THE CHALLENGES OF CHANGING CAREERS DURING A PANDEMIC

By Candice Rhodes-Marshall, MBA

Unexpected events like the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted people’s habitual routines and pushed individuals out of their comfort zones. As a result, they started asking big questions about what matters as they were rethinking their jobs. According to Ibarra’s research (2020), 50% of the 2000 people who responded reported that the pandemic has provided them opportunities to try new things or learn new experiences. In some instances, these new skills are directly relevant to working remotely. In addition, of the 26% of workers preparing to switch jobs post-COVID, 80% are doing so as they are concerned about career promotion (Castrillon, 2021).

Based on my personal experience in roles at a bank and in the school system, I gathered a unique perspective. In both roles, I was successful and met and exceeded my goals. Still, I was not satisfied. I knew I wanted a challenge and wanted a meaningful career. At this point, I was clueless as to where my career was heading and felt discouraged. Everyday life in a pandemic changed my thought process. Tomorrow isn’t promised. I had to make some drastic changes starting with myself. The world was coming off lockdown and my options were limited. I started networking on different social media outlets and even invested in a career coach. Investing in myself was one of the best investments I have made in my life.

Throughout this process, I learned that it’s not always what you know but how you utilize your skills and education to benefit the next person or organization. Many of the HR jobs I was interested in required a minimum three years of experience for an entry level position. Here I was with a bachelor’s in leadership and an MBA. It felt like I was getting turned down for every entry level role, and yes, this was frustrating. My career coach taught me to highlight my transferable skills for the job I wanted instead of highlighting my degrees. From the hard work I put into networking and working on myself, I was able to transition into a remote HR role that aligns with my career goals.

In this journey, I became more interested in remote jobs due to the fact that staying safe and healthy was a priority. Another benefit of working remotely is that I’m not limited to vacancies from a particular region or country. Consequently, I was able to find a job based on my interests rather than my location. The job market in my area was limited and not many HR jobs were remote. Working remotely has many benefits such as having a flexible schedule and psychological benefits such as reduced stress. In addition, working remotely has become a new normal for many organizations. Even though remote jobs are beneficial, this pandemic has made employees seek out more opportunities for work-life balance.