It’s important that you find something that is a good match for your skills. That’s part of the beauty of searching for a job in Pittsburgh; it’s such a large and diverse city that there are many more job opportunities than most other places in the world. Regardless of what your skills are, it’s highly likely that you will find something here that you excel at. Thanks to the fact that so many opportunities already do exist here, and that many more need to be created to catch up to demand, this is one of the best places to start and grow a career in the United States.
Sometimes, though, this requires you to think outside of your comfort zone. That’s why it’s so important that you start with yourself, your interests, your background, your likes and dislikes, and then create a plan based on these things. You will find that there’s no such thing as the perfect opportunity sitting there calling out to you to apply. You need to be creative and start looking and figure out how the things that you are already great at will benefit an employer and then go from there.
Start with what you know
There are a number of different directions that you can go when you focus on your preexisting skills and interests. If you have an interest in sports, for example, you can work at a stadium like Heinz Field in some capacity, you could help maintain the grounds for a collegiate sports team, you could work with a sporting goods retailer like Dick’s Sporting Goods, who has Pittsburgh as the home of their offices, or a number of different directions. High schools, both public and private, always need help with coaches, if you have the right qualifications, and so on. The point is, no matter what your experience or your career goals, there is likely a path that you can take to expand on your interests and skills in a way that is professionally satisfying to you. And it doesn’t have to be with just sports, but any background. If you are interested in computers, besides looking at software companies, almost every business needs an IT team or a tech support operator. The choices are almost infinite.
Be willing to grow
Part of knowing your skills is also knowing your limitations. But, when you know your limitations, you also gain the ability to conquer them. Going back to the sports example, maybe you know all about the game of football, but you can’t coach because you don’t have your CPR certification or your coaching certificate yet. These are limitations, but they are both things that you can improve upon. Pittsburgh has a rich diversity when it comes to educational resources, so if you want to improve these holes in your resume, there are plenty of opportunities to do so.
Or, going with the computer example, perhaps you are familiar with how to install software, but don’t have formal experience working in the IT industry. If you are currently employed with a large company, speaking to your manager about training in this area could be a healthy career move if you are looking for a switch. This will give you on the job training, and help you to be more marketable as an employee in the future. Or, if you are not employed, taking a few classes at a community college to help you grow this skill could be helpful, too. Again, there are a lot of chances to find what you like, find where your weaknesses are, and enhance your skill set with the hopes of finding a better job later on.