Are you stuck in a job you hate? Do you want to start a new career but don’t know where to learn the skills to do so? I am a lawyer that quit my job to start a new career in marketing. When I share my journey with others, one of the most popular questions I get is how I did it. I sometimes wonder the same thing. If I had to think about it, the answer is learning as much as I could about the job I wanted.
Before I changed careers, I was working at a job that paid the bills and took a lot of time away from my family. I was a litigator doing trial work but I wasn’t passionate about practicing law. I didn’t get excited about the work or that I worked most weekends. It made me feel tired, drained, and unhappy. I started blogging to share my story about being a mom and a lawyer.
Then, I decided to leave the law firm and became a law professor. I loved teaching but knew there was still more for me to do. By this time, I was blogging for several years and even launched a major blogging conference and started working with brands to implement blogger outreach campaigns. I left the law school after a job tip from a blogging client and went to work for an ad agency. I eventually returned to the law school as the Director of Marketing & Communications and then was recruited to work in the in-house marketing department for a Global Fortune 500. Over the years, I spoke at top blogging conferences on topics such as marketing, social media, and of course, blogging.
How did I launch my new career? Well, after many years of blogging and doing social media as a hobby or side gig, at 33 years old, I made the decision I was going to quit and start over. Many people at this age are working their way up the career ladder. Instead, I chose to work my way down then back up. I had three children at home, a husband that supported the idea, and the drive to turn what was my passion and hobby into a full-time career.
Although the transition started years before I actually resigned from my job, I learned a lot about myself during the process. I learned that I am a life-long learner, determined, and that law school taught me a lot of transferable skills that can be applied to many industries, like marketing.
Today I continue to do my work with influencers and brands to implement blogger outreach campaigns. I also work with small to mid-size businesses and non-profits to help them with their social media and content marketing needs.
Even though I don’t have a degree in marketing, never took a marketing class in college, I made it happen. I had the courage and the mindset to transition into a career in marketing full-time.
How did I learn the skills necessary to start a new career? Read my tips below for free resources to learn new skills to break into a new career.
7 Ways to Learn New Skills and Start a New Career
- Listen to Podcasts and Audiobooks. iTunes and Google Music offer free podcasts on many topics. I subscribed to podcasts on marketing, starting your own business, leadership skills, and more. Listening to podcasts for me was much like attending a college class, for free. I found them to be the most valuable, free resource for learning skills. Most of the time, I listened to podcasts while at the gym or on road trips. Podcasts often came up during job interviews as I would “name drop” the leading podcasts to potential employers to show them that I was working to improve my skills and learn new ones. I also invested in Kindle and Audible accounts where I paid a small fee each month and earned free books to read or listen to. I received emails on the best books for my industry and interests. Use my link to try Audible and get two free audiobooks.
- Read whitepapers. There are whitepapers that cover topics across nearly all industries and careers. I downloaded whitepapers from leading marketing websites and experts. You can learn a lot of new skills this way as whitepapers really dive deep into complicated skills or industry trends.
- Search for templates and samples. When you’re learning to create something new for the first time, there’s no reason to start from scratch. Instead, search for templates or samples online. You can find free or nearly free downloadable templates and samples on almost everything by searching the web. For example, I found a lot of templates on marketing reports that I customized for clients and used at work.
- Set Google Alerts on the skills you want to learn. Get industry-related alerts by subscribing to receive alerts on your favorite topics via Google Alerts. You’ll get breaking news and articles in your field. Set Google Alerts for specific keywords and phrases for the skills you’re interested in. For example, “social media conference” or “blogging for income” and “blogging webinar.”
- Participate in free webinars. Webinars are a great way for businesses to get free marketing leads. They are also great resources to learn new skills. A few years into my blogging journey, I started attending webinars hosted by my favorite industry leaders. Add your favorite webinars to your Google alerts so that you can sign-up and attend.
- Volunteer or Intern for free. Interning and volunteering are both great ways to get hands-on skills. You can also get your foot in the door and possibly land a job. Many businesses big and small, and non-profits offer free and unpaid volunteer opportunities for people who are just starting their career. Search LinkedIn to find internships and volunteer opportunities.
- Volunteer at industry-related conferences and events. If you’re learning a new skill or trying to break into a new career, you may not be ready to invest in expensive conferences. Most conferences will offer a limited number of free tickets to people that volunteer. Reach out to your conference of choice and offer to volunteer so that you can attend the conference for free.
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