Losing your job is difficult to go through and can leave you wondering what the future of your career may look like.

Take solace in the fact that there are millions of Americans, and many others across the world, going through the exact same situation as you.

Overcoming this obstacle will take perseverance and a little luck, but it is certainly possible as long as you map out your next steps.

Start by thinking of this job loss as an opportunity.

It may be difficult to view it in that way right now, considering it is still fresh, but it’s important that you recognize that you now have the freedom to pursue any path.

If you truly enjoyed the job you held then, by all means, pursue it once again.

However, new paths can be followed if that’s what you desire, and it only takes a little research on your part.

Identify a Rising Trend

There are a number of new and popular trends that have arisen over the years. Some of those trends, such as coding, have even given rise to entire fields of work.

Identifying one of those trends early on and getting involved with it is a quick way to discover a new potential career path after losing your job.

If you don’t feel like going through the effort of researching a new trend, focus on coding. Even though it emerged almost a decade ago, it is more prominent than ever.

Reports show that there are nearly 20 million software developers worldwide. Clearly, this is a popular skill that presents a great opportunity for job growth.

Before you can actually jump into any field with this skill, though, you need to determine which coding language may be best suited to you.

The only way to go about determining which language is best is by doing comprehensive research into the languages offered for learning and what they do.

For example, learn the difference between Python vs. JavaScript and the different functions that can be done with each.

Doing so can let you understand which skill you want to develop in particular, which is quite necessary when following the next step on this list.

Attend an Educational Institution

After determining a new skill you want to develop, as well as a potential new career path, you are going to need to actually acquire that skill. This can be best accomplished through a few methods.

Assuming you have chosen coding, your new educational path may be shorter than if you had chosen a more technical skill.

Popular online coding bootcamps are a great option that can teach anyone how to code in a matter of months. Better yet, due to the online format of these bootcamps, they are far cheaper than any graduate program you may find.

However, they still give you a valuable skill that could set you up for work in the future.

On the other hand, if you have chosen skills or a career path that is more comprehensive and in-depth, it may be worth your time to consider attending a trade school.

These schools typically have an educational period of about a year, but you walk away with a degree.

Therefore, if you aren’t specifically sure what you want to do now, consider attending a cheap trade school near you and acquiring a general degree in a new field.

Develop Interview Skills

After identifying what you want to do and obtaining the education you need to enter that field, you are going to need to brush up on your interview skills.

Interviews have changed a lot in recent years and the process can be quite confusing.

Assuming your resume does not get lost in the vortex of applicants, you may be fortunate enough to land a phone interview and then an in-person interview.

Nailing your interview is the key to landing whatever job you want. Keep in mind that you may not have as much expertise as some others going for that job, so you need to make yourself stand out.

Try learning interviewing techniques, such as the STAR method, that can help you send the message across as to what your strengths and talents are.

Conclusion

Losing your job during a pandemic is never a fun experience and the disruption caused by Covid-19 is affecting every industry around the world.

Don’t jump back into the workforce just to get disrupted by the aftershocks of Covid-19.

Instead, take this time to revamp your skillset and obtain more education, so that you can enter a new and potentially more lucrative career path.

The first step is to treat this entire event as a learning experience and recognize that you can grow from this experience. After that, it’s just about determining what new path you would enjoy taking.

This has been a guest post from Career Karma, the best place to find your new calling in the tech sector.