Page 84 - Marky Stein - Fearless Career Change_ The Fast Track to Success in a New Field (2004)

Fearless Career Change

help the employer imagine the possibilities that lay in store for the
company if you receive money for additional training.

Strategy 3. On-the-Job Training

On-the-job training usually means that you are paid an entry-level
salary (or, in some cases, less) for a limited amount of time while
you are learning a new profession or trade.
For example, when Scott went from being a customer service
representative for a health insurance company to a film and televi-
sion set dresser, he used the strategy of paid on-the-job training,
among others, to facilitate his transition. We’ll take a look at exact-
ly how Scott positioned himself to receive this training in the next
chapter, as well as examine how other people have used on-the-job
training to break into and learn a new occupation.
Some examples of industries that offer on-the-job training are
trades (construction, bricklaying, plumbing, manufacturing), fash-
ion, film and television, financial and brokerage firms, all forms of
sales, administrative and office work, manufacturing, health and
human services, community activism, nonprofit organizations,
cooking and fine cuisine, food and beverage, real estate, tourism,
travel and cruises, and organizations involved in civic or global
environmental, political, health, and education concerns.
One could almost argue that every job involves some sort of
on-the-job training, at least enough to get oriented to a new envi-
ronment, but the industries listed above are the ones most likely to
accept inexperienced mature career changers from other fields or
students looking for a first-time job.
If you want to find out about businesses that do on-the-job
training, it’s best to get in touch with an owner or manager of a
business and simply ask if he or she, hypothetically, is willing to pro-
vide training for a person with little or no experience who also pos-
sesses some assets (for example, good problem-solving skills, flexi-
bility, 3.5 grade point average, or a certificate or degree) or any
other educational, personal, or professional background that is in
your favor. Be careful that the on-the-job training pays you a wage
you can live on until you step up to a regular salary.
Be careful: There may be some companies that will try to take
advantage of your “trainee” status by extending your training for
longer than needed or paying you far less than is reasonable.

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