Finding fulfillment: Is this the right time to switch careers?

(BPT) - The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people in countless ways. From quarantine and social distancing to remote working, furlough and job loss, many people are reassessing how they spend their time and make money. Turning proverbial lemons into lemonade, people of all ages and backgrounds have decided to pivot their careers to do something that they truly enjoy.

Time provides the gift of insight

With extra time at home, people are taking stock of their jobs and paths for the future. They are exploring hobbies and passions that may have been put on hold. Finding enjoyment in these activities and realizing strengths and talents can be the inspiration for a new chapter. For example:

• Limited restaurant hours and options paired with ample kitchen time has inspired foodies to flex their culinary muscles. Some have started showing off their creations on social media and recording how-to videos to share with friends and family. Live cooking videos have been a fun way to connect socially with others from a distance.
• Having last-minute needs for items like desks, DIYers started working on projects in garages and sheds, realizing they have a maker mindset and handy capabilities. Talking with others and sharing images of finished projects, they've discovered their talents are in demand.
• Unexpected changes due to hour reduction, job loss and more have financial consequences for many families. After creating agile budgets that help their family thrive in uncertain times, some may even share their budgeting tips and find joy in helping others discover financial security.

The silver lining of the pandemic is the gift of time for reflection and self-discovery. However, it's one thing to enjoy a talent or passion, it's another to figure out how to monetize it.

Desire inspires the need for change

Being your own boss is appealing. If you've discovered a talent and you want to make it a career, it's important to explore options that can help set you up for success. Taking orders for custom-made desks can be a rewarding side gig or even full-time career, if you have the space, tools and organization skills. Passionate cooks can explore culinary school and consider hosting online cooking classes to help garner some money and grow their reputation.

For people who desire to help others with budgeting or financial concerns there's no better time to explore the possibilities for a bright, vibrant new career as a financial professional. Organizations such as The Guardian Life Insurance Company provide training on how to build your career and find clients. They partner you with mentors in a team setting so that you can learn from peers as you help clients reach financial confidence. They even provide proprietary software that will help you build plans for clients so they can visualize their future success.

Financial representatives are in demand

A financial representative is someone who owns their own business and makes their own hours. You can decide areas of specialty and what you're most passionate about.

Financial representatives come from all backgrounds and exploring this career doesn't require previous experience. There is a growing need in the industry to have people from diverse groups become financial representatives in order to best represent a diverse group of clientele.

To learn more, visit https://www.guardianlife.com.

Is it time you changed your future?

Many people have been reassessing their life path during the pandemic and desire to make a change so they can spend their time doing something they love while making an honest living. If this is something you've been thinking about, there's no better time to consider options and opportunities.

Get Personal with Your Workplace Benefits

(Family Features) Choosing employee benefits during annual enrollment is often one of the most important financial decisions you make each year.

If your company is like most, it offers benefits to protect you and your family physically, emotionally and financially. In fact, 9 out of 10 employers in a Dynata survey on behalf of Colonial Life and Unum said they have no plans to eliminate or reduce employer-paid insurance benefits. Some employers even plan to boost comprehensive coverage, increasing benefit options or adding telehealth coverage.

Before you enroll, understand your needs and the different coverages available, especially supplemental benefits you can usually pay for through payroll deduction.

Supplemental Benefits Add Coverage and Financial Protection
Supplemental benefits allow you to customize your benefits package with coverage most important to you and your family. Because you sign up through work, it’s usually more affordable than buying coverage on your own. It can also be easier to qualify for coverage as part of a workplace group, often without answering any health questions.

The major types of supplemental benefits include:

