Need some career change ideas before you dust off the resume and rewrite your LinkedIn? Here’s some inspiration on how you might match your existing skills to a new STEM career
A good place to start when considering a career change is the Australian Government’s Skills Priority List. It includes a detailed view of jobs where there is a shortage and the anticipated future demand for occupations.
All of these STEM careers are currently in shortage, and you might be surprised at the transferable skills that can be taken from one of these career change ideas into another.
- Ambulance officer
- Analyst/Programmer
- Biomedical engineer
- Computer network engineer
- Diagnostic radiologist
- Earth science technician
- Electrical engineer
- Food technologist
- Teacher
- Nuclear medicine technologist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physiotherapist
- Psychiatrist
- Transport engineer
- Vet nurse
- Web developer
Health to AI
Data science and artificial intelligence (AI) have transformed the way scientists conduct their research. So if you use data in your role, be it in health or another sector, you may have already gained some AI skills. Good news! Workers with AI skills are in huge demand. By 2030 we will need an extra 161,000 AI specialists in Australia.
Epidemiologist Jenny Vo took advantage of her transferable skills with AI to pursue a career switch as a data consultant at an AI consultancy firm.
“I used to think that what I knew about data was only applicable to health, but I learnt that it’s applicable to many other areas. Plus, when you come from a different industry, you can offer another perspective,” Jenny says.
To get there you could study a Bachelor of Data Science or AI, or consider a graduate certificate in AI.
Science to teaching
Maths teachers remain in short supply, and the good news is, you don’t need to be a maths genius to teach maths. You just need Year 12 maths and a willingness to learn and encourage others.
Zoe Land started out wanting to be a scientist, but during her science degree, she began tutoring students and loved the challenge of helping others understand science. Zoe followed up her science degree with a Master of Teaching and now she teaches high school maths and science.
Architecture to radiography
Health roles, from nursing to nuclear medicine are in hot demand, and there are lots of careers where your problem-solving, organisation or adaptability skills could see you well-placed for a career change to the health sector.
If you want inspiration, just check out the story of Rachel Jones, who worked as an architect for several years before deciding she wanted a career where she could help others. She then went on to study a Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging.
Trades to computer networking
Working on the tools can be tough as you get older, but there are plenty of STEM opportunities for people who have the problem-solving and adaptability skills tradies usually have.
Former tradie Rory Geoghegan was tossing around the idea of studying to become an electrician when he enrolled in a Certificate IV in Telecommunications at TAFE.
Along the way, he discovered that he was really interested in network infrastructure – the hardware and software resources that support computing, like servers and routers. Rory completed the Advanced Diploma of Computer Systems (CS) Engineering at RMIT and loved it.
The course gave him a great background in networks and completely prepared him for industry certification.
These are just a few examples of career change ideas from people we’ve profiled at Careers withy STEM, but you can also find a really handy guide to job with a list of similar skill sets on the Your Career website.
Transferable skills to emphasise in your interview
Regardless of the career path you’re considering, there are some important transferable skills you may have that you should be sure to tell any future employer about. These include:
- Communication: Convey ideas clearly and effectively in both written and verbal forms
- Problem-Solving: Identify issues, analyse them, and implement solutions efficiently
- Teamwork: Collaborate effectively with others to achieve a common goal
- Time Management: Prioritise tasks and manage time effectively to meet deadlines
- Adaptability: Adjust to new situations and learn quickly in changing environments
- Leadership: Guide, motivate, and manage a team towards achieving objectives
- Critical Thinking: Evaluate information and arguments logically to make informed decisions
- Project Management: Plan, execute and oversee projects to completion within scope, time, and budget
- Customer Service: Understand and meet the needs of clients or customers effectively
- Creativity: The capacity to think outside the box and generate innovative ideas or solutions.
