Sometimes, we just want a little something new. Whether it&rsquo;s in our day-to-day life with smaller activities and hobbies, or big life changes like switching careers, it&rsquo;s normal to be on the lookout for a fresh start. When it comes to one&rsquo;s career, starting something new can be the difference between staying at a position you don&rsquo;t enjoy and finally pursuing your dream job. Eric McCracken is an example of what happens when we go after our next big thing.

After leaving the military in 2007, Eric spent his professional life in the maintenance field. Not fully satisfied, Eric knew that he could turn his passion for programming into something more. Driven to achieve more, Eric made it his goal to reach the role of Developer.

Eric then earned his Associate&rsquo;s degree in web and mobile development, but that was just the start. He applied himself even further and gained a scholarship to take our Coding from Scratch course. Using nothing but his own motivation to find a new challenge and conquer it, Eric passed the course with ease.

Though this would be more than enough to count Eric as a resounding success, he didn&rsquo;t stop there. Eric also volunteers as one of CareerCircle&rsquo;s lead facilitators, where he helps guide other scholarship winners using the lessons he&rsquo;s learned to help them take control of their own professional lives.
 Starting something new can be an anxious experience, but it should also be an exciting one. Much like the way Eric approached his new challenges, it&rsquo;s all about how we go after these new opportunities that makes all the difference. Start your next chapter by finding a partner who <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/">shares your vision for</a> a greater professional future.

Discover how Eric turned his passion for programming into a successful career and helps others do the same.

Circle of Success: Eric’s Path to a New Challenge

In any walk of life, we do our best when we&rsquo;re feeling our best. It&rsquo;s no different when it comes to our careers and achieving the absolute most from them. Confidence in the world of career development is everything. Whether it&rsquo;s feeling assured before a job interview, or having the confidence to go out and get more from a current opportunity, we all need it. When Chris Mills gained more career confidence through upskilling, his professional future began in earnest.

When Chris joined the Administrator Proficiency Pack Training Program with CareerCircle, he was taking the first step to gaining more control over his professional future. With his background in IT and previous Salesforce experience, it was the right opportunity to add more skills to everything he already had.

Through the session, Chris found clarity in Salesforce concepts that were previously out of reach. He gained more skills and was able to get access to a certified Salesforce Administrator necessary to hit a deeper understanding of the platform. More than these aspects, however, Chris was able to gain true confidence in his skills and career path through this course that propelled him forward.

After securing a job as Salesforce Administrator, he is now fully responsible for implementing the Salesforce CRM&nbsp; within his organization. Chris took action to enroll in a session that would prepare him for a more successful role in the future. On top of that, Chris did everything in his power to go into this role confident that he had everything he needed to be a valuable asset to this team.
 When you set out to upskill, you&rsquo;re actually giving yourself far more than extra skills. You&rsquo;re actively building up your own confidence in the process so that you enter new opportunities with a belief that you&rsquo;re the one for the career and you have done whatever is in your power to make it happen. Confidence is everything when it comes to securing the career you have always wanted, it&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/career-paths">time to find yours</a>.

Empower your career with CareerCircle’s upskilling program. Learn about Chris' story here.

Circle of Success: After Chris Found More Confidence, His Career Took Off

If there&rsquo;s one shared feeling that often comes up for those that are struggling in the job search phase or unfulfilled with their current position, it&rsquo;s hopelessness. We&rsquo;ve all been there. It&rsquo;s only natural. With so much on the line, any little rejection, failure, or shortcoming can feel magnified. But the good news is,&nbsp; it&rsquo;s something that you can work on and change. This Circle of Success story shows how Antwon Napue was able to conquer that feeling and come out stronger than ever on the other side.

Feeling stuck, both personally and professionally, Antwon Napue knew that if he was going to get through this hopeless phase in his professional life, he was going to need a little help. That lifeline to a greater career path came in the form of the Google IT Support Program with Coursera. One of the most powerful things that anyone in a position like Antwon&rsquo;s can use is the knowledge that they&rsquo;re not alone. There are people and programs out there with a mission to help those that are feeling stuck, and feeling hopeless, and will do whatever it takes to help them find their next big thing.

Though Antwon had some customer service experience, he was worried that his lack of hands-on IT experience would hold him back. Instead of taking this as&nbsp; defeat, he did what so many of our greatest success stories at CareerCircle do: he took this as an opportunity. He took this leap and upskilled himself, saying it &ldquo;gave him the confidence and sense of hope that he never had before!&rdquo;

After finding the right course for his trajectory, Antwon is now gaining crucial experience in customer service and database management as a contact tracer, giving him the bonus of helping to fight COVID-19, while putting him on course to the IT career he&rsquo;s been after. Through one convenient online certification, Antwon has been able to find a better way to provide for his family, while giving himself the chance to do work that he can be proud of at the same time. He&rsquo;s driven to springboard the success he&rsquo;s already had into a future role as a Network Administrator or Cloud Architect in the future.
 Antwon&rsquo;s case is the perfect example of why a feeling of hopelessness in your career shouldn&rsquo;t be taken as the end, but rather, the beginning. For anyone feeling a similar way, know that there are plenty of avenues, partners, and tools waiting to be used to help you find a career that feels more like a calling. <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/">The first step is finding the right partner</a>.

Feeling stuck in your job? Learn how Antwon overcame obstacles with the Google IT Support Program.

Circle of Success: Antwon’s Journey from Hopeless to Confident

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157 Articles

Circle of Success: Eric’s Path to a New Challenge

Circle of Success: After Chris Found More Confidence, His Career Took Off

Circle of Success: Antwon’s Journey from Hopeless to Confident

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