So, you finished college, changed a job or two in the field you chose for yourself. Everything is going smoothly career-wise but you feel you could achieve more. Maybe you’re a data entry specialist who has discovered they have awesome analytical skills. The obvious next step is to move into data science. But how do you get from A to B? How about this scenario, you’re working as a programmer and have a nice comfortable job in financial services. But deep down, as a gamer in your spare time, you would love to test your skills in the gaming industry.

A decade or so ago, reskilling or upskilling would mean you’d have to go back to college and spend more time out of the job market or combine work with night school. But now, many employers are happy to help you gain new skills.

And that is especially true in Lithuania. The country’s biggest and best companies offer exciting and lucrative reskilling programs for ambitious talents looking to take the next step. And it’s not surprising that they’re so focused on doing so. After all, according to Deloitte Insights, 94% say they’d stay in a company if it assisted them with their development.

Reskilling or Upskilling?

What’s the difference between reskilling and upskilling, and which one is right for you? Well, that depends on your objectives. Upskilling is when you feel that you have some skill gaps in your current role, and you want to eliminate those gaps. You are probably happy in your job but you want to advance at a faster pace. Customarily, the kinds of competencies involved in upskilling are such things as digital skills, analytics skills, and organizational transformation skills. In most organizations, you’ll probably be able to source information on any upskilling opportunities available from your HR or People representative.

Reskilling is when you are looking to make a full change of role. You might have found yourself in a steady position, but you are feeling unchallenged. Or maybe, you’d just like to check out another industry, as it resounds more closely with your interests. Of course, it always helps if you are reskilling vertically, from data input to data analysis, for instance, or as a back-end programmer in the Fintech sphere to the gaming sphere. It is worth noting, however, that reskilling might not be possible within the organization you work in, so you might find that it takes the brave step of jumping into the unknown.

But fear not. Whether you are swapping like for like, or looking to start out fresh in a new field, you’ll find that in Lithuania there are a number of reskilling programs being offered by industry leaders that will help get a foothold in your new career.

Fun with finance

Up and running since 2019, Danske Bank’s FuturePros program has so far welcomed 129 talents who were looking to pivot into the challenging and lucrative world of finance. They require no prior work experience in the field, and are also very happy to enroll students. Through a flexible learning schedule, which includes various training sessions, networking and community activities, they help prepare participants for a wide range of roles in finance. This touches on everything from IT, software engineering, data science, business analytics, risk management, finance, and project management.

Cyber security opportunities with a global market leader

If you’ve spent more than a minute on Youtube, you’ve more than likely heard of NordVPN, a real heavyweight in the world of cybersecurity. Their mother company Nord Security launched Nordswitch as a springboard for hungry talents looking to launch an exciting career in tech. This program offers a 6-month working contract where participants literally learn on the job by performing tasks with experienced team members. You receive ongoing support and education throughout the program, and even receive a monthly wage. Not only that, top performers will find themselves offered full-time contracts by Nord Security at the end of the program. 

The kinds of roles covered include Apps/Software Development, Data Analytics, Application Security, Information Security, and more. The only criteria for the program are that you are fluent in English, have a passion for the subject, have a decent (if self-taught) background in the field, and are “ambitious, have a can-do attitude, curious, proactive, and a team player.” If you feel you fit the bill, and have the hots for cybersecurity, this is the reskilling option for you.

Games.Games.Games

The game industry has grown massively in recent years, experiencing 3x growth, and now boasts 90 plus companies, employing 2500 specialists and generating a whopping 225M in revenue. And it’s only set to grow. After all, the Games Industry’s worth now exceeds that of the music and movie industries combined.

Lithuanian has a lot of great opportunities for people wanting to reskill to break into this super exciting and dynamic industry. First up is the unique GameDev Camp. This is a unique program that is run completely online (across multiple Discord channels) over 12 weeks in the summer. It describes itself as a “mentorship program that invites talented game developers, artists, and game designers to start a team, make a game, and find a job or continue developing the game.”

Basically, the organizers put participants in teams based on their shared experience, and they’ll receive mentoring and support from professionals in top games companies, with programmers getting guidance from programmers, and artists from artists, etc. And at the end of the 12 weeks, they’ll have produced a game. To qualify, you need to show a deep knowledge and some practical experience of gaming, even if it’s only at a hobbyist level.

Lithuania’s biggest player in the gaming industry is definitely Wargaming. The company’s Vilnius headquarters is now home to 1,000 + industry professionals and is continuing to grow. And it’s also committed to helping people to fast-track into multiple roles in the industry. Via their Wargaming Forge program, participants are able to receive a 4-6 month mentorship, whose duration depends on the specialism or role they are looking to re-skill in. The fully immersive course has been designed to familiarize participants with Wargaming products, tech and people, with all tuition and support being delivered by world-class mentors. You’ll literally be learning on the job. And for students who successfully finish this program, there is the potential to secure a position with the company itself.

Onwards and upwards. Start your new career today

Lithuania is all about opportunities, so if you are looking for career growth, you’ll find countless options to choose from. Why not start planning your journey today?