Career changes – moving from one industry to another are occurring more often than ever. People are most likely to change careers for work-life balance, flexible scheduling, and positive work environments.
In other words, civil engineers have many options for second careers, which are not just financially rewarding but also personally rewarding. With these careers, you’ll still be able to use the skills you learned in civil engineering, but you will also learn something new.
Are you ready to learn more about second careers for civil engineers? Let’s go!
What is a second career?
A second career is an opportunity to do something that you love and enjoy.
A second career may be the perfect opportunity for retirees who are looking for a way to stay active and engaged in their lives. It can also be a chance to explore new interests and skillsets, which can help people find their true passions.
A second career can be a way for an individual to start over, reinvent themselves, or to find their true personal path. Second careers can be a great way to avoid boredom, cut back on hours spent at work, and use the skills you’ve honed throughout your lifetime in new ways that excite you.
Second careers are sometimes defined as jobs or careers people take on 50 after they retire from their first careers. It’s common for people to leave their current jobs to take retirement or social security benefits.
What’s the reason behind second careers?
Some common reasons for choosing a second career are as follows:
· Mid-career change
One of the common reasons is Mid-career change. At this stage of your career, you have gained experience and knowledge, but have plenty of time to achieve more experience, promote your skills, attempt leadership roles, and gain a higher income.
· After retirement
Some people like to work after retirement as they are more active or communal connected, so they choose a second career that works for life. So retirees can gain a great deal from starting a second career after retirement.
· Side hustle
It is also why you do more jobs within your current job. Such a side job or small business has taken on to supplement one’s leading career, whether for a financial need or pleasure.
· Business ideas
Many business ideas come into your mind, and you decide to make it your second career. It’s common that you are tired of your civil engineering and have more business ideas besides this. It’s the most common reason for changing jobs.
· The hobby turned into a career
You can turn a hobby into a second career after a while, but it isn’t easy or fast. In many cases, hobbies become businesses requiring expertise in civil engineering to other works.
Preparation Before a Career Change
In three significant steps, career change occurs:
- Understanding,
- Having decided to proceed,
- And take action.
In terms of skills, growing in a new environment, you must know what is valued in this career? What new knowledge is needed? And what should be forgotten?
What Civil Engineers Should consider Before a Career Change
Here are some things are explained, an engineer should consider before choosing a second career:
· Have most valued skills
Every industry and sector will have a skill more valued than others. So, when you decide to move on to another career, choose a more valued skill. Next, identify which characteristics and practices your current organization rewards after a respectful resignation.
· Learn new skills
Researching the industry thoroughly is essential to know what skills must be added to the set to meet requirements. You move closer to your desired phase of life if you rapidly learn what you need to know. Then, decide which parts of the project require your full attention and which can wait.
· Always fill the gap
You must grip the applicable skills and fill the gap between new and old skills to become a master in a career change. The engineers have the talent to change, adapt, and learn. Although, the changing period of career is simple.
· Be focused
Be focused on your new career. Just remember the one in the old job that is useful. The key to learning in a new career is putting in and ignoring the rest.
Ten Steps to a Successful Career Change
Follow these steps for determining your activity and interests, evaluating other career options, inspecting options, and making a move to a second career.
Step 1: Analyze your current job satisfaction
Keep a record of your job and look for inconstant ideas. Which features do you like or dislike in your current position? Are you disappointed with your work, the culture of the company, or the people you work with? While there are some things in your current job that will help you change your career.
Step 2: Evaluate your values, interests, and skills
Check out your past subject work, successful assignments, jobs, and projects to recognize approved activities, ideas, and abilities. Calculate your current career’s skills and fundamental values. Also, you can use online tools to estimate your career options.
Step 3: Consider a career alternative
Research career options, talk with friends and family about your core values, and speak to networking contacts about your skills. Finally, consider speaking with a career counselor for professional advice if you’re struggling to come up with ideas.
Step 4: Look for job opportunities
To identify a few areas that need more in-depth research, conduct a preliminary comparative evaluation of several fields. Then, simply searching for the jobs that interest you online will give you plenty of information.
Step 5: Personalize
Become as familiar with these fields as you can and approach personal contacts in those fields to obtain informational interviews. The LinkedIn network can be beneficial for finding contacts in your desired career field.
Step 6: Schedule a job shadow
Professional shadows can observe work first-hand in their fields of interest. Try to shadow people whose jobs interest you for several hours or several days. Take help from your college participants who are interested in job shadows.
Step 7: Give it a try
Identify your subjects and activities related to your interest and fields. For example, if you think of a publishing career, you should try editing. Also, you can volunteer at your local shelter if you enjoy working with animals.
Step 8: Take a class
Explore the possibility of combining your educational background with the field you are interested in. For example, if you need an evening course, enroll in an online class or consider attending a weekend or one-day seminar. Also, find out what professional groups are available in your field.
Step 9: Enhance your skills
Develop your current skills to prepare to move on, such as offering to write a grant proposal in a field that values grant writing. Sign up for as many in-house training classes as your company provides. While it’s not necessary to go back to school to change careers, there are ways to position yourself for one.
Step 10: Consider a new job
If you are not satisfied with your current role, consider other industries to apply your knowledge.
Which sectors or fields have increased job growth?
According to a survey, these jobs have an increasing job growth:
Education:
Education increases earnings and decreases unemployment, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates. In addition, it has been found that people with higher levels of education have better prospects for employment; this is especially true for those with high school degrees compared with those without.
Health care:
Approximately 2.6 million new jobs are expected in healthcare occupations from 2020 to 2030, much faster than general employment. Over the next decade, a career in the healthcare field is expected to grow by 16%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Food and restaurant:
Restaurants have become crucial parts of American life for many, personally and professionally. The entire service restaurant industry will generate over 80 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 due to similar growth in recent years.
Computer and software:
According to BLS projections, software engineering positions are expected to grow 22% from 2019-to 2029, much faster than the national average for all professions. So this is one of the fastest-growing professions in the world.
Marketing:
Marketing managers are expected to experience growth of 10% between 2020 and 2030, which is faster than the overall job growth rate. Recent graduates are in high demand for social media and internet marketing skills, which contribute to the growth of marketing careers.
Operation Manager/ Management analyst:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for operations and general managers are expected to rise by 7% over the next decade. The U.S. average for this occupation is about 20%.
Logistics – Drivers:
Due to the sheer size of this field, it’s no wonder that skilled logistics or Drivers professionals are in high demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2019-to 2029, it will grow 4% rapidly with the national average.
In all the above occupations, Healthcare has the fastest increasing rate. Then food and computing.
FAQs
What are some reasons a civil engineer would choose a second career?
Many reasons may cause civil engineers to choose a second career. First, civil engineering degrees provide a lot of opportunities. The same goes for civil engineers changing jobs to get a higher income. Such as, they may transition from the field to management after working for a few years.
What essential skills can a civil engineer take into a new career?
With a degree in civil engineering, you will develop many valuable skills. With a civil engineering degree, you will have the skills needed to solve engineering problems, present your skills, and analyze data. Computer and software skills are also developed.
Second Career Takeaways
Whether or not you aspire to become an engineer, your engineering and mathematical principles knowledge can be helpful in many other fields. So choose a career that lets you do more of the things you enjoy about your current role to make the right choice.
Making the right career choice begins with knowing what you want. If you find this article helpful, then kindly share it.