For 4 years I worked in several call center companies until I realized my career was going nowhere, I wasn’t getting the promotion I wanted nor the salary raise I needed. I was also tired of all the incoming calls and graveyard shifts. The company was not the problem, the problem was that I’m not meant to last in that sort of work environment. I had the gut feeling to try something new and so I decided to change my career path. Many Filipinos today opt into working in call centers, it’s easy to get in and the pay is good, but the call center industry can feel like a “trap” for some of us who has worked in it for years, especially the college undergrads or those who are having difficulties looking for jobs that are inline with their degrees.
What happens if you’re tired of that job? What options do you have? Are you tired of jumping from one account to another? Consistently thinking of where your future is heading? Which new careers to try out?
Here are some jobs that you can try venturing into, they also have great pay and they don’t require diplomas but having one is a plus. Best of all, no queuing! Having knowledge and experience in these fields can also boost your chances in landing a career in other industries:
- Social Media Manager
- Software Quality Analyst or Software Tester
- Web Application Developer
- Mobile App Developer
- Wedding and Prenuptial Photographer / Videographer
- Vlogger
- Blogger
- Graphics Designer
- 3D Sculpture Artist
If you’re thinking of switching to any of these careers but you don’t know where and how to start, then keep on reading, this is for you!
1.) Social Media Manager
Yes, this job exists! But it’s not that common to find, nevertheless, if you’re able to find a company who’s hiring for this position, then you would need to be an “Expert” in social media to get that job. Not just someone who’s familiar in using social media, but a real expert. Having knowledge in marketing for this job is expected.
Some companies are now hiring for this kind of position because they have finally realized that social media is also a great marketing tool. With social media, companies are able to reach out personally to their target customers, able to respond to questions, allow there followers to share their products and services, advertise faster and cheaper, analyze behavior of trends and competitions, and so much more. Some other examples are paid advertising in Facebook and monetization of Youtube videos. Social Media, when used properly, are money making machines and companies need Social Media Managers who knows the in’s and out’s of this.
There are now online materials available that gives detailed information regarding this job, most details would be vague, that’s because the job itself is vague. I recommend you to try out all available social media platforms, try out every feature they offer and figure out how to make money out of them before even trying to apply for this job.
2.) Software Quality Analyst or Software Tester
This job is a great stepping-stone if you want to get into the IT industry. You will be testing Software or Web Applications frequently. I’m stressing out the word “frequently” here because this job is all about repetitions. So if you don’t have a problem doing the same task over and over again your entire shift then there’s no harm in trying this out.
Your job is to find “bugs” in software and ensure the quality of the product continuously, all-day everyday. This is so important because companies take their quality seriously. Your job is crucial in being able to detect problems before the software is in the fingertips of clients and users.
There’s manual testing and automated testing. Manual testing is when you manually use and try to abuse the software or application features in trying to look for issues that may surface, while automated testing is about running scripts that can do check ups for the software’s system. Some programming might be needed in automated testing, knowledge in programming languages like Python and SQL, also testing tools like Jenkins and Selenium. It really depends on what kind and how big the company’s projects are on what types of tools you’ll be needing to know.
3.) Web Application Developer
Web Application Developer, or simply Web Developer, is a branch of Software Development that focuses on the creation of websites. There’s plenty of coding and programming involved in this. Being proficient and highly experienced in this line of work can open other doors of opportunity for you, meaning you can try other related things like Mobile App Development and Game Development.
The basic things you’ll need to learn before you could land a job are HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, PHP, and Mysql. Having knowledge in common libraries and frameworks like JQuery, WordPress, Drupal, Bootstrap, and AngularJS is a huge plus and a huge factor in getting a bigger paycheck. Also, Git is also helpful specially if your’re planning to work in a team of developers.
Sites like W3Schools and Codecademy can help you start learning how to code immediately for free, but you will learn them on your own. If you’re more used to having a teacher teach you, you can try enrolling in short courses of colleges like CIIT and Informatics. You can also try online courses in Udemy where paying for their services can give you additional perks like being able to ask questions directly to lecturers, visual guides, and downloadable learning materials. Another great website for learning through video tutorials for free is TheNewBoston.
By the way, as a web developer you can also have “side-line” projects. These are extra-income generating jobs you can do for a few hours in your day. In my experience, I was able to earn a minimum extra P25,000 per month from clients I met in Odesk. Not bad, right?
4.) Mobile App Developer
Like Web Application Development, this too involves coding and programming but the difference is that what you’ll be doing will be more focused on mobile gadgets such as tablets and smart phones.
There are two big operating system brands for gadgets competing in the market right now, it’s Android and IOS. It’s easier to learn to develop in Android and more cost efficient than IOS, but career opportunities and paycheck is bigger for those who can develop in the IOS platform. Due to the marketing strategies of Apple and their ways of being proprietary, IOS is still much more profitable. With this in mind, you will need to pay for special licenses or certificates for developing in IOS first, not to mention you will also need to develop in a Mac computer and would need a gadget running specifically in IOS.
You’ll need to learn the programming language Java (which is different from Javascript) to learn the basics of Android Development and Objective-C for IOS Development. There are also plenty of free and payable online sources to learn these things.