• Life insurance provides financial protection for your family should anything happen to you. It can help loved ones pay for living expenses, debts, medical bills and funeral costs in addition to future needs such as college tuition or retirement. Even if your employer provides life insurance, it may not be enough for your family’s long-term needs.
• Disability insurance is designed to pay a portion of your income if you’re sick or injured and unable to work. It can be offered as short-term – typically 3-6 months – or long-term coverage that can last several years or until retirement.
• Dental insurance helps reduce out-of-pocket costs for common dental procedures like cleanings, fillings, crowns, dentures, oral surgery, orthodontia and other treatments.
• Vision insurance helps cover costs for exams, glasses and contact lenses, and may include access to discounted materials and services through a network of vision service providers.
• Accident insurance offers a lump sum financial benefit if you have an accident or injury. It helps pay out-of-pocket expenses such as doctor bills, co-pays or emergency room fees.
• Hospital insurance helps pay for hospital stays and, on some plans, outpatient surgery and diagnostic procedures.
• Critical illness insurance provides a lump sum financial benefit if you’re diagnosed with conditions such as heart attack, stroke, cancer, organ failure, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS and more.
• Cancer insurance provides more specific coverage for the costs of treating cancer. It can also provide additional benefits for treatments and services such as ambulance transportation, hospital confinement, radiation, chemotherapy, medications and surgery.

Why You Might Need Supplemental Benefits
Even the best medical insurance likely won’t cover all your out-of-pocket costs for illnesses and injuries. The average health care deductible for single coverage was nearly $1,500 last year and almost double for family coverage, according to a report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Add in co-pays, coinsurance and other noncovered costs and an average family may have more than $4,700 in out-of-pocket medical costs each year not counting health insurance premiums.

Supplemental benefits can help bridge the financial gap. You can use your benefits for uncovered medical costs such as deductibles and copayments or nonmedical expenses such as travel for treatment or child care during recovery. You also don’t have to be sick or injured to take advantage of some supplemental coverage. Many plans include a wellness benefit that can pay a set amount for preventive screenings or diagnostic tests.

Visit unum.com/enrollment to learn more about common insurance benefits.

 

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If you want to gain more flexibility as an entrepreneur, you should hire trustworthy employees, sell your business, and change your hours. Each of these things will help you to focus on other important things in your life.

Hire Trustworthy Employees

According to Rider University, hiring trustworthy employees can let you take a burden off your back and know that your business is in good hands. They will be able to learn more if you back off and let them implement their own ideas. Your business will continue to thrive, and your employees will work towards running the business without you. You should trust your employees to do a good job with your business and this will help you to gain some flexibility. Once they have figured out how to run the business without you, you will be free to do a lot of other things and you will gain more flexibility.

Sell Your Business

You might consider selling your business so you can be free to pursue other investment opportunities. According to Josh Freeman, converting your business into a sellable asset will give you more freedom and flexibility. You’ve worked hard to build your business and it might be time for you to move on and let someone else handle the business. Selling the business will help you to gain more flexibility as an entrepreneur and you’ll be free to start another business. By selling the business, you will be able to increase flexibility as much as possible.

Change your Hours

Changing your hours will help you to be flexible with flexibility. The number of hours you are working at your business could be running your life and you should change them if you want to gain a little bit of flexibility back into your life. You are in charge of your hours and changing them will help you to take a step back from your business. Your company is working around the clock and by lowering your hours you’ll be able to focus on other things.

As an entrepreneur, you’ll be working towards your goals and this means you’ll be working on your business as much as possible. If you want to gain a little more flexibility as an entrepreneur you should hire trustworthy employees, sell your business, and change your hours. This will help you to take a step back and you will be able to focus on other things.

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The pest control business is an excellent one to get into if you have the right understanding and mindset. You provide a service that people need and at a fairly reasonable rate. But it takes more than just the desire for a business to start off a stellar pest control company. There is some industry specific knowledge that you need to have. In addition, you are going to need to be on your “A-game” when it comes to attracting clients.

Understand Common Regional Pests

If you’re going to be fighting against bugs for a living, you need to know your enemy. Not every bug can be removed or deterred by the same methods. For example, you can’t effectively remove ants by placing a chemical that kills on contact. You need to give them poisoned food to take to their queen. Once the queen is out of the way, the colony will falter. But it gets even more complicated. Every geographic region will have its own unique bugs. Each bug will present its own challenges. Before you set up your company in an area, you’re going to need to work with an entomologist to learn about the types of bugs in the area, and how to deal with them.

