Want to reinvent your career in 2024? Jumpstart your path with these tips

Discover your passions to get ahead in the job market

With 2024 fast approaching, it’s never too early to set your sights on new horizons and New Year’s resolutions. Since 2020, we’ve seen rapid changes in the workplace, including “the great resignation,” a phrase used to describe the millions who quit their jobs amid the pandemic, a rise in flexible working arrangements, and an overall shift in employee expectations. The US Chamber of Commerce reports that more than 50 million workers quit their jobs in 2022, which follows the 47.8 million who left their roles in 2021. What is the inspiration behind this trend? Among several contributing factors is the desire for career advancement. 

If you’re feeling stuck or have a sense of stagnation in career progression, you could be ready for something new. Exploring the possibilities of a new career could require going back to school not only to further your education but also to acquire new skills that can land you a higher salary and help you reach new heights in your career. Not sure of where to begin? Keep reading for simple tips for reinventing your career.

1. Visualize your best future

A simple exercise to help you get started is the “best possible self” intervention, or BPS. Spend 10-15 minutes in an environment free of distractions to complete this exercise. Through this activity, you will visualize your best self in a potential future setting where you’re thriving in health, wealth, relationships, etc. Write a detailed description of what that looks and feels like to you. 

Make sure to include thoughts about a thriving career and what fulfilling work looks like to you. Be open to all possibilities, and don’t feel pressured by societal expectations. Research shows that completing the best possible self-exercise increases optimism, improves expectations, reduces goal-ambivalence and can lead to positive lasting effects on our overall well-being.

2. Brainstorm your career options

After diving into self-reflection and creating a vision for your best future, start thinking about the reasons why you’re ready to switch gears in your career. Ask yourself: Am I happy with my role and current organization, or am I ready to explore new possibilities? The answer to these questions is crucial to determining how you set the foundation for the next steps in your journey.

If you’re happy where you are but are seeking more fulfillment, start by assessing your needs. Perhaps you’re craving more mentally stimulating projects or have solutions for workplace process gaps but are unsure how to pitch them to supervisors in your current position. Identify what you would like to achieve in your role and create a list of actionable goals and next steps. As a next step, schedule regular meetings with your manager to discuss the ways you would like to grow in your role and the contributions you would like to make to the team to help narrow your focus and plan for what’s next.

If you’re ready to explore new opportunities, identify if you’d like to change industries or continue your current trajectory with a new company. As you’re planning your next move, consider the following: 

• If you like your job and would like to continue your path at another company, would you consider a lateral move, or are you interested in taking on more responsibilities in a senior role? 
• If you’re ready to change industries altogether, are you prepared to break into that industry, or are you comfortable taking on a junior role at this point in your life and working your way up? 
• Unsure? You may need to do more research to fine-tune your goals or narrow down your interests to find a potential job type. Additionally, you can discover several fast-growing industries to choose from if you’re considering switching gears completely. Among the industries are health care, information technology and artificial intelligence, and financial services.

Whether you’re seeking a career change or advancement, it is helpful to take inventory of your skills. This way, you can determine what is attractive to potential employers, any skills that have contributed to your success and pinpoint the gaps you need to fill. 

Understand that starting fresh in a new industry requires a period of learning and patience; however, with the right frame of mind and a solid support system, you are sure to be on your way.

3. Consider returning to school

If you’re thinking of a career change or seeking career advancement, you may need additional education to prepare for your potential new role. Get started by finding a program that aligns with your interests and career goals. At Rider, we offer 100+ undergraduate majors, minors and certificate programs and graduate programs that span the arts, business, science and technology, and social sciences. Many programs are taught partially or fully online to offer greater flexibility. 

To cast a wider net of options in the employment marketplace, consider our dual degree programs that allow you to earn your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in less time while saving money. 

From day one, our admission counselors are available to talk through your goals and review your resume, existing skills and previous college credits, if available, to help you determine how our degree and certificate programs can set you up for success.

Ready to take the leap to acquire the education and skills needed to hit the refresh button on your career? 

Rider is here to help. Our flexible learning model offers online, hybrid and in-person courses, and daytime, evening and accelerated course scheduling options. Once you’re enrolled, take advantage of the various resources offered by our Academic Success Center, Student Navigation Office and Office of Career Development and Success to help guide you while you’re at Rider and beyond. 

If after reviewing your options, you’re still unsure of where to begin, consider starting your studies as a non-matriculated student. This will allow you to take a variety of courses and discover your passions with no added pressure.