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Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can take control of your professional journey and get to your end goal. Here are a few tips to give you a career jumpstart, no matter what industry you’re in.
Why Now Is the Time to Jumpstart Your Career
There’s never a bad time to work on your career goals. However, this decade offers some unique opportunities for professional development.
New technologies like artificial intelligence and green energy are already shaking up virtually every industry. The World Economic Forum predicts that 59% of employees will need to reskill or upskill by 2030 to adapt. And no, learning how to use ChatGPT to proofread your emails isn’t enough.
Remote work is huge, too — or at least, more popular than it was before COVID-19. A 2025 SmartAsset study found that 12.5% of American employees in cities with over 100,000 residents work remotely. While working from home can be incredibly convenient — imagine life without traffic and awkward break room conversations — it may require new professional skills. For example, you might need to sharpen your communication abilities to mesh with the rest of your remote team.
But you don’t need to learn everything by yourself. There are plenty of educational programs and tools to help you build a successful career, even amid all the tech disruptions. With the right resources, any adult learner can make a smooth career transition.
7 Practical Career Jumpstart Strategies for Adult Learners
Here’s how to jumpstart your career and stay competitive in a fast-changing work environment.
1. Conduct Thorough Career Research
You probably wouldn’t take off on a cross-country road trip without planning your route. Otherwise, you might end up taking pointless detours or even getting lost completely — like arriving at the wrong Carolina, maybe.
Similarly, you shouldn’t make your career choices on a whim. Take the time to research future career paths to see what interests you and fits your financial plan. A 40-year-old professional with a mortgage may have much different salary requirements than a 25-year-old without any debt.
And try to keep an open mind. For example, you might assume that you’re not a tech person but discover that you’re actually intrigued by cybersecurity.
Keep an eye out for internal opportunities, too. Your employer might let you collaborate with other departments to gain practical experience in new areas. Who knows? As your skills develop, you might get transferred to a new role or even promoted.
2. Ask for Guidance and Set Your Goals
Once you’ve identified a few potential career paths, take the time to establish some professional goals. Effective goals are smart — as in clever — but they’re also SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Timely
For example, you might aim to meet with a career coach this month to assess your skills. Or you could plan to read three business books in February and apply five things you learned at work.
Reach out to more experienced professionals for advice, too. They can help you figure out how to achieve your dream job and provide encouragement when things get tough. Check out this guide to find advice during National Mentor Month and beyond.
3. Embrace Lifelong Learning and Upskilling
Jumpstarting your career means investing in your long-term future, not just picking up a few skills here and there.
A college education is one of the best ways to level up. You can learn from experienced faculty while taking courses related to your interests. Graduate degrees may even involve original research, so you can let your curiosity guide your studies.
Consider joining professional associations in your field, too. These organizations often host conferences and workshops on trending topics.
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4. Develop Technical and Soft Skills
While a college degree can help you gain new expertise, many employers have shifted to skills-based hiring. In fact, Indeed’s Hiring Lab notes that half (52%) of U.S. job postings on the site don’t have any formal education requirements.
Start by learning key job skills you can use in any industry, such as:
- Active listening
- Communication
- Decision-making
- Leadership
- Problem solving
These interpersonal skills can help you pivot to a new career — say, from education to business administration or vice versa — or take on leadership roles at your current company.
Brush up on your tech skills, too. For example, you could take online courses on AI or teach yourself JavaScript with free tutorials. These skills can help you take on new projects, such as building websites.
5. Leverage Your Network Effectively
Professionals are often surprisingly willing to help, but they won’t just volunteer their mentorship — you need to ask. For example, a colleague could give you resume tips or pass along a career opportunity.
Of course, networking shouldn’t be all about you — no one enjoys a one-sided relationship. Be sure to return the favor by sharing advice and resources. Even a congratulatory message can help you build lasting relationships.
6. Build and Enhance Your Personal Brand
You don’t necessarily need a logo or a theme song — you’re a person, not McDonald’s — but you should focus on gaining a positive recommendation. This might involve posting thought pieces on LinkedIn or sharing tidbits about your career on social media.
7. Gain Practical Experience Through Diverse Roles
Sometimes, people get laser-focused on a specific career path. It’s understandable; you really love social media marketing or accounting, so you pour all your energy into it.
However, this approach can be a bit limiting. When you’re concentrating on one area, you might miss adjacent trends that could help you stand out. And, if something disrupts your industry, you might not have any alternative skills to fall back on.
“Another way is to spend some time with something you love like a hobby or a personal interest. For example, if you like to surf (or are interested in learning) join a surf club and get out to the beach. You might learn about new career opportunities that are related to your personal interests. Recently one of our technology and computing students at CityU expressed interest in cooking. While learning how to cook new dishes, he thought of an app that he could develop that would make cooking easier. Think outside the box- What skills do you have that could apply to a field that you haven’t thought about before?” -Dr. Harvey Duncan, Director of Student Services
Branching out into new areas is key to diversifying your toolkit. That doesn’t mean you need to abandon your career path or go back to school (unless you want to, of course). Instead, look for opportunities to take on different projects or try out new tools. For example, you might experiment with email marketing rather than only using Facebook and TikTok.
Case Studies: Real Stories from CityU Alumni
Many professionals have found their ideal career jumpstart programs at CityU.
Kwabi Amoah-Forson originally dropped out of college without a career plan — that is, until he discovered a passion for community activism. He enrolled in CityU’s Master of Business Administration program to expand his business skills. This newfound knowledge allowed him to launch the Peace Bus, a humanitarian project.
Eric Dodd had a similarly convoluted career path. He earned a psychology degree, then pivoted to teaching English in Japan. Later, a faculty member encouraged him to combine his interests in psychology and outreach by pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling at CityU.
How CityU Helps You Jumpstart and Sustain Your Career
Whether you’re 24 or 40 or beyond, it’s never too late to reimagine your career. At CityU, we’ll help you pursue a data career jumpstart or grow your expertise in countless other professions. We offer over 65 programs at all education levels, so there’s truly something for everyone.
Take a look at our programs here, or complete this form to request more information. You can also learn more about career help at CityU to see how we can support your journey.
Reviewed by Dr. Harvey Duncan II, Director of Student Services at CityU of Seattle.
