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Most Common Career Change Dilemmas & How to Overcome Them

   At some point in our lives, each of us will feel that we have outgrown our current career. Although the desire to change things up may burn brightly, our minds naturally stop ourselves from taking the leap. Rather than succumbing to our doubts, we must dive into them to discern whether there is truth to them or not. By piecing them apart consciously, we can move through them and find a way to shift ourselves onto a new and fulfilling career path. Here are the most common career change dilemmas that career transitioners face and how to overcome them. “How can I just give all of this up?” The more time that you have invested into your current career, the harder it will feel to move away from it. This is so much so that many people wonder, “how can I just give all of this up?” While continuing what you’ve always done makes logical sense in the short run, you must ask yourself whether it will bring you closer to realising your career vision. If you are considering a career change but are finding it difficult to let go of all the years of work that you have invested, dive deeper and ask yourself the following questions: Is my current career providing what I need to feel motivated and fulfilled? Is my current career allowing me to utilise and develop my skills and strengths? Is my current career enabling me to have the kind of impact that I want to have? If the answer is a consistent “no” and there is absolutely nothing that you can do to change it, then you must ask yourself, “what am I actually giving up by changing my career?” Don’t let pride nor your past stop you from making a career switch which is more aligned with who you are. Work takes up such a large part of our lives, so it is important that we not only do what pays, but what also fulfils us. As Confucius once said, “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” “I don’t have the experience” Switching to a new career can make you feel like you’re starting from scratch all over again. One second you’re managing a team – the next you’re being managed! Every career change involves an experience gap that you must strive to overcome. There’s no easy way around it. You can’t just snap your fingers and suddenly have experience in a new area of expertise. Experience takes time and the only way to gain it is to continuously invest your time and energy into mastering a craft. Seek out training programmes and volunteering opportunities to cultivate a new skillset. Experienced mentors who are already doing what you want to be doing can also be a godsend to accelerate your progress. “It’s too late for me to change my career” There’s no doubt that there are some industries and vocations that favour the young – especially those that rely on physical ability. However, in terms of creative and white collar work, you can only become wiser with age. If you are someone who constantly tells themselves, “it’s too late for me to change my career,” conduct some research to find out whether this a reality of your desired industry of work or whether it is a personal belief. In the personal development classic, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill states, “seldom does an individual enter upon highly creative effort in any field of endeavor before the age of forty. The average man reaches the period of his greatest capacity to create between forty and sixty.” “Should I just quit my job and take the leap?” It is important to note that changing your career will not happen overnight. In fact, changing your career will often take a minimum of six to twelve months to pull off given the time it takes to overcome the experience gap and discover the right opportunities. One way to go about this is to use the financial stability of your current job to research the market, network, attend interviews and invest into training programmes to upgrade your skills. This route will take a long time given that you will need to balance working in your current job and preparing yourself for your new career, however it will shield you from the financial stress involved with quitting your job. The other option is to take stock of your current savings, monthly living expenses and the costs associated with upgrading your skills. By working out these figures, you will be able to work out how many months you can afford so as to give your new career change 100% effort, or at the very least, to define a target amount of savings to work towards. Jia Jiang, the author of Rejection Proof, concocted a plan with his wife to set aside six months to work out a new career change, and this resulted in 100 Days of Rejection – a social experiment which has grown into a TEDx talk and training business. Want to change your career but don’t know where you begin? Take our SkillsFuture-accredited Career Transitions Package which will enable you to explore new frontiers such as leadership, service innovation, change and effective communications.

