I have what may be an unusual inquiry, a sort of a lament and a cry for help from the trenches of adults who want to work.
I live in Virginia, have a bachelor's degree, excellent literacy and math skills, financial literacy, computer skills, a thirst for self-learning, and have been looking for a career change. I have been reading extensively about the skills gap, Skills-Based Hiring, career pathways, "stackable" credentials, assessment centers, skill competency exams, digital badges, and Competency-Based Education and am trying to figure out how to actually make them "work" for me. I am especially interested in utilizing my lifelong learning to "test in" to a career that I might already be able to do! Being an introvert by nature, I simply love the idea of learning on my own and taking tests and have been eagerly researching these ideas with an eye to actually living them!
I heard that Health Information Technology (HealthIT or HIT) was an up-and-coming thing that was in demand by employers, so I went and earned a CHISP certification in HIT, but no one will hire me. I got a Gold Career Readiness Certificate (with WorkKeys scores of 7/7/5), but no one will hire me. I am considering trying to "skill up" to a 7/7/7 and/or going for a CRC Plus, but am in doubt over whether doing so would serve much practical purpose.
I can see before me many supposed "pathways" and "credentials" that I could try to earn, but my question now is, "Which one of these, if earned, will actually Get Me Hired?".
Does anyone have any thoughts on what I, and others like me, can do, or where we can go? I very much want to make this work and don't want to end up with a wall full of worthless certifications, no job, and a bill for the debt that I racked up earning them. I have skills, don't need ABE or a GED, don't want financial aid, and want to work!