If you find yourself unemployed, whether due to a layoff, another situation out of your control, or simply a lack of opportunities that compel you to resign, a short-term education program can give you the edge you need to re-enter the workforce and soar higher.
Motivated to Learn
When Aaron Bolshaw's employer, Omaha Creative Group (Omaha Steak's in-house advertising agency), downsized and restructured in January 2007, he was let go. He seized the opportunity to load up on classes and finish his MBA at Bellevue University in Nebraska, while supporting himself for the first few months on the cushion his severance pay provided.
Finding that next job only took three months. Although he's still plugging away at that MBA, Bolshaw is now employed in a marketing position at Mutual of Omaha, a Nebraska-based insurance, financial and investment firm that offers services to individuals, families and small businesses.
A commitment to learning:
- Is a predictor that this someone is developing intellectually in an area of expertise.
- Makes a good first impression.
- Is one of the things an employer may seek when adding someone new to their team.
Making a Change
For Deanie Heller, an emergency room and cardiac physician assistant for 20 years, it was time for a change. She chose the paralegal field because she says the hours would be much more manageable than those in medicine, the potential for a good salary was there, and she could still work with people.
Since Heller couldn't afford to be out of work for too long, however, she opted for Villanova University's full-time, four-month paralegal certificate program.
"The paralegal certificate does seem to positively affect employability for our graduates who are professionals," says Meryl Friedman, a member of the faculty at Villanova University's American Bar Association (ABA)-approved post-baccalaureate paralegal education program in Philadelphia. "All found appropriate jobs in law quickly."
Pursing a formal education can help you:
- Maximize yourself and your opportunities.
- Meet the standards of the field.
- Step up in ranks and pay.
Mending a Broken Career
Lamont Lewis started working for UPS part-time while attending the University of New Orleans, but after some time, he left school to work full time. "I realized that there were no long term [opportunities] with UPS for me," he says.
The self-taught computer completed his associate of science degree in computer information systems in August 2004, and was continuing on toward a bachelor's degree, when he was hired as a computer systems administrator for the Office of the Federal Public Defender in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
A forced departure from a job has often opened a path to a new, more satisfying and better paying career that wouldn't have been considered under other circumstances, adds Younger. "Different skill sets make you more marketable. Realize that this time can work to your advantage."
What career down-time can do for you:
- A degree and the certifications can play a major role in giving you the chance to interview for a job.
- More schooling can make you stand out from your job competition.
- Reassess career goals, get educated, and find a new position.
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