Safely Handle Pest Control Chemicals

While there are many methods to dealing with bugs, most of them involve the use of chemicals. It’s important to understand that you can’t just go spraying these chemicals wherever you want. These chemicals are designed to kill organic creatures. While they may not kill a human or pet, they can certainly make people sick. You should understand how to read NFPA 704 labels when your business works with potentially harmful chemicals. You’ll need to know what kind of equipment your pest control technicians will need to wear so that they can safely apply the chemicals. You’re even going to need to figure out a safe way to store the chemicals in your trucks and warehouses so that you are protected from leaks and spills.

How to Sell to Customers

Just like any other business, you won’t get anywhere without customers. Pest control is a business that typically thrives on door-to-door sales. The best time for these sales tends to be during the summer. However, you’re going to be facing some stiff competition. You’ll need to have a well-coordinated and trained sales approach that is drilled into your sales reps. You don’t want your sales reps giving your company a bad reputation by annoying people.

As soon as you have these items figured out, you’ll be well on your way towards getting your company up and running. Just keep focusing on making sure that your product is effective, and your employees are charismatic and professional. As long as you have these things, you’ll see that your customers stay satisfied and your business will grow.

Read this next: How to Reward Your Most Loyal Customers

Getting further education while working a full-time job can seem almost impossible. But do not despair! There are a few ways to shift your thinking and the ways you work to make this more probable to your ongoing educational goals.

What You Can Expect

It must be said: you can expect to be tired as you continue towards your goals. A master’s program is vastly different than a bachelor’s, and the career focus of your courses will help mitigate some of the exhaustion involved. You will be able to see the applicability of all of your courses to your work life. You might need to go to classes after work, or work in courses in long weekend options. This can add a great deal of stress upon your body and mind, and upon your other obligations as well. You need to prepare ahead to think through how you will balance work, family, and school obligations in order to reach your goals.

Carve Out Time to Study

Remember when you used to come home from work and watch TV? Play video games? Your education is far more critical than any hobby you’ve had before. You must calendar and plan to have specific times set aside to do your studying and work. This might include coordinating childcare, dinners, or foregoing church and side obligations in pursuit of this new goal. There was a time when those wanting a master’s degree also had to temporarily sacrifice their career for the time period, and hope to find other work later. This is no longer the case. You might, however, need to sacrifice some of your softball league’s time to finish assignments. When pursuing an online education, it becomes even more important to develop a study plan to stay on track.

Be Prepared for the Time Commitment

The average master’s degree takes time. Be patient with yourself. Each course you take gets you closer to your goal. Your degree might not look the same as if you were a fresh faced bachelor’s student, but you can accomplish it with perseverance. However, because your time constraints are different than those of a full time student, it might be necessary for your degree to take longer than initially planned.

Getting your master’s increases your marketability in your field, and can increase your income, but it can seem like a lofty goal if you’re already overwhelmed by home and work obligations. By being willing to find a school who can work with your needs, and keep you on track, you can be on your way to success. Ongoing education need not be overwhelming or a chore, but must be faced with the understanding of what other sacrifices are necessary. Small sacrifices now can lead to great options in the workforce later on.

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A love for art and a knack for drawing can translate into a variety of different careers. But finding the best fit for you and your interests can sometimes be a challenge. Broadening your perspective to try out other aspects of creating art can help you find an option that fits you best.

 

Graphic Designer

According to Shillington, becoming a graphic designer can be a good option for you if your love of drawing translates into an eye for the aesthetic. If you love the idea of playing with fonts, building clear and eye-catching advertisements, and working with different computer programs, graphic design is something you should consider.

 

You can become a graphic designer through multiple different channels. One of the most prevalent is through studying graphic design in undergraduate coursework. However, studying Marketing, Experience Design, or even Communications can all give you opportunities to develop your graphic design abilities and can point you towards that eventual career.

 

Animation

Animation is another great career choice if you love drawing. When it comes to animation, there are a variety of different niches to consider. According to the SAE Institute, careers in animation can include 3D modeling, character art and level designers.

 

If animation seems like a good option for you, you’ll want to start building a portfolio that encapsulates a variety of these different focuses. It’ll also be important for you to take some classes and get feedback from more advanced animators especially because hiring studios often privilege applicants who have that academic background.

 

Art Conservator

If you have a strong love of doing art in general, according to Zippia, going into conservation could be a positive career path for you. Art conservation involves the process of repairing works of art, correcting or adding to works of art, and performing preventative processes and procedures to protect artwork from potential harm.

