Last week I commenced my first semester of study for a Graduate Certificate in Careers Education and Development. I don’t yet have my student ID card because I haven’t got around to applying for it but since I’m not that interested in receiving a 10% discount at Top Shop, or today’s equivalent (what we got when I was at Uni), I’m not sure I’ll bother. What I did get was a student email address, ID to login to my online learning materials and lots of emails pinging about study and assessment dates. This online learning environment is a little bit new to me but I’m super excited to be doing a course from a University based in Melbourne while I’m sitting at my desk in Thirroul, NSW. It shows just how far the world of Higher Education has come and how much more accessible it is to all of us.
That said, just because university education is a lot more accessible, it doesn’t mean its right for all of us. I hear a lot of potential career changers, lament that they want to change career but they don’t want to go back to school. Of course, you may need to give up on your dreams of being a doctor or a lawyer if you’re not prepared to study, but for many careers or enterprises there are other means of getting the skills.
Go talk to someone
Your first step should be to go and talk to somebody who already works in a field you’re interested in. Find out how they got into it or how the people they work with got into it. Are there entry paths that don’t require you to study? What books, magazines or blogs do they read? What events do they go to? What advice would they give to someone with your skills who is just starting out? Do they know other people who could help you?
Read up
Get books and magazines from the library. Sign up for relevant blogs. Immerse yourself in the industry you’re trying to get into.
Shadow somebody or get an entry level job
Are there entry level jobs you can do where you can transfer your existing skills? Perhaps you can climb your way up the ladder from there without studying? If that’s not possible then see if you could shadow somebody in that career for a day, or longer if possible. Watch what they do and think about how you could learn those skills.
Do a short course or taster course online
I get that you don’t want to do a full three years of study but is there a shorter, taster course that you could do? That way you can try before you buy, so to speak. There are a whole number of courses you can try online nowadays. Take a look at Udemy https://www.udemy.com/ , Open Universities https://www.open.edu.au or your local TAFE or community college. Your local library can be a wonderful source of information about opportunities to study online or in your local area.
Consider alternatives
Maybe you just can’t see past the fact that you want to be a teacher. Well if study absolutely is out of the question then think about what appeals to you about teaching? Is it being in a learning environment? Is it working with children? Is it mastering a subject? Or is it having the school holidays off work? Think about how you can get that from another environment where you don’t have to do a teaching degree.
Keep an open mind
When I first embarked on my career change, I was desperate to avoid study at all costs. But once I began speaking to people and learning about coaching I decided to do a distance learning course through the Beautiful You Coaching Academy so I could get the coaching skills I needed. I then honed my craft by reading everything I could about careers and career development, I worked with pro bono clients and then paid clients, and I talked to other coaches. It was only after some time, and when it felt right to me, that I decided to sign up for the University course I’m doing now. Even now, I don’t go to a classroom (except for a few units), I learn online at my own pace and I have funded the course through HECS HELP to make it more affordable. You don’t have to back to school to change career, I started my career change without it, but when you embark on your career change you should try to keep an open mind. Don’t dismiss something that may be your dream career, just because it may require a short course of study sometime down the track. Sometime down the track you may be totally ready and excited about doing it. Even without a student discount card.
If you want to discuss with me further how you can change career without studying then contact me for a FREE Working Mum SOS. No judgements, no pressure, just 30 minutes to focus on the solution to your problem.