The world’s attention is locked on a virus most people hadn’t heard of a month ago. A global pandemic has borders closed, streets empty, entire countries on lock down. Citizens everywhere are forced to stay indoors, and to self-quarantine indefinitely to avoid contamination. And that’s exactly why it’s time to train for the new normal.
The Old Normal
In January, 2020 nobody talked about COVID-19 unless it was a meme. People were focused on post-holiday recovery, starting new workout regimes, eating healthy, being more social. Basically, things were normal and it was just another new year.
For many service members it was a time to think about their upcoming transition. A time to answer questions like:
- “What job should I do when I get ETS?”
- “What industry should I work for?”
- “What skills do I need to thrive?”
These questions helped plot a course of transition back into civilian life – life in the “new normal.” Unfortunately, that new normal just disappeared. Now everyone, including veterans, faces radical change.
COVID-19: The New Normal (for real)
The world is in a state of pandemic and it isn’t clear how the situation will evolve. We’re dealing with a virus that came out of nowhere and affected seven billion people in a matter of months. There is no vaccine and no solution except social-distancing and self-quarantine. So schools, businesses, and all other industries have shut down and sent their people home.
While we don’t have a complete picture of what the future holds, we can make predictions based on what is happening now. For instance, colleges around the country moved to online learning environments. Employers did the same wherever possible, allowing their workforce to go remote.
Lacking quality data about how long the pandemic will last, we can predict that the new normal involves a world that comes to terms with digital life. That means everyone, everywhere will have to make adjustments to adapt, survive and thrive in this strange new landscape.
Who Will Thrive During?
With supply chains disrupted, businesses closed and mass populations not spending money, many will be forced into unemployment. The United States government is talking about supplementing incomes, but that may not be enough depending on your lifestyle and expenses. However, there is a group who will thrive even in times of economic hardship and chaos..
Those positioned to do best as we transition into the new normal are those with skills that are still in-demand.
Since the entire economy, not just in the U.S., but everywhere is migrating to online systems, that opens up a broad opportunity and high-stakes demand in the information technology and cybersecurity sectors.
I.T. and cybersecurity professionals were already in-demand due to recent breakthroughs in technology and the rising need for digital solutions. With the pandemic, that need compounds because every company everywhere is suddenly forced to make the move online. The alternative is to shut down operations completely.
As companies transition to this new work environment they’ll need a lot of I.T. and cybersecurity support because they don’t have experience in these areas (which is why they avoided doing it in the first place). Plus, because they’re all making the move at once, there’s a lot of competition for professionals in these fields which drives up pay.
Who Will Excel After?
Once the pandemic slows and organizations begin to review their crisis performance, they’ll aim to mitigate and prepare for future disasters. If they haven’t adapted online systems yet, they’ll aim to do that because all of their competitors will have done the same and not doing so puts their ecosystem at risk.
Traditionally, I.T. and cybersecurity professionals have positioned themselves to jump straight into high-paying careers with many crossing the six-figure mark. In this new digital era, we might see those numbers rise significantly compared with other industries. Add a global transition to online systems, and you have the right ingredients for a very lucrative career that will never decrease in demand.
In short, I.T. and cybersecurity prepares you with the skills to help businesses and other organizations transition to online environments. Since these will be among the most critical skills in the world as we go forward into the unknown, you can expect that those who get trained now will position themselves to do very, very well.
Get Trained for the New Normal
It may not be completely clear how the future will turn out. But you can beat the odds and thrive in this new normal when you learn skills that every business, school, church, and government needs.
Veteran’s Transition Mission can help you do that.
In our program you’ll train for 13 weeks in a real-time online environment with a live instructor. You will receive books, testing vouchers, practice programs and even job placement assistance. Finally, you will gain enough competence in your skills to go directly into a high-paying career.
Please consider what this means for you. This is a chance to position yourself for a radically different life once you leave the military, and it costs you nothing out of pocket when you use G.I. Bill.
It’s time for pre-emptive action. Take the high-ground and set yourself up to beat the odds right now.