If you’re already a Web Developer and you’ve decided to try Mobile App Development but don’t know Java or Objective-C yet, no worries! You can use your skills in HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript in creating something called a “Hybrid App”. Hybrid Apps are mobile apps that were not created with native app languages like Java and Objective-C but rather by using web based languages. PhoneGap and Ionic are perfect platforms in helping you achieve this.
5.) Wedding and Prenuptial Photographer / Videographer
There is plenty of money to be made in weddings. There’s so much money that weddings are now considered as industries. I know someone who spent a whopping 1.4 million Pesos on his wedding and he’s not even rich. Where he got the money? I don’t know, it’s none of my business. But this is proof that there are people who are willing to spend more than what they can on their special day and if you’re a skilled photographer or videographer, don’t miss out on this opportunity.
Create a Facebook page showcasing your talent, create a gallery of your portfolio (samples of your works and skills). If you have an award winning photo then put it up as your main attraction. Put your contact details and advertise your service. Start with small and manageable gigs.
Now, understand that this business is a fast-moving operation. You will most likely need a team to help you out, you’ll need helpers in moving lightning and camera equipment and most likely another photographer to shoot from other angles. Clients would also usually want their photos and videos available right after the wedding, usually on the wedding reception, to be used for short film showing. Great and fast photo and video editing skills is also necessary to be successful. I suggest that instead of starting on your own in this line of work, you should first try to be someone’s accomplice. Starting on your own could be such a hassle specially if you don’t have much artistic idea, equipment for this business is also expensive.
Colleges like CIIT and Informatics also offers photography and video editing short courses. Tutorials are also available in Youtube.
6.) Vlogger
If you’ve got a pretty good HD camera, have some basic video editing skills, and you’re not shy to show your face to the public, then you might want to try being a Vlogger.
Unlike Videographers, you don’t need much equipment for this. Good camera, good lightning, good video editing skills are the basic things you’ll need to start. There are several social media platforms where you can upload your videos, the most popular one is Youtube because you can monetize your videos there. Meaning you can earn money with your videos. Youtube is owned by Google and Google can help you earn through ads. There are options for you to choose from on how you would like Youtube to present these ads in your videos but you’ll need to reach 10,000 views before you could apply for monetization, this is Youtube’s new policy.
You can also look for sponsorship to fund your content. Wil Dasovich and Daniel Marsh are the most popular Filipino Youtubers and together with Haley Dasovich, they’ve been seen in some videos that are sponsored by Coca Cola.
Be very careful in what sort of content you’ll be uploading, sponsors don’t like to be affiliated with vloggers who produce rude and offensive videos. You can vlog just about anything. Try vlogging about your travels, your opinions, fashion, your daily life, whatever comes to your mind. The internet is becoming bigger than televised media. More and more people these days are tuning into the internet for their daily source of entertainment and information, which means you can be more famous than your local TV star. Your audience is the whole world!
7.) Blogger
Blogs are like the magazines of the internet, in fact it’s becoming bigger than a conventional magazine you buy in a convenience store. There are plenty of magazines that has stopped producing issues because they couldn’t keep up with the competition against bloggers. Think about it, why would some average person buy a P200 magazine that has limited content if he can search what he wants to see on the internet for free?
You can also earn in blogging through ads and sponsors. Remember that advertisers and sponsors won’t work with you if you’re just using a sub domain, which means you need to buy your own domain. A domain is a web address like “www.sample.com” or “www.sample.com.ph”. A sub domain is something like “www.sample.blogspot.com”, meaning you’re using someone else’s domain. You can buy a domain and set up your website in web hosts like GoDaddy or HostGator. If you just want to try-out and see if you’ll enjoy blogging and don’t want to buy a domain yet, then you can try creating a sub domain blog account in WordPress, it’s for free.
You can blog about your interests or focus on specific things like blogging about cars or pets, whatever you want. You need to have a lot of visitors to your site before sponsors would want to pay you for a content. Let’s say you have a popular blog site and your main focus is pets, you can get sponsorship from companies that caters to the needs of pets like dog food companies, companies that create toys or accessories for pets, etc. You’ll have to think of strategies on how you can make you website popular. Another way to earn money through your blog site is by Google AdSense. You can apply to monetize your website in Google Adsense and they’ll put ads in it.
You can also be a part-time blogger. There are several web based companies who are looking to hire bloggers who can offer original content for the websites.
8.) Graphics Designer
Digital art is in high demand. There is always a need for designers in the field of marketing and advertising. From simple things, like being able to edit an image and make it more stunning, to being able to produce art from scratch using Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.
Designers or artists are one of a kind, that’s why they’re in demand. Artistic people can create things others can’t and they’re creativity sometimes is the key for companies to succeed.
Check CIIT and Informatics, they also have short courses available regarding this field, TheNewBoston also have free video tutorials for using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and other Adobe applications.
9.) 3D Sculpture Artist
These kinds of artists are involved in the production of 3D models for toys and collectibles, miniature figures, and also 3D animated films.
Some applications you would need to be good at are: Maya 3D, ZBrush, Agisoft, 3D Studio Max. There are free tutorials on Youtube that can teach you some beginner to advanced techniques on using these tools, all you need is the dedication to learn and the patience to master your craft.
Note: These jobs might not need a diploma or a certificate but it is in the discretion of the employer to prefer a candidate who has one. Also employers of course have the right to provide assessments before hiring a candidate.