Student Feature
College Prep and Career Development
Student Success
While job openings are becoming more abundant by the day, the whirlpool of in-person, hybrid, and remote positions can be a bit overwhelming. Which is right for you? Read on to find out.
Many of you may have heard of the Great Resignation as an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. You might even be part of the millions who left their job.
Here are the quit rates by industry: (1) leisure and hospitality, (2) professional and business services, (3) trade, transportation, and utilities, and (4) education and health services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks how many people quit their jobs at the end of every month. The last three years hold record numbers of people quitting their jobs:
I attended a virtual conference hosted by the National Career Development Association (NCDA) and one attendee in a workshop commented “it’s not the Great Resignation, it’s America’s Soul Searching.” An article on National Public Radio called the phenomenon “The Great Renegotiation.” These are some reasons why people leave their jobs:
For many, it’s simply advancing their careers with higher pay and better benefits. It’s been on their minds for a while and now they had more time to spend reflecting and taking action. Some also took the opportunity to move to lower-cost-of-living areas and live a more comfortable life after realizing how much happier they are when they spent more time with family. Another important factor employers definitely need to consider is the likelihood of a flexible work schedule – whether it’s fully remote or hybrid. Some are taking a pay cut to work with employers who provide this opportunity.
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There’s nothing like work in-person traditions, gatherings, and celebrations – potlucks and food department or college events are probably one of the few things I miss being in an office! Being able to build professional relationships is also much easier in person rather than through Zoom chats, e-mails, or the phone. For some, they may not have the ideal work environment in their homes. We’ve all experienced Zoom meetings that were interrupted – whether it’s choppy wifi, the noisy construction outside, someone from the house blasting music, or even cute interruptions where a cat appears on the webcam during a presentation! For some, they may not have the technology or equipment (or want to buy them) to work as effectively as in their office where they have a fast PC with two monitors. Nowadays, I can’t imagine working off a laptop or even one screen. Even at my home, I have two screens and get my work done extremely efficiently and can’t work in any other way!
Although some struggled to adjust to working from home to combat the pandemic, especially in the beginning, many realized the countless benefits of remote/hybrid work. For Millennials and Gen Zers (who already live in the virtual world), online work is second nature, and now, our preference to work. Often, especially in the beginning, they found themselves teaching coworkers how to use tools like Zoom, Google Suites, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and other applications we already have been comfortable using before.
Did you know that the average person in Orange County commutes 28 minutes to work? (Federal Reserve Economic Data, 2019) That’s an average of one hour every day, 5 hours a week, and 261 hours a year. That’s a lot of time wasted and working from home improves work-life balance as workers can get more sleep and spend less time on the road. For me, I use that hour to go to the gym and I’ve never been healthier.
If you’re looking for hybrid or remote work, opportunities are out there. Some industries transition faster than others. Private companies, for example, usually move faster than government agencies (e.g. schools), and smaller companies tend to move faster than larger ones. Also, it depends on the executive leadership’s views and perspective on work schedule flexibility – these are questions you’d want to ask when you interview.
Over at Coastline, you might want to browse through some of our programs with a higher likelihood of remote/hybrid work here. Some to think about include the following:
If you’re a career changer or would like to discuss exploring careers that would land you a hybrid or a fully remote position, we have great resources over at Coastline’s Career Center. I recommend meeting with me through Zoom by calling our Counseling Department at 714-241-6162 or filling out the online scheduler. If you have any quick questions, call me at 714-241-6311.
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