When your children have flown the nest, you may feel like you are at a loose end and you may even be grieving. The most important thing for any parent to do if they are feeling like this is to take charge of their own life. The best way to do this? A change of career or start a new one. One of the toughest things for most parents after the children have gone away is figuring out how to get back into the workforce. Let’s show you the best ways to get into a career when your career has been a parent.
Look at Your Transferable Skills
Transferable skills are things that you have learned that make you an invaluable asset in a different working environment. As a parent, you’ve got skills in discipline, organization, and so much more. You’ve got to showcase the skills on your resume and how it makes you an invaluable asset to an organization. You may also want to look at careers that naturally utilize your skills, for example, in the medical industry. The great thing is that in industries like dentistry, you can get a dental assistant certification with just a high school diploma and there is no age cap. A career like dentistry can provide steady progression, but it can also utilize those skills that you have perfected over the years.
What Do You Actually Want?
You have a collection of skills that you can use, but where do you feel your skills and your needs are best suited? You need to list what you are looking for, for example, the organization, the industry, the position, and so much more. Because if you are looking for a proper career with progression opportunities or you want to find somewhere that you can contribute your time more effectively without worrying outside of work, you need to be clear about what you want to achieve and you can find jobs that match your lists.
Refreshing Skills
You can always go back into education if you think it will point you towards a worthwhile career, but there are many ways for you to invest time in your skills and re-engage in something that you had a passion for or even in your old career, including the following:
- Volunteering, which will refresh your skills and help to fill the employment gaps in your resume.
- Sign up for any online classes or certifications, as this can help you to learn more about opportunities in your desired career field.
- Find information about how your levels of expertise transfer to ensure that your trajectory is clearer.
Crafting Your Network
A place like LinkedIn is a goldmine of opportunities because whether you are looking to help others or you just want to get an idea of what really is out there, spending time on LinkedIn and creating a profile while also keeping an eye out on what’s trends are coming in industries can point you down a really exciting avenue. Those opportunities to network with people will ensure that you don’t just start to plan your steps more effectively, but you may also find yourself in a career that you’d never thought of.