COVID-19 Is Changing The Way We Learn – Here is How to Keep Up

  In these unpredictable times, people around the world have to adjust to new ways of living, working, and studying. COVID-19 is impacting the very way we learn, so it is up to us to stay resilient in the face of change. The future is digital, they said. Little did we know the future would come so soon, as the world transitions towards operating online in a bid to stay afloat. While we grapple with this new reality, where face-to-face gatherings and in-class education are put on hold, digital skills and online capabilities become ever so important. Digitalisation is in Full Swing Online learning is nothing new for many. Recall those e-Learning lessons back in school? Such initiatives across Singapore aim to prepare students to continue learning online in the event of school closures. Harnessing and incorporating information and communication technology (ICT) in our education has become the norm. But as life strays farther from the norm in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, it is the individuals and companies who turn to digital solutions that can weather the storm. From the surging demand for online tutors, to an Italian grandmother who live-streams her pasta-making courses from her home in Italy, the bleak news of the outbreak have been accompanied by uplifting stories on how learning never goes on lockdown. In fact, there is no better time to learn than now. With advanced access to your $500 SkillsFuture Credit Top Up when you learn with NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB), plus an additional $250 Upfront UTAP funding for Union members, learning is now more accessible and affordable than ever! The NTUC LHUB trainers are really engaging, and they often share with us real-life anecdotes that reinforce our learning.   Learn from Home with NTUC LHUB   Upskilling during the Circuit Breaker downtime is a surefire way for you to emerge at the other end of the COVID-19 tunnel equipped with relevant skills, and NTUC LHUB is dedicated to providing you with ample opportunities for you to learn from home. For starters, how does over 100 free online courses sound? NTUC LHUB has partnered with GO1, a world-class award-winning e-learning platform backed by Microsoft and SEEK, to bring you a thoughtfully curated list of online courses. Choose from a wide range including Data Analytics, Agile, Python Programming, Microsoft Office, Leadership, Workplace Safety, Photoshop and Graphic Design! If you are looking for NTUC LHUB programmes or SkillsFuture-eligible courses instead, we have converted a selection of our popular programmes across Adaptive, Technical, and Technological skills into Virtual Live Courses. Get certified in SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace, Personal Effectiveness (powered by John Maxwell), Project Management, Cybint Cyber Security Protection, and many more. Learn from the comfort of your own home, and engage with our trainers in real-time through your screen. Check back regularly for updates as new virtual courses are being added weekly! Whether it is to hone your skills for better job prospects or to add new capabilities to your arsenal, our Virtual Live Advisory service can help you with your upskilling needs. Click here to book your appointment now, and you will be notified with a link via your email for your virtual meeting. Using Microsoft Teams Video Conferencing, speak with our Virtual Live Advisors about any queries, or let them find the right course for you!   Tips for Online Learning   It is easy to slip into a slower rhythm when learning and working from home, especially with plenty of potential distractions. Here is some advice on how to maximise productivity and get the most out of your online learning! 1. Create a Dedicated Study Space Just like how a classroom is a dedicated space for learning, ensure you have somewhere at home that is purely for study. Whether it is your home office, bedroom or living room, find a quiet, distraction-free area that is separate from where you relax. This helps put you in the good state of mind to focus on the online course! 2. Come up with a Study Plan Staying organised will help you to pace your learning. Take some time before your course starts to check what you will be learning, and schedule when to study and complete assignments. Alternatively, a simple daily to-do list can keep you on track. It is also a good idea to set goals for yourself, along with setting aside time to take regular breaks! 3. Participate in Discussions When courses are conducted such that you can interact with trainers live, like our Virtual Live Classes, try your best to interact with your trainer and fellow trainees! Just because everyone is apart, does not mean that you cannot collaborate. By asking questions and engaging with the people in your course, it enables you to gain a better understanding of the lessons and sets you up to ace your assessment. 4. Take Notes and Revise While sitting at your desk and staring at your screen, it is natural for our attention to gradually drift away. Stay focused by taking notes! Start typing or grab your notebook and pen ‒ regardless of your method of choice, taking notes promotes active thinking, maintains your attention, and enhances your comprehension. These notes can supplement the material provided by your online courses when you revise, and help you retain important information. No matter what challenges lie ahead, having the right mindset for growth and developing a resilient attitude will be the valuable qualities that make you flexible towards change. There is no doubt that the coming weeks and months will be filled with uncertainty, but it is also an opportunity to grow your skill sets and widen your knowledge. Let us help you keep your learning journey going so that we can all get through these trying times together! Since 2004, we have fulfilled over 2.4 million training places and transformed over 21,000 organisations. Regardless of collar, age or nationality, we are here to help you upgrade your skills to keep up with the rapidly changing workforce in 2020 and beyond. For more information on how we can help, reserve a Virtual Live Advisory appointment or leave us an enquiry and our friendly Course Consultants will be in touch with you soon.

Overcoming Challenges in the Aviation Industry to Tide over the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly affected businesses in many sectors. With the travel restrictions to curb the transmission of the virus, one industry that is severely impacted is our aviation industry. Changi Airport reported a 32.8% decline in passenger movements in February 2020, and major airlines have been suspending and slashing flight capacity since March 2020, affecting their profitability and sustainability in the industry. In light of the extended downtime, how has the industry grappled with the downtime and ensured workers remain productive? Commitment to Upskill Workers Leaders from major firms in Singapore’s aviation sector have committed to sending their workers to fill up more than 17,400 training places during a closed-door dialogue hosted by NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Ng Chee Meng on 3 April 2020. For instance, Scoot has registered 75% of its total workforce for training with NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB). 1,900 flight crew and cabin crew will be enrolled into digital awareness courses in the following months, to help participants develop awareness on emerging technologies and build self-confidence in leveraging technology in their line of work. As the nation gets propelled into a digital transformation fuelled by the extensive reliance on technology to stay connected and productive amid Covid-19, the aviation industry recognised a need to train workers, including PMEs, to accelerate digital adoption across all levels. Apart from courses to build technology skills, other courses to build adaptive and technical skills will be launched – this includes change management, project management, service excellence related courses and technical training. For example, cabin crew could undergo courses to upgrade their skills in the areas of frontline service while pilots could benefit from training in areas such as managing fatigue. For others, training will be made available in areas such as handling of dangerous goods, cargo documentation, aircraft maintenance amongst others. These efforts will translate to more than 39,500 training days! Securing Jobs for Workers The grounding of flights will inevitably cause aviation staff to be idle during this period. Apart from training, there are also ongoing efforts to help affected workers secure temporary assignments and augment their income. The NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster is tapping on the wider union and Labour Movement network to aggregate manpower needs identified by unionised companies, and work with companies’ human resources personnel to deploy workers for vacant roles. Over 500 aviation workers have been referred for temporary assignments such as Safe Distancing Ambassadors, Safety Management Personnel, SG Clean Ambassadors, and more. Inspiring Other Industries NTUC LHUB has been rapidly ramping up our training capacity to meet demands from various sectors, and we believe that upskilling is even more important in times of change. It is gratifying for us at NTUC LHUB to cross path with many employers and employees who remain positive amid challenging times – taking this opportunity to transform and enrich their workforce. If you are a business leader looking to emerge stronger in a post-pandemic environment, our team is here to curate a series of courses that fit your industry and employees. When the storm clears, our companies and workers can be better positioned to exploit all the opportunities that the world will show us again.