I was reading an article on finding the right career the other day and it got me thinking about starting my new career. Specifically, I was reminiscing about the days when I was looking for my first job out of college. Now that I have been in my job for almost a year, it is easier for me to get a little perspective on the whole process. There are some things I have done well in my new career, and there are some mistakes I have made.
Unfortunately most colleges don’t really prepare you for starting a new career. Yes, they give you help with your resume and offer networking opportunities, but they don’t really set you up to be successful early in your career. There is a big gap between college knowledge and real-world work knowledge. Today I am going to share with you 3 things you can do to help you bridge that gap when starting a new career.
Get to Know Your Industry
One of the biggest problems I have noticed for recent graduates is that they may not always be familiar with the latest trends in their industry. Some colleges may be better at keeping students up-to-date than others (mine had a large focus in this area), but at the end of the day college professors are usually not experts on cutting edge trends. This is a particular challenge in a technical industry like mine where new software is being released and old software is being updated frequently.
Luckily, we live in the information age and getting up-to-the-minute information is relatively easy. Spend some time searching the internet for authority websites in your industry. For example, if you are an SEO you should probably be reading Moz, if you are in the financial services industry check out The Street (affiliate). There are plenty of other examples, but the point is to familiarize yourself with the current climate of your industry. The interview process will expose you quickly if you aren’t up to date.
Get to Know Other Professionals
Networking is the key to getting jobs these days. I strong peer network can lead you to many opportunities you would miss otherwise. Starting a new career can be difficult, because most of your existing contacts are working in your old field. There are a few things you can do to beef up your contact list in your new industry.
Probably the easiest way to meet new people in your new industry is through LinkedIn. LinkedIn has a really great “groups” section that allows you to find groups of like-minded individuals. I am currently a member of several groups and there is always a good conversation going on about specific industry topics. Make sure to make relevant, well-thought-out comments in your groups and you will be quick to gain recognition.
I am also a big fan of networking on Twitter. Simply search for a hashtag related to your field (i.e. #CPA) and you will find a great list of people posting about topics relevant to your new career. I have found people on Twitter to be both very friendly and very helpful. It is a great place to get specific questions answered by multiple people in a timely manner.
One last piece of advice for meeting other professionals in your new career is to attend conferences. Cost of the conferences can be prohibitive, but if you can afford it, it can be one of the best places to build your network. Usually this is a great idea after you have started a new job, that way maybe your employer will pay for it. 
Identify Gaps in Your Training
When starting a new career you may need to pick up some new skills. Whether you are coming straight from college or just changing careers, you most likely would benefit from picking up a new skill or two. For example, I graduated with Degree in Business Intelligence. Even though I got a job in the Business Intelligence I didn’t have training in the number one piece of software being used by my new employer. I had to spend the first 3 weeks of my new job completing online courses training me in the software. How much more impressive would have been if I would have been able to come in on day one and contribute? Not only that, how much more money would I have been offered up front if I had already learned that program?
I am going to mention again how lucky we are to live in the information age, where we are able to take responsible of our own learning and development with such ease. The internet is a great place to learn. You can find resources to learn almost anything while sitting in your pajamas at home. One great resource I have found for online learning is 360training.com (affiliate). They have a huge selection of online courses covering virtually every industry and some classes start as low as $1.
If you prefer the offline method, you can always sign up for college courses a la carte. Most colleges even offer community classes which are much cheaper than traditional classes, but can still teach you a wide variety of things (my wife recently took a woodworking class). The key to all of this is that you need to identify your weak areas (it helps to have a knowledge of what is going on in your industry) and actually do something about it!
The Key to Starting a New Career Successfully
In my humble opinion, the key to starting a new career is to be patient and strategic about it. Start planning well in advance of when you want to start your new career. If you are a student, start taking these steps early in your last semester, or even earlier. If you already have a career but you are looking to start a new one, start taking these steps before you quit your job. As with most things in life, intense preparation will alleviate a lot of the problems you may run into as you work on starting a new career.
Have you started a new career recently? What advice do you have for those starting new careers?
Image By: Yasser Alghofily
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