Certification Can Help You Discover New Career Tools

Despite all of the college freshmen and sophomores everywhere who, at this very back-to-school moment, can't decide what to declare as a major, almost everyone moves into adulthood having at least daydreamed about various professionals ambitions. "What are you going to be when you grow up" is one of the fundamental questions of adolescence. Whether they envisioned becoming a circus clown, a lawyer, an astronaut, or whatever, most people at some point in their youth pictured themselves settling in as something unique and/or special down the road a few years. Even for those who followed a clear path from the start, however, what you begin doing as your career doesn't always last for as long as you might expect it to.

Just ask David Cameron. A few months ago, he was an internationally recognized world leader. As sitting prime minister of the United Kingdom, he steered the ship of state for one of the most powerful nations in the world. Several hours ago, having previously Brexited his high office after failing to convince U.K. voters to continue their country's longstanding affiliation with the European Union, Cameron took the further step of resigning as an MP, or Member of Parliament. And now it's on to ... what precisely?

You don't have to have been at the pinnacle of politics, of course, to suddenly find yourself at a career crossroads where it just doesn't make sense to keep doing the thing you've always done. It happens to thousands of skilled laborers every year. And one thing that a lot of people are doing about it is described by one of those buzzwords that rattle around LinkedIn like dice in a cup: reskilling. "Reskilling" is simply changing your primary skill set. Instead of continuing to be a steelworker, for example, you might become a cheesemonger. Or instead of continuing to be leader of the Brits, you might become a humble network administrator or cybersecurity specialist.

IT is one of the largest and most welcoming professional realms for people looking to discover new skills and embark on new careers. There's an exploding demand for able IT professionals, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. What's more, there's an excellent means of quickly gaining new skills available to anyone who has a professional interest in IT: certification. With certification, you can be well on your way to professional success in a matter of months. TestOut Continuing Education offers an excellent and affordable path for anyone to follow who needs to explore a new professional horizon.

If you're on the professional sidelines of a career that you never envisioned leaving, don't despair. Start reskilling today and reinvent yourself to face and conquer new challenges. With a little luck, the IT certification you get this year will give you the edge that you need when your resume lands on the hiring manager's desk next to one submitted by a "D. Cameron," who lists "Queen Elizabeth II" as one of his character references.