How many times were you asked as a child “What do you want to be when you grow up?” How many responses do you remember giving? When you are laid-off from a job, you may ask yourself, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Is it time to change careers? Is it time to add new skills to your list?

Illinois workNet helps you explore your options for skills and training opportunities. The one thing most people do not look forward to is another lay-off.  To avoid that, it might be time to explore a career field that is in high-demand. Otherwise, you could experience another lay-off. High-demand careers are areas of employment that are growing in the number of job openings per year. Look at our list of Demand Occupations on Illinois workNet.

Is it time for you to consider a new career path? Use our Interest Survey to see if you are in the right career field for you. Four different sections will help you figure out “What you want to be NEXT”.

What about your skills and expertise that you have gained in your previous jobs? Which ones of those skills are you able to use on your next job? We have an entire list of skills from which you can select to share with your next employer. You can pick from a list of creative skills, dealing with data, leadership skills, working with people, along with other skills that are applicable to many situations. Download the Transferable Skills Checklist (PDF) to see them all.

Once you figure out what you want to do, you may need some in-depth training. There are approved training programs in which you will gain skills for those high-demand jobs. Search for programs in your area of interest to see what's available to you.

So, to find the answer to our title question, you may need to answer the second question of “what do you want to be next?”