to change careers.
So, how has the pandemic affected you? Has it put you in dire financial straits? Has it made you re-evaluate your life and lifestyle? Has it forced you to prioritize differently?
And, here’s a big question: If you were laid off temporarily, and your employer wants you back, will you go back? Is that job, or workplace, really worth going back to?
If the answer is yes, great. Go back. There’s a very good chance your old boss not only will welcome you, but also, perhaps, treat you a little better.
If the answer is no, and you don’t know where next to turn, there are many programs out there that allow you to earn money — potentially a lot more than you made at your old job. The work can be done regardless of any pandemic, albeit a bit differently. And, you can base yourself from home.
There is no specific education, experience or background required. You just need an open mind, and be willing to be coached.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
The pandemic has created a new normal for employers and employees. Some could benefit greatly by the change. Others, not so much.
So, it’s important to have an attitude that YOU are going to succeed no matter what changes are made. If the changes don’t suit you, find the changes that do.
Remember, too, that as good as the Rhode Island program looks on paper, retraining has its pitfalls. You could work hard to learn a new job, only to have it go away as your old one may have. Then, you have to be retrained yet again and face the same peril.
Do what’s right for you. Plan on change. Then, plan to find where you fit in that change and prosper.
Peter