How can you transition into high-demand careers?

Check for patterns into the feedback you have been receiving thus far..it's usually spot on. If you do not have past work experience, you can ask for reviews from your peers, teachers and others you have worked closely with on projects.

I highly recommend starting with yourself. Answer the question, "What do I want?" Identify your interests - types of problems/challenges you want to take part in finding solutions to. Who do you want to serve or work with - type of companies. Identify your motivator skills - those you are good at/excel and enjoy using in your work. What type of responsibilities do you want to take on - that you find motivating. What kind of work will you find meaningful - that will leave the impact you want. With clarity on what you want, you can then look to see which high demand careers best align with you and target them in your transition.

In addition, what does a typical day look like? For example you might like coding, but hate long meetings which may be part of the job. It is important to take the time to understand what you are going to do on a daily basis to ensure you will be satisfied in your target career.

For high demand skills, such as web development in Europe, large employers will often pay for University courses and other qualifications, so this is definitely worth exploring.

Networking and building a Brand for yourself is important. First step is to network and build the relationships. Be useful to your network and always be at the top of your craft. Also, have patience to build and nurture the network. Another tip is to use professional social media like linkedin and create quality content which will be useful for your network. Persist.

Networking and personal branding are two tools which are going to take you ahead of so many! Talking about careers, when you end up meeting like-minded people, the path gets simplified. The sense of security that yields from here takes you a long way even if tough times come, you know how to deal with those phases. Meeting new people of similar interests, expands your heart to put the hardwork and go beyond. I myself have witnessed this after coming on LinkedIn. I have met so many like minded individuals here, making me realize how I was never alone.

It is worth highlighting soft skills, as this is something which sets career transitioners apart from other candidates. Changing careers shows you are adaptable, disciplined, and capable of learning new technical skills. These are valuable qualities, particularly in tech jobs where change is frequent.

In my experience, the BEST networking is physically being with people and working with them. No matter how we advanced we get with technology, the human touch will always remain key. Volunteer to help with events, do a favor for a company/organization, and meet with people whose jobs are connected to your success. Most importantly, do this physically.

Nurture a Learner’s Mindset In my experience, the way to get into in-demand future careers is building skills ahead of the curve. Technology forces businesses to change and that opens up new opportunities for professionals who can lead organisations through this change. Being curious about technology and the impact that it may have on their field of work can help professionals to spot these opportunities early. Acting on this opportunity and building skills needs a learner’s mindset. I have also noticed that folks who do this well don’t start with the motivation of doing better in their careers. They usually invest that time because they just want to learn and be better at their craft.

Best way to start a transition is to know the final leg of execution very well. It goes on a long way to move up the decision making ladder. When I started my digital marketing agency, I designed Google/Facebook campaigns for our 1st few clients. This really helped me in designing new pitches for scaling up as I knew the nittygritties of what went into launching campaigns. In my later roles, I follow the same principle and that has helped me transition into roles at a faster rate.

Study and understand technology cycles. Also understand the gaps in the market. And then build the skills ahead of the curve to ride the technology cycle and fill a gap in the market. Also be good in managing your money and investing. It will create more options for you to wait out for the right opportunities. And also it will give you options to invest in your own skills and networking.

Start small, Put your hand/feet into it You have to start somewhere. That’s the one piece of advice to transition into any space, whether career or creative pursuits. There are millions of opportunities if you really want to find them - they might not guarantee a full role, more money or even permanency. The key is to get started - nothing like a first hand experience.