Agility In A New Economy - Bouncing Back With Upskilling

34-year-old Siti Nadia Binte Ismadi was building her career in business development as a Partnership Executive until COVID-19 struck. When her company closed due to the pandemic, she decided to switch from closing business deals to following her long-time dream – pursuing her passion in the early childhood industry. 

Like Nadia, Yvonne Han was not spared from COVID-19’s wrath. The 34-year-old Airline Sales Manager, who spent almost a decade working in the aviation industry, mustered the courage to make a career switch. 

For Clifford Lam, his decision to dive into an entirely different industry was born from a need for career fulfilment. Five years into his current role as a School Counsellor, the former 37-year-old Events Manager is happy impacting young minds. 

While the path towards success is paved differently for each, it takes grit and agility to rebound from a career setback or transition. 

Read on to find out how these three resilient individuals persevered through this major change in their lives.

For Nadia who was forced to exit her previous job, she saw the setback as an opportunity to rekindle her passion as an Educarer. Her venture into the Early Childhood Care And Education sector came after consultations with a Skills Ambassador, along with support from the SGUnited Skills Programme

Clifford found himself constantly drained and frazzled due to his hectic lifestyle in the events industry. 

“It was up into my fourth year running when I felt frustrated playing catch-up with demanding deadlines. I also found it hard to be present at work. That was when I knew I wanted a job that was bigger than myself - one that impacts lives through meaningful work,” he recalled. 

Passionate about making a difference to people’s lives, he eventually went on to take a two-year study gap to complete his Masters in Counselling and became a certified counsellor. 

As for Yvonne, it felt like a natural progression to change tracks into digital marketing. In her previous role in Business Development, the company’s business model was mainly offline, consisting of business-to-business interactions

Recognising her lack of digital skill sets, she knew that she had to upskill herself. This move led to her current role as a Business Developer Manager at a fintech/e-commerce company where she now enables clients to achieve their digital campaign goals.

“Coincidentally, my transition took place during the Circuit Breaker when Singapore was on full lockdown. The situation made my job search extra challenging,” Yvonne recounted. 

“Being new to the industry, I knew managers were not open to hiring newbies like me. COVID-19 made it even harder as interviews had to take place virtually. It was an arduous journey, but I had to adjust my mindset and keep going.” She recalled sending out 50 resumes and scoring only two or three virtual first interviews.” 

Armed with perseverance for the road ahead, Nadia also understood the importance of having a strong mentality. “Although I managed to get a work placement after my programme with NTUC LearningHub, I came to realise how working in a new industry required adaptability and being open to relearning,” 

She went on to elaborate how she had to relearn soft skills such as communication skills. Interacting with children was a different ball game compared to dealing with corporates, but the biggest hurdle she had to overcome was accepting that she had to start anew. 

“I was so used to delegating tasks in my previous role as a team leader, but all this changed overnight and I had to humble myself to start from scratch. It taught me to manage my expectations and pushed me to be proactive towards learning.”

When asked what sacrifices they had to make for their new careers, the trio unanimously agreed on making a shift in lifestyle. 

Entering a new industry often meant taking an initial pay cut. From usual comforts, daily expenses, to weekend leisure plans - all these had to be cut back. For Yvonne, who took on a part-time course, the weekends became even more precious. Having to burn weekends studying and rushing out assignments, she now looked back and felt that sacrificing some short-term pleasure for her long term success was well worth it. 

To Nadia, being able to live out her passion as an Educarer was the biggest win. “Plucking up the courage to go after what I wanted was a big step. It gives me great satisfaction knowing that I now have a part to play in grooming these children, who are our hope for the future,” she said. Sharing the same sentiments, Clifford added that this sense of satisfaction is immense and cannot be easily quantified.

For Nadia, Yvonne, and Clifford, the journey thus far has been rewarding with many lessons learned. They have also dished out four tips everyone could learn from:

1. Have An Open Mindset
When making a switch, you might notice some skill sets that you lack for the new industry. Do not let it set you back. Instead, see how you can brush up and learn new skills to compliment your current skills. Very often, we tend to belittle our past experiences just because it is gained from a different industry. The truth is, there are transferable skills such as collaboration that can be a value-add to your new role. 

2. Take Time To Consider
It is important not to rush into a career switch. Do your ample research before taking the plunge. List out your considerations and find out what is the anchor that motivates you to make the switch. As with other factors, the life stage you are at sets the right expectations and financial support required to make for a smooth transition. 

3. Plan Your Steps
As humans, we tend to be creatures of habits. Changes and uncertainty are often attributed to a lack of information. Instead of diving in without a plan, consider putting your thoughts into actionable steps to make the switch less intimidating. Seek out advice from industry experts and peers, and understand the available options out there to support you in making an informed decision. 

4. Stay Positive
The effects of positivity have a big part to play when going through a career transition. Surrounding yourself with the support of loved ones and keeping a heart of gratitude is equally crucial to sustaining your mental health during the transition.

Upskilling as a necessity to stay relevant was a common sentiment shared by all three career switchers. 

“If we become too comfortable at where we are, we won’t know that there is actually so much more out there. While upskilling may be difficult, it opens you up to a whole new world of possibilities and new knowledge,” said Clifford as he gleamed upon hearing the topic. 

For Nadia and Yvonne, it was all about adapting to keep up with the times and technology. “It’s a combination of soft and hard skills. We need to constantly learn, relearn and grow in every area to remain employable,” Nadia reiterated. 

Consider making a career switch? Take full advantage of the resources available and give yourself the best chance possible. If you require personalised advice, Skills Ambassadors from the Skills & Training Advisory Services are always ready to lend a helping hand.