Career Change Process: Leverage Your Current Employer
Tags: career, beginners, selftaught
Published: 2019-07-17 14:42:13



**Background:** I am currently learning front-end web development in an effort to make an eventual career shift. I set out in search of a formal class setting to learn Javascript, but could not afford a Bootcamp nor did I have the time to dedicate myself to one. As a result, I had to find a sweet spot - something that was both reasonably priced and not a huge time commitment.  I found some coding [workshops by General Assembly](https://generalassemb.ly/education?where=online#catalog-results) that fit exactly what I was looking for time-wise but were still *slightly* out of my budget. I started to brainstorm ways that I could enroll in the class and find a way to have it fully (or at least partially) paid for.



##### Employer Funding 

- I currently work for a software company as a Customer Success Manager where the day-to-day functions of my role do not require any coding whatsoever. My employer provides a quarterly training budget from which I have not requested a penny. In the past, I was hesitant to request funding because the classes I wanted to take were out of my job scope. But, not asking for it was a guaranteed *no* so I finally decided to go for it.
- So - how do you make the argument to your manager?
  - **Explain the Value.** It's key to identify your current responsibilities and how a class can supplement or improve your performance. In my example, being a product expert is imperative for communicating with clients effectively. The only way I can improve on that is by becoming more technical, so knowing how our products website works increases your value to the company. 
    - "I want to make sure I am providing our client base with as much knowledge about the product as possible. To do this, I would like to become more technical with the product and I think this class would help me holistically understand what our clients experience every day."
  - **Continued Education.** Showing management your desire to further your development & education is a sign that you want to learn & grow. Learning skills that are specific to what you do every day is unrealistic and by doing this your ceiling of potential is limited. Learning skills somewhat *outside* of your current role can drastically impact your development, or in my case hopefully, help find a new role & interest.
  - **Be Reasonable.** Your current employer is likely not going to agree to pay thousands of dollars for coding Bootcamp, so find some more affordable options. For example, I am taking two coding workshops through [General Assembly](https://generalassemb.ly/education?where=online#catalog-results) that are around $250 each. It might be worth asking colleagues what they've had covered by the company to figure out a baseline. 
  - **You Have to Ask.** I have worked at my current employer for over two years and they provide a quarterly training budget. I have been interested in web development for over a year now, but was always hesitant to ask for additional training outside of my core job functionality. I  recommend putting time on your manager's calendar to discuss why you think you should have this training, or use time during your 1:1. 



You got this! 



Any questions? Ask me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ConorGone)!