education

06/02/2021 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

Stop Wasting Time: These Are The Signs That Your Career Isn’t For You

In the US, only 32 percent of employees are engaged with their work. The lack of interest can be because of different reasons. But one of them can be that people choose careers that aren’t for them. If you belong to this group of disengaged employees, here are the signs to look for to know if your career isn’t for you.

You Can’t Relate to Your Colleagues

One of the most evident signs that you are in a career that isn’t for you is when you can’t relate to your colleagues. Generally, your coworkers and other people in your profession are great people to create relationships beyond work. Most of us end up making lifelong friends with people that share our career choices.

It is about sharing the same passion and interests. But when you are in a career you hate, those topics that others find interesting you’ll probably hate too. For example, if you are a full stack developer and one of your colleagues is excitedly explaining the last project he is working on, you will only find it boring.

Also, you won’t be able to understand how some of your coworkers are so excited every day about going to work. You won’t be able to relate to what they find so incredible or satisfying. This can also be due to the current company you work in, but if it also happens with other colleagues in the industry, then you know what it probably means.

You Run From People Asking About Your Career

When you are passionate about something, people only have to mention it to make you go on a monologue. But if you are on a career that isn’t for you, the opposite will probably happen. You will feel like running every time someone asks you about your career, and you will probably give a short answer and change the subject.

Maybe you don’t do it consciously, but pay attention to your reactions when people ask the dreaded question. It can also happen that you start complaining non-stop. It is also a sign that you at least are in a job you hate.

You Feel Like an Actor

If you feel like an actor or an impostor every time you go to work, then that is another sign you are in a career that isn’t for you. When people are in places they don’t like, they sometimes have to put up a façade. When you are in a career you hate, you probably have to put a mask in the office.

Having a bad attitude will probably only give you more trouble at work. If you feel like you can’t be yourself during office hours, then that career isn’t for you. You shouldn’t have to become somebody else every day. And in the end, it will make you feel more miserable than doing dull tasks or going against your values.

Your Career Doesn’t Align With Your Values

Our core values are probably the ones that define our actions. They help us decide what the best path for us is. Sometimes, they also help us identify what is good or bad. And when the career you choose doesn’t align with them, you feel like you are doing something wrong.

For example, suppose your values go against mistreating animals, and you are in a profession where the industry is about killing animals for consumption. In that case, it is very clear that you will feel conflicted. Maybe you are only doing it for the money, but going against your values just because of the good pay will make you feel hollow in the long run.

It’s Disappearing

Finally, the last sign that you should change your career is if your current one is disappearing. The truth is that technology has changed a lot of things in our world, including taking over several tasks that humans used to do. And even if you are in a career you like, it won’t serve you if it will disappear in the next decade.

You can consider making a career change in the tech industry. It will only take a few months if you enroll in a coding boot camp. And you can even learn the skills with free coding courses. It is something to think about for the future.

In Summary

Staying in a career that isn’t for you will only have a negative impact on your life. You can identify if your career is a good match by looking for the right signs. For example, if you can’t relate to your colleagues, don’t like people asking about your work, have to put up a facade every day, or your work doesn’t align with your values, then it is probably time for a change.

Another reason why you may change careers is if your profession is disappearing. It may sound discouraging, but it is better to make a decision early on. And you could be learning with an online course while you still continue your current job.

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

07/23/2018 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

Is Getting Professional Certification Worth It?

If you’re trying to get ahead in your career, then it can be hard to know where to invest your time, energy and finances. What will provide the most return on your investment?

Working a lot of overtime rarely seems to impress employers with your work ethic as much as you’d like. Instead, they seem to just add more to your workload without rewarding you. Volunteering for projects and stepping up to take on more can be a strategy to get in line for a promotion or have things in your portfolio or resume if you apply for a job elsewhere, but even on-the-job experience only takes you so far. Employers still seem to reward professional qualifications disproportionately.

Health care careers in particular benefit from accredited programs and certification. If you’re interested in or already employed in a health care job such as nursing, physical therapy or medical assistant, then professional certification can improve your employability, give you more confidence and respect at work, and boost your pay.

Some of this is due to employer perception that those who have invested in a formal certification or qualification have skills that exceed those that can be earned on the job. In other cases, an HR process or department may award points or automatically bump employees up a notch when they show evidence of formal qualifications.

