Overview
Many people feel stuck in unfulfilling jobs but worry that switching careers is too risky or requires starting over. This article explains how healthcare and public service offer secure, rewarding second careers with flexibility, upward mobility, location freedom, and diverse specialisations. It outlines why degrees like nursing can support career transition while working.
Introduction
You’re not alone if you’ve ever felt the need to switch careers. Getting stuck in a particular job can easily leave you feeling stagnant and yearning for more. However, taking the first step to change careers is easier said than done, that is, until you do some research.
That’s especially true for health and public service careers, which typically require a new degree. For example, you can start a nursing career with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. While pursuing the degree, you can still work and support yourself until your second career begins.
Health and public service jobs appeal to driven, empathetic professionals who want to make a difference. Follow along as we explore everything you must know about switching to a career in health and public service.
Healthcare and Public Service Are Rewarding Second Careers
Switching careers is a big step, and it’s easy to feel vulnerable throughout the process. Luckily, healthcare and public service jobs offer job security, which should quell your concerns. This should at least help you focus on your career switch without worrying about getting a job.
It’s more complicated than that, however, as health and public service are different from most fields. Both are equally rewarding, both personally and financially. Switching to health and public service careers comes with many benefits, such as:
1. Flexibility
Flexibility is sadly unattainable in many career paths and industries as a whole. However, many healthcare professionals, like travel nurses, enjoy more flexibility than the average job. The same can be said for social workers, who have many options regarding hours and location.
Flexibility is more important than ever in a world where people have many responsibilities and sometimes juggle two jobs. Many healthcare and public service workers must also balance work and education. For example, some nurses work part-time while working toward advanced degrees to boost earning potential.
Upon earning a master’s degree, you can increase your hours and even start a new career at a higher level. This is common in nursing and public service, so you can often get some much-needed leniency with your schedule.
2. Job Security
Job security is at the top of many people’s lists of what they worry about in life, and that’s understandable. Losing your job can throw your life into a chaotic spiral that’s hard to navigate in many industries. However, the healthcare and public service industries always have job openings.
After all, everyone eventually needs medical attention, and many people need help from public service workers. You can easily find nursing work elsewhere after getting laid off at a hospital or clinic. This doesn’t always entail relocating, but that’s an option if you want to change scenery.
Healthcare and public service jobs make nearly every list of career paths with the most job security. That’s especially true during times when others may lose their jobs, like during pandemics or economic recessions. Nursing is an especially secure career path, as nurses are needed everywhere.
3. Upward Mobility
Nobody wants to get a job with no upward mobility. Luckily, there is plenty of potential for career advancement within healthcare and public service. That’s true whether you’re a nurse, sonographer, or social worker, among other positions.
Career advancement is a great reason to consider healthcare or public service as a second career, but it takes work. For example, experienced nurses often attend master’s degree courses to become nurse leaders. However, working hard and sticking around long enough at any healthcare and public health job can help advance your career.
4. Location Freedom
Few jobs let you easily relocate on relatively short notice as much as healthcare and public service jobs. Public service and healthcare professionals are needed all over the country. Travel nurses naturally change locations often, as that’s part of the job description.
However, even standard registered nurses can typically find rewarding jobs in other cities and states. The same can be said for licensed social workers looking to get a change of scenery. You also get a wide range of locations to choose from that don’t require relocation.
For example, some nurses work in hospitals while others work in hospice care and visit patients’ homes. This applies to social workers as well, as some of them work in correctional facilities while others work in schools and hospitals.
5. Many Specialisations
Much like changing locations, nurses and public service workers can also change specialisations as needed. For example, social workers can specialise in child welfare, healthcare, criminal justice, addiction, and more. Similarly, nurses and doctors can choose between many specialities that cater to people dealing with unique health demands.
Switching specialisations is equally exciting and rewarding, as it makes you and your resume more well-rounded. It can also affect your earning potential, as specialised healthcare providers often earn more money. Your existing degree and credentials ensure you don’t have to start from scratch when switching specialisations.
Keep in mind that changing specialisations may require new degrees and certifications. However, your base bachelor’s degree can help fast-track your next chapter. Changing specialisations can give you a second wind and make you happy you chose nursing as a second career.
Don’t Limit Your Career Potential
The flexibility and freedom that healthcare and public service jobs afford can understandably entice anyone. If healthcare and public service are your calling, it’s not worth waiting to start your next chapter. Whether you want to work in public health surveillance, nursing, social work, or radiology, it’s never too late.
Sure, you get to earn a great living and even advance your career, but it’s also personally rewarding. Few careers offer as much flexibility as what you can find in public service and healthcare. Don’t hesitate to take the step toward a new and exciting second career helping others.
