How I switched job industries with no experience amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

For my virgin opinion piece on Seedly, I want to start off with something inspirational for all readers and be a source of inspiration for anyone who is looking to make a career switch today!

Retrenchment in 2020

It was April 2020, the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Business as a startup in the Sports & Events Industry slowed down as sales weren't coming in due to the lockdown.

The company could only support me for one more month thus making my future uncertain.

Fortunately, I had been submitting job applications months before the pandemic hit and managed to secure a job at a government educational institution.

I was aimless and unsure whether this job would be permanent as I was bound to a 1-year contract with a slim opportunity for extension.

It was extremely stressful to do so as I had to work out of my comfort zone and learn things that I never was interested in to live to see another day.

An opportunity arose in September 2020, and I decided to take the plunge to unknown depths — reaching out for that shining bright light at the end of the tunnel.

The shining ray of light through upskilling

3 months into my job, I learnt that the Singapore Government was rolling out measures to upgrade and upskill workers impacted negatively by the Pandemic, allowing them to make career transitions when the situation improved.

At the same time, I discovered an interest in Blockchain and Cryptocurrency which ties in perfectly with the initiatives as the Fintech industry has been earmarked as a growth sector.

I decided that enough was enough and that I had to take control of my life and, eventually, my future.

I figured that I was only 27 years old then, and I’d rather suffer and work hard for the next 3 years now than lamenting what I should have done when I am in my late 40s.

I eventually signed up for a full-time course designed to give me a 9-month crash course in Fintech, thereby imparting highly technical skills like web development, programming and even project management experience.

Going into the course, I didn’t know what to expect or what I could achieve — but it was a step into the darkness I was willing to take.

It takes only ONE

Working and studying full-time was not an easy task. Thankfully, I was working from home and all the lectures were online.

Ever had a meeting with your managers while your lecturers are speaking? Been there, done that.

As the course was scheduled to run from September 2020 to June 2021, I didn’t give up hope and continued to apply for jobs in the hopes of moving on to a role that would fully utilize my skillsets and experience.

After more than 300 job applications, several interviews leading to final interviews, I was back to square one and left wondering what was wrong.

Ever heard of the saying: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."?

One day in February 2021, I woke up with an epiphany and found out what I was doing wrong all this time. I read articles from The Woke Salary Man, like finding out why I was underpaid and pinpointed the problem.

My mistake? I ‘sprayed’ my job applications to hundreds of employers with a generic resume and the usual ‘Dear Sir/Mdm’ emails and ‘prayed’ for the best possible result.

I decided to try something different. It would take some patience and time to do so — and I had both.

Firstly, I started to build my portfolio by writing articles on Cryptocurrency to make sure I was credible and had works to show my potential employers the knowledge and experience I had.

Secondly, I conducted extensive research on the major players in the industry and found out who their hiring managers were.

I wrote personalized cover letters to them, and the cover letters elaborated my personal vestments, knowledge and experience with Cryptocurrency and Blockchain.

Lastly, all it takes is patience, determination, grit and commitment to your cause (and a little bit of luck). I could have easily told myself after 2 weeks to stop writing articles because I wasn’t receiving any responses from the jobs I applied for.

A month later, my wife sent me a job advertisement on a Job Ads Group in Telegram advertising that Hodlnaut is looking to hire for a Social Media Manager.

I jumped at the opportunity, edited my resume and cover letter to suit the job description and also included a link to my ePortfolio and Medium page with high confidence that I would receive a response because this time around, I wasn’t a ‘sprayer’ (or a machine gunner in this case), I was a Sniper with a ‘one shot, one hit’ mentality.

Within 3 days, I went through 2 rounds of interviews with my eventual colleagues. I got offered a position in an industry I never thought I would be in when I first started working in 2018, or even 10 years ago.

2 months into the role, I have never been happier and grateful for all the opportunities presented to me. I face new challenges every day in an ever-changing and evolving landscape called Cryptocurrency, and I am glad to be at the forefront of it all.

Ending thoughts

I hope this opinion piece has inspired you to take the next step forward, even if it is into the darkness, to explore and eventually score a better future for yourself.

From when I was young, my dream was to live a fulfilling life by being able to experience tribulations and come out a better person.

I had my fair share (cancer, retrenchment, having no money), but with the right characteristics, you will be able to push through barriers.