SkillsFuture + anything related to upskilling/learning something new!
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I’m into my second/final term for my specialist diploma! Even for online classes, it can be tiring especially if we’re doing this after work.
By now, I’ve taken 3 programmes that are marketed to career switchers, and just to share some tips about outcomes, based on my personal experience:
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Ideally, choose courses based on personal interest, but temper your expectations about job placements. It’s healthier to view each course that you take as a stepping stone towards a new path, as opposed to guaranteed employment.
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Placement success rates will vary by cohorts; anecdotally, those over 50 years old will likely experience job hunting challenges, especially for tech-related roles. Depending on job availability, offered placements may not be in an area related to the training course that you took. However, these may still be rare opportunities to work in MNCs or emerging smaller firms, so it’s good to keep an open mind.
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Ageism exists. Some advice that I’ve personally received: remove all dates from resumes, trim work experience to about 10 years, and expect a low response rate for applications (when I was trying to look for a career switch role, my callback rate was about 12% and I was told it was actually not too bad for that season).
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Job hunting can drag on for months, and this will usually take a toll on your morale, especially if your financial contribution to the family is needed. It’s important to have your support networks in place.
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In every course/programme, there are success stories… don’t be too swayed by these. Ultimately, your ability to thrive depends on your own skill set, personality, and drive. Be flexible about what it means to “succeed”: there are also individuals who return to their previous industries to take on different opportunities with their new skills/perspectives!
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Something else we could chat about: Should we use our SkillsFuture for fun courses?
This came up recently as a conversation topic, when an MP questioned if SkillsFuture should cover courses like wine appreciation:
One take was that this is a very narrow view of the “SkillsFuture mission.” In fact I heard that a manager/director type actually encourages her team to go for such courses, to better relate to high net worth individuals!
Personally, I think that we can (and should) split our time between upskilling and having some fun. That’s what makes us interesting. In fact, later in the year, I’m planning to sign up for dance and rock drumming classes, but those aren’t covered by SkillsFuture!
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@thebottomsupblog When SF first started, there seemed to be more “hobby” courses. But somewhere along the way it became more narrow and focused on “work” skills. That may have been an intentional decision? I guess it’s how the govt feels that taxpayer funds should be spent.
Perhaps there could be another category of SF courses which are not so work-related, which are subsidised but to a lesser extent? I’d love to be able to do some craft-type courses, or even repair/mending courses, not necessarily to start a business, but just for myself and others? I recently tried to sign up for a clothes-mending/upcycling course, but found that although it’s listed under SF, it can only be taken as part of a much longer and expensive course intended for those who want to start a business!
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@sharonkhoo I think this idea of learning for fun can be quite difficult in SG!
However, I feel that there are still enough short-term courses that can be taken for fun, like street photography (my husband did that over two weekends) and sketching at places like NAFA.
During my early motherhood phase, I did start this little initiative with my moms’ network, where we paid one another $20 to learn a skill, and this included sewing! Maybe among ourselves, we should start our own community initiatives.
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@thebottomsupblog I would like to learn a bit more sewing! I already know some, but new ideas and projects would be fun. A community group might be a good idea!
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