There are many routes you can take in your career, and may destinations you can find yourself arriving at. For some, applying for a job offhandedly can help them secure a twenty-year-long career in a certain field. For others, dropping out of a high-paying corporate gig in order to open up their own business is something that seems worthwhile.

No matter the example we use, it’s clear to see that often, our professional path is unpredictable and we never really know what we’ll be doing ten years from now. However, what we can do is apply the decisions we make in the present, and hope our wise planning will help us move to the next step. I’ve tried to adopt this mindset in my owner personal career and always work on learning all that I can.

But it’s very easy for people to think that if they haven’t been ‘grandfathered in’ to a certain outcome, that they’re stuck. But it’s important to recognize that while some educational measures are essential (like passing the Bar exam as a would-be legal practitioner via conventional education), it’s also important to note that now is the best time for a renewal of your professional qualifications going forward. The good news is that in todays world of more and more access to education, here’s how and why this has never been more flexible:

Educational Resources Are More Open Than Ever

There has never been a better time for finding online educational resources, night classes, and accreditation schemes to help you qualify for a particular course, to help top up your resume, or to add further potential to your professional standing. For instance, an Agile project management certification can help you prove your ability to run IT projects, allowing you to take your transferable skills and apply them to a ready field. Coursera, Khan Academcy are other ones I’ve heard mentioned and honestly just googling you’ll be amazed at the free resources out there!

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Reinventing Yourself Is Considered Not Only Acceptable, But Smart

Some professionals believe that starting from scratch, pivoting direction, or presenting yourself in a new light is somehow artificial or insincere. It’s not. When you think about it, your professional self, candor, and qualifications is something you invest in, it’s a side of you that allows you to better navigate the productive landscape. So, making changes where appropriate, be that opting for a new course, or networking more appropriately, or joining career-based social networks like LinkedIn is not uncommon, and can be thoroughly aided by a forward focus.

Work Is More Flexible Than Ever Before

It’s easy to think that switching your career path only starts you out at step one once more, but even before the pandemic, more and more people were starting to see the value in switching up their professional approach, such as opting for remote work, in launching websites, in signing up for freelance platforms in order to sell their skills, or to take on gig work for particular side income. If you have a skillset, it might be that looking around with more diligence, even on platforms like Upwork, can help you find work outside of the usual employment scheme.

With this advice, you’ll see that now may be the time for professional expansion or change to the degree you wish for it.

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