Training
At TechAnimals we understand that there are times that you must think outside of your comfort zone in order to achieve the desired end result. This is particularly true when you are faced with considering a change of career which requires retraining and retooling yourself. In today’s volatile economic and labor market, this is more than just thinking out of the box, it is about surviving and staying ahead. Having a plan of action will allow you to better navigate through this process. Below you will find excellent articles which outline and speak to the question of whether to Retrain or Retool yourself in today’s economic environment. Enjoy your reading!
Career Change – Is Retraining Worth the Effort? Part 1
By: Waller Jamison
If you are contemplating career change and thinking about retraining, you need to decide if it will be worth it. There are a number of factors to take into consideration, after all, you are going to be investing both a considerable amount of time and money into training for a new career.
To do this effectively, you need to start at the end. What will the final outcome of your studies be? By this I don’t just mean the actual qualification, although that is important, what I mean is the result of gaining that qualification. Will you be qualified to enter a particular profession or trade and what are the chances of your getting a job and keeping it? Will you progress up the ladder or set up your own business and be able to expand it to the size you want?
Is there a big demand for the career and is that demand likely to stay high? How good will the chances of a continued solid income be if there is a recession? Once you have established that the end result is worth having, you need to determine whether or not you are prepared to pay the cost.
How many years of study will be involved? And what will the financial implications be? Will you have to give up your social life for the next 3 years in order to hit the books and how will your family and friends feel about this?
Will you have to borrow money and then spend years paying it back?
If you’d like to kick start your future by learning the 6 steps to finding a job or changing career, click here to download my free e-book.
Waller Jamison is a careers advisor and university lecturer, who understands the difficulties involved in changing careers and returning to study.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Waller_Jamison
Career Change – Is Retraining Worth the Effort? Part 2
By: Waller Jamison
In part one we examined some of the not so pleasant aspects of retraining for a new career. Now let’s have a look at some of the more positive results you can expect.
Retraining gives you a second chance, perhaps the chance to do something you’ve always wanted to do. When you were younger, lack of money or study opportunities may have prevented you from following your dreams, but now you have some savings or can at least take advantage of the more flexible training schedules on offer in most colleges. Or perhaps your children have left home and are now independent, leaving you with a little extra time and money for yourself.
You can gain a degree or a professional qualification by studying at home and many practical qualifications can be gained by part-time attendance.
Of course, studying part-time while holding down a full time job is tough, but the feeling of satisfaction you get from finally doing what you’ve always wanted to do will make it worth the effort. Or perhaps you’ve developed new interests and decided to take your career in a different direction, which will be challenging and exhilarating
Learning new skills is a great way to keep your brain active and to give you an expanded outlook on life. So although you may be tired after a day at work, the stimulation of learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge will give you an energy boost – as long as it is what you really want to do. The thought of a new career with increased job satisfaction and perhaps more money will help you through the tough times.
If you’d like to kick start your future by learning the 6 steps to finding a job or changing career, click here to download my free e-book.
Waller Jamison is a careers advisor and university lecturer, who understands the difficulties involved in changing careers and returning to study.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Waller_Jamison
Career Change – Is Retraining Worth the Effort? Part 3
By: Waller Jamison
One quick way to determine whether or not to retrain, is to make a list of the long term benefits you will gain. In the short term there may well be more pain than gain, but keep in mind that this is just a temporary situation.
What will be the greatest benefit to you? Will you be finally doing something interesting, which is making a genuine contribution to society or using some special skills and talents which you possess?
Will you be working in an exciting environment, developing products or services on the cutting edge of your industry?
Or will you simply be doing something you love, such as a sport, working with animals, teaching or working in the creative arts?
Will you benefit financially? If so, think about what that will mean for you and your family. It may be that you’ll be able to buy a bigger house, or a holiday home by the sea.
It could mean that you a e able to make improvements in many areas of your life. You will be able to afford to eat a healthier diet or join a gym, afford to have complementary therapy treatments such as massage to deal with stress. You won’t be constantly drained by worry about your finances and so will have more energy for both work and leisure. And you’ll be able to travel to countries you’ve so far only dreamed of visiting.
Your family will also be able to benefit because of access to better healthcare and education, as well as the holidays and a more comfortable home.
Perhaps more important than the material benefits are the feelings which will come with establishing your new career. You will become more and more self confident and will be proud of your achievements. Your self esteem will also receive a boost and so you should find that you are healthier both physically and mentally.
Not all career changes will bring such good results. You need to make an honest estimation of what your retraining will bring in to your life and then decide if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
If you’d like to kick start your future by learning the 6 steps to finding a job or changing career, click here to download my free e-book.
Waller Jamison is a careers advisor and university lecturer, who understands the difficulties involved in changing careers and returning to study.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Waller_Jamison
Retrain and Retool
By: Jason Mendes
In many manufacturing environments, a production line can typically be set up to produce many different products by simply reconfiguring the tools and machinery on the line. In manufacturing parlance, this is called retooling the line and enables manufacturers to cost-effectively produce a wide range of products. For the Big Three American automobile manufacturers however this might be a moot point because according to the CEOs of these companies, they are all on the verge of bankruptcy. All the retraining and retooling in the world might not be able to save these companies. The question is whether bankruptcy could have been avoided had they retrained and retooled sooner.
Another aspect of manufacturing is that operators on the production line must be trained to use the various machines. The more different machines that a worker can operate, or the more tasks that an individual can perform, the more valuable they are to the company. For that reason manufacturing employees often undergo an ongoing process of training on new equipment and learning new skills.
Although many people would not draw a link between their career and a production line, there are some similarities. Over the course of your working life you have attained skills, experience, and expertise that enables you to do a number of things in the pursuit and production of income. Very often this skill set is focused on a particular industry or career direction. As people move on into their careers they typically become more and more experienced and focused on particular aspects of their jobs. Many people who choose to specialize in a very specific aspect of their career see this trend even more clearly.
With the job market where it is today, people need to rethink the production line of their career. With unemployment at a 14 year high and over 100,000 Americans expected to lose their jobs every month for the foreseeable future, the key to survival in these tough economic times might well hinge on your ability to retool and retrain for a new career.
If you are employed in construction, real estate, banking, or finance, your job is already at risk. We’ve already talked about the automobile manufacturers but if they fail, any company or business that supports the automobile industry will also be at risk. Because these difficult economic times affect entire industries and not just specific companies, it won’t be simply a matter of just changing jobs should you lose yours.
Now might be the time to think about a completely different line of work, in a completely different industry. Online network marketing is a recession-proof business that you can start with a modest outlay of capital and that you can operate from the comfort of your own home. Even if you’ve never thought about taking this direction, now well might be time to start. Unlike the Big Three, you still have time to retrain and retool before bankruptcy becomes unavoidable.
Jason Menges is a business coach and mentor based out of Forest Hill, MD, that assists serious entrepreneurs in building a profitable online business with multiple incomes streams. Jason and his team have assisted hundreds of people, from doctors and nurses to high-school drop-outs and single parents in generating profits that exceed $250K or more in their first year. For more information and to contact, visit:
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Mendes