If you’d like to move forward in your career, earn more money and get more respect, then getting a professional certification offers higher return on investment than just about anything else in which you can invest yourself. In most cases, you can find local campuses for convenience to pursue certification – just search online for “colleges near me” and check out the quality of their offerings.

In many cases, it’s possible to pursue certification part-time or in a flexible format while you’re already working. If you’re disappointed with your current career progress and want to pursue a more successful future, then certification can offer a clear and proactive path toward greater employability and opportunity.

If you’re a student and don’t yet have work experience, then certification can be an alternative to a work history. It offers prospective employers the assurance that you have specific, recent and relevant understanding of their needs and will be a good investment. They want to know that you bring skill and knowledge to the job without requiring a lot of training on their part. Many employers hire in a crunch situation, where they need someone who can hit the ground running, and they just don’t have the capacity to bring someone in and teach them everything they need to know.

Professional certification is a worthwhile investment of your time, energy and funds if you want to proactively improve your future prospects. If you’re a midstream professional looking for a way to kick-start your career and move forward, or if you’re a student looking for a head start on the competition, then you should look into professional certification programs near you.

04/27/2017 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

Why People Prefer Online Education Over the Classroom

A good education is desirable for many reasons, and learning is something that is no longer the preserve of schoolchildren and young adults at higher educational institutions. People of all ages are learning, and whether an individual is studying for fun, to develop their understanding of the world, or to improve their career prospects, there is a lot to be said for finding the educational process that is right for their needs. The traditional method of classroom-style education is still popular, but many people prefer online education over the classroom learning experience.

There are not many aspects of life that the internet hasn’t impacted on, and the learning environment has been transformed due to the emergence of the internet. There are many key benefits of accessing the internet, and the same factors that have made online shopping or working from home attractive to many people have helped to make online education extremely popular.

The time benefits of online education over the classroom are considerate. Removing travel time is a huge factor in why online education is the best option for some people. People who lead busy lives, juggling work with childcare arrangements or other activities, may have time for studying, but the travel time can make studying difficult. This is why being able to study from the comfort of home, in the workplace, or anywhere there is an internet connection has to be seen as a boon for people looking to fit education into their life.

Studying online is convenient for many people

There is also the fact that there is a convenience factor about studying online. People that live in major towns or cities may be able to find educational institutions offering relevant courses or classes close by, but this isn’t the case for people who live in more remote districts. There is also the fact that if the course is in a specialist area of education or aimed at a niche market, it may not even be available in some major areas. Online education opens up the opportunity to study a range of courses, regardless of location or what is on offer in the local area.

Another factor that sees online education being a preferred option over classroom education is the cost. With classroom education, there are immediate overheads such as the room, the energy bills associated with the room, and employing someone to teach the class. These costs aren’t relevant with online education, or they aren’t as prevalent because the cost of providing the class is spread across a wider range of people. The number of people who can take a class in a classroom is often limited by the capacity of the room, whereas this isn’t the case with an online class. There may be some limitation to how many people can take an online class, particularly if there is a need for some form of human interaction or for papers to be individually marked, but there is more flexibility for volume of numbers, which means that the class will be open to more people. This has allowed reputable educational institutions to provide learning opportunities to a greater number of students, with bodies such as Maryville University providing a wide range of courses and classes.

Online education is also attractive for many people depending on their circumstances or aims of studying. Elderly people may not wish to commit to being a full-time student, so this style of learning allows them to develop skills at their own pace. People who are studying for their career prospects may have to juggle their learning with their standard working hours, which may not be possible in the classroom learning environment. Add in the fact that some people don’t like the idea of learning in a class with other people, much preferring an environment that they are comfortable with, and you have strong arguments for online education. There is also the fact that different people learn in different ways, and for some students, the online education process is the one that fits their learning preferences in the best manner.

Online education can also help businesses

Many businesses will be happy to see their employees undertake extra-curricular studies that don’t impact on their work availability. The flexibility that comes with online learning is a great benefit, not only to the student but also to the employers of the student. In fact, some firms are so positive about the online education process that they will provide financial assistance in arranging courses, or they will provide an employee with time to study.

The internet has changed the way that people live their life, and made it easier for many people to find the right solution to their needs. This can be seen in why so many people prefer online education over classroom studying.