Politics aside this new website marketed by the Presidential office and Ad Council and promoted by Ivanka Trump is impressive. It is the real deal when it comes to finding ways to build on your existing skills or find a new skill.
Everyone can agree the economy is evolving not slower but faster during the COVID-19 epidemic. Some industries like Real Estate and shipping are expanding very quickly while other industries like transportation and leisure are struggling. Pilots are at the forefront of this seismic shift in how the world does business with the shift towards online communication and meetings. As discussed in other articles pilots are fortunate we have the largest pilot-wave approaching to cushion the blow the COVID environment will have on the professional lives of pilots. Even with this wave, there will still likely be furloughs and industry stagnation for some time as the economy reshifts towards this change in demand.
The pilot resources section of Aviator Analysis attempts to catalogue some of the opportunities available in an easy to digest way but pales in comparison to the scope and detail of the findsomethingnew.org website. It catalogs the myriads of resources out there for financing and how to get the education to qualify for another skill. For example, did you know, Home Depot already has a program in place to train 20,000+ people with marketable trade skills for free?
Since the site is so detailed its main drawback is the navigation. It is a lot to filter through. Fortunately at the bottom right is a pink box that starts a questionnaire to help you drill down to the pathways that are right for you.
After accessing the pink box it starts out asking users a series of questions.
The questions include –
- Are you looking for a brand-new career or a better job in a field you already know?
- If you were to start on a path to your ideal career today, how much time could you devote to learning new skills or mastering skills you have already?
- Are you eligible for programs offered to veterans and families of veterans?
- Do you have a high school diploma or high school equivalency, or are you already on the path to getting one?
The site then provides recommendations on pathways (educational routes) that may best fit your situation. Filters are included on the side to drill down further. As users discover there are 7 different educational pathways, all with real-world resources to get you started depending on your situation.
Not sure where to start, when it comes to what you want to do? Or, not sure, what resources are available for those with kids at home, or need financing assistance? No problem. At the bottom of the home page are further resources.
Selecting the “self-assessments” box leads to assessments to help users determine what their natural skill set or interests might lead them towards.
You’ll have to do some exploring to find what’s right for you with regards to the assessments as there are so many. These assessments are very helpful as there are SO MANY options when it comes to earning money in the workforce, it is just hard to know what to do and what not to do and frankly, it’s impossible to do all of them. These tools help narrow the search.
One resource I found as I used these links included, a tool that allows you to put in your current skill set to see what they might easily transfer. myskillsmyfuture.org.
After selecting pilots it was interesting to see how it broke down possible alternatives that might be worth looking into. The breakdown included matches, job availability, wages, and the kind of education usually required to start training.
Further Inspection reveals a Compare Skills link, to show why the particular job was tied to the entered skill. The screenshot here doesn’t reveal the whole analysis of the comparison. Needless to say after the review of the comparison I could see why they related the two professions closely together. Further links were included to show how I could manage the education and training gaps between the two.
Due to the scope of the website and its resources, it’s difficult to give a true overview. Needless to say, this is the closest thing I have found to a one-stop-shop for researching a career shift or skill diversification.
I encourage anyone interested to check it out. it’s free!
