Starting a new career, especially in the middle point of a person's professional life, can be an exciting and overwhelming time in someone's life. Whether workers have been laid off from a position that they've been in for a long period of time or decide they need a job switch, making that next step involves a lot of research and digging deep to determine which areas ignite a person's passion.
Here are some steps that can help a person determine which career is right for them, depending on their personality traits, values and work ethic.
Social Skills
Do you enjoy working with people? This is a trait that is easy to identify and can help narrow down the type of career path you might want to pursue. Finding a role in the social work field is a great starting point for those who like social interaction, even if professionals have not had any particular experience in this type of work. Other positions, like customer service, human resources and sales require skills that overlap within certain community service jobs - they all involve interacting with people in different ways.
Financial Support
While doing what you love is important, finding a career that pays the bills and helps support a family are crucial as well. To help open up opportunities in social work and community service roles, professionals can go back to school and brush up on their skills, or even find a specific program tailored to these types of students. By developing a strong educational background, and even taking on a role through a practicum placement, students are making themselves more appealing to employers and ultimately helping themselves find a job down the road.
Don't Limit Yourself
While social services worker students might have their eyes on a specific company or role within an organization, it's important for them to keep options open and welcome the idea of trying a position that they may not have first considered. Working as an administrative assistant at a rehabilitation centre could lead to greater opportunities for these employees, after showing supervisors their capabilities and building strong connections among their team.
Students who are interested in finding a social services job can enroll in the Addictions and Community Services Worker or Social Services Worker Foundations programs at Vancouver Career College. For more information, fill out the form on the right.