This post may contain affiliate links. Please see Disclosure and Privacy Policy at bottom of page.
You are not skilled enough. Now you’re telling me, “What do you mean I’m not skilled enough, how do you know?” What I know is that most of us don’t have the skills that will really get us the job that will pay enough to have the life we want. Below are some ideas to get the skills you need.
Grade School And College
The skills we are taught in school don’t come close to what is necessary to survive in today’s job market. I always did well in school. But what I learned that I truly use today I learned in elementary school before I was 10. Think about it. I use basic math and reading skills. Anything else that I use today to make money I learned after school.
I took some college classes, but didn’t finish. I assume there are many people who are in the same situation as me, but also there are many of you who did finish, but still didn’t get the right skills. Yes, you learned a lot, but not how to do things.
Trade Schools
There used to be a time when there were trade schools. I know there are still trade schools, but they are not the same as they were before. You went and learned hands on how to do the job as you would if you were working. This meant that your schooling was resulting in you knowing what you were doing when you started on day one.
This is not the case for most people. Even some of the trade schools still don’t get you to that level of ability when you complete the course. It is up to you to find out what else you need to know and get the skill before you can get a good job. The problem with this is that some skills will only come with doing the job. Many employers won’t give you the job without the skill and the vicious cycle starts.
What can be done about this? Well this is where we need to get creative. We need to think about this working backwards. Look at what skills you need to do the job you want. Take that list and see what you can learn only from doing the job and then see what you can learn from some form of schooling.
Everything you can learn from schooling you will need to find the best place for you. It could be a school or for things like learning to program code. There are many places online that you can learn for free. Everything that you can only learn from doing the job will be a little harder.
Here Are Some Creative Ideas To Try
Here are few ideas of how to get the skills you need. First see if you know someone, or somebody you know knows someone, that does what you want to do. If you can find someone, maybe they can arrange for you to come in while they are working and you can do a “fly on the wall” type program. This would not include the employer, you won’t get paid and won’t do the work hands on, but you can see how it’s done in an actual work setting.
Another option is to contact a company that does what you want to do and see if they will allow you to do a “fly on the wall” without them needing to pay you. This may not work every time, but all you need is one company to say yes. As you are asking them about coming in to see how the job is really done, explain that you are getting into the field and you’re not really competition from another company. You don’t want them to think of you as a spy!
On The Job Training Programs
You could also ask around to see if there are any training programs. Or you could even try to negotiate a training wage to get started. Another idea would be to ask for a trial period. Depending on the job it could be two weeks, a month, or three months. Even if the company is not willing to try any of these things with you, be sure to ask if they can send you in the right direction. Ask them if they know a place to get the training and if appropriate, what skills they need that most people don’t have. Knowing these things will get you a leg up. They may be willing to have you come back later when you know what you’re doing. They will already see that you will go the extra mile to get things done.
The idea here is that you need to be aggressive to get the skills you need that will get you the job and income you really want and need. Don’t let a no, or even a few no’s get you down. Building a better life is not always easy, but you can do it.