 

Becoming an art conservator does involve very specific steps. You’ll need to not only have a love of art, but you’ll also need to develop a level of proficiency in chemistry. Much of what art conservators do involves being able to gauge the chemical makeup of a painting in order to decide what products to use in the conservation process.

 

Figuring out the best direction for you to go in as an art lover can sometimes be difficult. Depending on your particular skill set and interests, you may find yourself drawn to graphic design while someone else may be drawn to conservation. Do your research and try on different options to find the best fit for you.

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Figuring out the best career path when it comes to sales can initially be overwhelming. With so many different sales related jobs, it can be hard to know where to start exactly. Thinking about the nuances of a couple different jobs can help you get an idea of where you would best fit.

Software Sales

Software sales involves acting as a connection point between businesses or individuals and the software that they need to solve specific problems. Working as a sales representative in this role requires you to develop an expert ability to understand customers’ concerns, match those concerns with the most effective solution, and then ultimately close the deal. If you feel like you could do this effectively, looking into software sales is a great option especially because the demand for more representatives is high.

Insurance Sales

Going into insurance sales is another great option if you have a love for sales. First of all, compared to many other sales jobs, insurance sales has unlimited potential. Basically, this particular field of sales is continuing to grow and so there will likely be an increase in work as years go by.

Additionally, because of the nature of insurance, you can actually start selling it with relatively little training and be able to achieve financial success relatively quickly.

When it comes to finding an insurance job, there are a lot of options open to you. You can choose to be an independent or captive agent. But what makes these jobs especially attractive is their accessibility. In fact, there are many great sites for finding insurance jobs.

Real Estate Agent

If you’re a natural at selling things, becoming a real estate agent is a great option for you. As a real estate agent, you need to not only be able to be personable and effective in presenting a home you are selling, but you’ll also need to leverage other skills that come with a love of sales.

Real estate also requires that you leverage other abilities that come from expertise in sales. It’s important to be able to get a grip on the market quickly, schedule appointments, meet with clients, and figure out how to best manage clients’ needs against the offers made.

Figuring out a sales career doesn’t have to be hard. All it takes is examining your own skills and interests. Think about these different career paths to figure out the best option for you.

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So you’re thinking about taking your career in a new direction (or trying to help someone who is totally burned out and ready to change their focus). Switching careers late in life can be intimidating. Whenever you switch, there is training involved and change is simply difficult. However, changing may just be the best thing you will have ever done for yourself. Here are some career ideas to get you thinking.

Dental Hygienist

Have you ever gone to the dentist and had the mortifying experience of a painful dental cleaning? Okay, have you gone back later to have a much better experience with a kind, careful hygienist who knew exactly what they were doing? The world needs great hygienists, and maybe you’re the next one.

To become a dental hygienist, you need at least an associates degree, which means that you can be working in as little as two years in a lucrative job changing lives for the better. There are different requirements to get certified in different states—remember to check what requirements there are in your particular state.

Dental hygienists are needed everywhere; if your change in career path includes a change in location, you’re in luck. Not only will you get a decent wage, but you will also get the opportunity to talk to many people in your community, helping them to feel at ease. Your hours may even be pretty flexible.

Real Estate Agent

Getting a real estate license only takes 4-6 months, their hours are flexible, and again, you can make a great living. If you’re interested in the ebb and flow of the economy and the market, this is the new career for you.

Of course, becoming a real estate agent requires some training as well. There are courses available everywhere, including online. But user beware: If you take real estate classes online, be aware that some courses aren’t very user friendly. Look up reviews for classes that you may want to take to make sure that they will work for you.

Web Design

If you’re hoping to tap into your creative and more technological side (or just want to learn how to be more creative and more tech savvy), web design is a great career to get into at any time of your life. Like with becoming a real estate agent or a dental hygienist, your hours are flexible, the pay is great, and it’s easy to get started. But you can also work from home.

Do what is best for you and makes you happy. If that isn’t what you are doing right now, it’s okay to switch! Maybe this could be the best change you’ve ever made in your life. Just know that it’s possible, it has been done, and you can do it too. Enjoy the thrill of learning a new skill and finding another passion that will be better for you.

 

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