Land Your Dream Job Unrelated To Your Degree

Whether you just graduated or are facing a mid-career crisis, what happens next when you’re no longer interested in the field you studied for? Don't fret, this is not the end of the tunnel. In today's day and age, job seekers aren't bound to join an industry that's limited by their academic knowledge or work experience anymore.

The last thing you want to do is commit to a job where you will spend the rest of your life doing something you despise.

According to a 2019 YouGov Omnibus study, over half of Singaporean graduates (53%) work in jobs unrelated to their degrees. This is perfectly normal. As a result, getting a first job that's unrelated to your degree is very doable. If you want to enter an industry that you have no prior experience or knowledge of, you’re in the right place. Here’s how you can equip new skill sets and keep your dream alive.

Determine Your Career Options

You know what you don't want to do, but before you start looking for a job, you need to figure out what you do want to do. Determine which industries are recruiting and which skills are in demand, then see what's available that interests you. Another alternative is to take a career test to determine which occupations match your interests and personality attributes. Assess whether you meet the basic prerequisites to get recruited in that industry once you've restricted your search to one or two fields. The Internet Is Your Best Friend

The internet has everything or any form of content linked to your research interests. It gives you access to a wealth of information, expertise, and educational resources, allowing excessive learning both inside and outside the classroom. Reputable online platforms you can use include Coursera and Udemy. Why Coursera? Coursera is an online learning platform that has partnered with leading educational institutions across the world to provide online courses and specialities. The majority of these courses and specialisations fall into one of the following groups: ● Education & teaching ● Art & Design ● Mathematics ● Social sciences ● Engineering ● Health & medicine ● Programming ● Science ● Personal development ● Data science ● Humanities ● Business ● Computer science It provides people with the ability and flexibility to explore learning, almost like a learning public library. View the top free online courses at Coursera to get started. Why Udemy? Udemy is like having your mobile institution of higher learning that can educate you on exactly what you need at any time. Their library has online video courses, each providing expert-led education in a variety of areas to help fill any professional need. Udemy has the courses you need to achieve your objectives and learn the abilities you need, whether you want to learn a new skill for your present work or make a career move and learn something completely new. View the top free online courses at Udemy to achieve your goals. Singapore’s NTUC Learning Hub Aside from international online platforms, within Singapore, there is NTUC Learning Hub (NTUC LHUB) which has a wide array of courses that are funded & non-funded for you to learn. NTUC LHub provides convenient training opportunities for Singapore's workforce. Professionals, Managers, and Executives (PMEs) can get comprehensive career and development support, as well as aid and counselling for workplace challenges and legal advice. Recently, NTUC LHub launched the Learning eXperience Platform (LXP) for on-the-go-training. It’s never been so easy and convenient for you to learn anytime, anywhere, and gain in-demand skills from just 15 minutes a day with access to over 75,000 courses in 135 categories. Get skills and certifications that give your employability a boost! Key areas of training are: ● Employability & Literacy ● Business Excellence ● Human Resources ● Healthcare ● Infocomm Technology ● Security ● Workplace Safety & Health ● Foreign Worker Training ● Cloud Invest in your upskilling journey and use your SkillsFuture Credit to pay for your LXP subscription here and view the popular courses on LXP. Start to Network and Seek Mentors

Equipping yourself with the right industry knowledge through courses is crucial. After all, you need the fundamentals to move forward. More importantly, you should start putting yourself out there by attending webinars or workshops to gain a deeper understanding of the new field while meeting new people. No matter what industry you desire to work in, the value of networking with people who are doing what you want to accomplish cannot be emphasised. Invite experts out for coffee or ask if they would be willing to speak with you over the phone through social media or email. Discuss about their work and what advice they would give to someone who is just starting in their area. Need a career mentorship but not sure where to start? Check out LIT, an initiative by Young NTUC to be future-ready. For a more engaging experience, check out the SGUnited Jobs And Skills Info Kiosk 2022 that’s always touring around Singapore for more pathways to jobs, traineeships/attachments and skills upgrading opportunities for local job seekers to tap on and prepare for the eventual economic recovery. Found This Article Useful? Subscribe to Young NTUC Digi-Fam e-newsletter today to access our career resources, support network, articles, special promotions for NTUC members and Digi-Fam subscribers. To stay abreast on the latest happenings, follow us: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.