I have experience in the Medical field and Logistics from my time in the military. I now have management and Engineering/ Surveying experience as well. After being laid off from my latest surveying job due to oil prices, I am conflicted pursuing a specific field due to the lack of extensive experience in a field beside the military.
Answers
Homero-
Thanks for your service!
I recommend you "follow your passion" in making your next career move:
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." -Confucius
Another perspective I'd recommend is possibly pursuing a field that involves a combination of your skills and experience such as medical logistics or GIS analysis / design / consulting. By showcasing your talent to potential employers in this integrated and unique manner, you increase your chances of landing a job / advancing in your position and can possibly ask for a higher starting salary.
Also, you can look up trends for each of these fields to see which one offers the biggest number of job opportunities. This will help you focus your job search.
Good luck and thanks again!
Deb
Good morning Homero,
Thank you for your time in serving in the USAF. In response to your question, I’m glad to share a few ideas for you to consider. I would begin by taking some time for reflection/assessment – a review of your resume and answer these questions (get specific!): 1) What did you like most/least about your career path to date? 2) What positions were energizing to you? 3) Among healthcare, logistics and engineering/surveying, are any of these industry sectors of interest to you today? 4) Can you identify any common themes among the diverse industries you’ve worked in to date? Could be topics like managing processes, leading cross-functional teams, leading projects (project management), other. These skills and competencies are what companies are after and are often transferrable to many firms and industry sectors. Can you tell a story about your varied background by focusing on the consistent work you’ve done and skills/competencies and experiences developed?
It’s valuable to identify industries of interest to focus your search. If you don’t care much about the industry and/or company, their products or services and what they do, you might find yourself bored and complacent in your work after six months. By taking some time to assess where you’ve been, you can be more intentional about where you want to go.
There are many industry options in both B2B and B2C segments of the marketplace for you to choose from. Think about your interests and industries you might be curious about (might even be related to personal interests) and start to brainstorm your list of possibilities.
If you would find it helpful, I’m glad to help you to develop your “story” and how you tell you two-minute career summary in a clear and cohesive way.
I hope the above is a helpful start!
--Mary Burns
Homero,
First - thank you for your service to our country. Second - I'd like to build on the advice both Mary and Deb have provided. They've counseled you to follow your passion and find the things that energize you. I think you should consider learning a little more about yourself and find out what motivates you, because if you know what motivates you, the choices you make should always lead you to work you enjoy. About 15 years ago I read the book Now, Discover Your Strengths by Buckingham & Clifton, and took their Strengths Finder survey to learn my top 5 Strengths. Your Strengths are your traits that, when you use them, really energize you. The more of your Strengths you are able to use in your work, the more fulfilling it is. I've used this information to guide my choices of assignments since, and as I look back, I have enjoyed every assignment I've chosen. I'm sure there are other surveys that could help you learn about your motivators, but take a little time to invest in understanding who you are. It will help you in the long run!
Thank you both for the input. I am starting to believe in the idea of finding the "job you love and never work a day in your life". I had the mentality of a job is a job and forced myself to do a job and do it well regardless if I enjoyed it or not. To this day, the best jobs that I had, were jobs where I knew my work had an impact on a final mission or outcome. My role in managing a production team was (in my opinion) the most balanced opportunity for growth and having fulfillment as a professional. I do need to re-work my resume to highlight those skills and place my focus on those industries.
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