If you feel unfulfilled in your job, you may not just need to find another employer— you may benefit from a complete career change.

A recent study found that 58% of surveyed participants were actively trying to make a shift in their careers altogether.

It can be intimidating, however, especially if you’re currently feeling a little stuck and aren’t entirely sure where you want to go next. Fortunately, continued education and advanced degrees can create new opportunities that help you pivot.

No one knows this better than Manoj Titus, who leveraged education assistance benefits at a previous employer to facilitate a career shift. Now, several years later, he’s completed his MBA and is working as a product manager at EdAssist in a thriving career he loves.

How Manoj began his continued education journey

Manoj graduated from college with a biology degree with the goal of becoming a physical therapist. After working in the physical therapy field as an aid, however, he realized that it wasn’t what he wanted to do long-term.

He was applying to graduate schools to become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) or to study biology for a healthcare career, and got a part-time job working in retail. He did well in sales, but started to feel stuck. While he knew his retail and sales job was always going to be a stepping stone, he wasn’t sure what his next steps would be.

At the time, his coworkers were already using their company’s education assistance program— which was run through EdAssist— to pursue continued education. When Manoj realized that the company offered graduate degree programs, he knew it would look great on a resume.

He was hesitant to actually pull the trigger, unsure if he definitely wanted to return to school, but his now-wife encouraged him and reminded him how much he’d have to pay out of pocket to return to school without the EdAssist program. He decided to return to school to get an MBA.

Pursuing a career change as a product manager

Partway into his master’s degree, Manoj was given the opportunity to work as a product manager for the company. He had to leave the company as an employee and instead work as a contractor, but took the leap of faith for better pay and the opportunity to learn more. He’d completed the first half of his degree, which had been fully paid for by his employer.

Unfortunately, he was laid off within three months.

While he was still new to product management, he knew he didn’t want to go back to sales and wanted to continue his career on its current trajectory. He applied to over 300 employers in six months and was only called for three interviews. Finally, he was given a chance with a new employer.

Six months into working with the new employer, Manoj was learning so much and was enjoying his new position. However, he also knew the position wasn’t a long-term solution due to a high amount of work and relatively low pay. At this point, he returned to school, paying for the second half of his degree out of pocket.

The investment paid off. After completing his degree, he started applying to other positions, and with two years of product management experience and an MBA under his belt, he had much better success. Manoj applied for ten positions, and all ten got back to him for an interview.

Coming full circle while working at EdAssist

Manoj had an incredible experience with EdAssist as an adult learner, and when he saw that the company had a product manager opening on LinkedIn, he applied immediately.

He now works at EdAssist as a product manager, and is able to speak to his experience about how getting an MBA was able to open doors so he could find and pursue a new career he loved. Manoj is confident that if it weren’t for EdAssist, he wouldn’t be as happy as he is today.

He now gets to help others who are in the same position he was in a few years ago, especially those feeling stuck and want a career change, but aren’t quite sure where to go next. By finding ways to improve the user experience, Manoj plays a critical role in helping current and future EdAssist users pursue their continued education, too.

Choosing employers with education assistance benefits

EdAssist has given Manoj multiple growth opportunities within his career. He’s been given the chance to work on projects he previously had limited experience with.

And after developing an entirely new set of skills, Manoj is interested in pursuing additional education. He’s currently still deciding exactly what he wants to study, but he may want to get a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a master’s in another tech topic. He’s also considering short courses to learn new development languages to continue excelling in his current role.

The sky's the limit, especially education assistance available to him. As a result, Manoj strongly recommends that job seekers look for employers offering similar programs.

He stressed that it’s essential to consider education benefits as part of your overall compensation. The cost of his master’s degree, for example, would have been at least $30,000 without tuition assistance. The opportunity and accessibility of returning to school to develop new skills and make a career shift at any point is invaluable.

And if you know you want to pursue additional education but aren’t sure exactly what type of degree or skill set development will help you most, there are resources that can help with this. EdAssist provides access to career, academic, and financial coaching to help you decide what your next steps can be.

Ready to pursue continued education to support a career change? Get advice on how to start through EdAssist’s coaching services.