Does anyone else feel like the longer they stay without work the more skills they lose? My career was in IT but things move fast. Soon my skills will be outdated. I went back to school a few years ago but I still can't find work. I feel a little lost :(

3 Comments

1. AnonymousOctober 8,2026 at 10:22AM UTC

   Try contributing to open-source projects and products. You can add it to your resume and it will keep you knowledgeable in the latest trends as well.

2. OLIVIA JOHNSONOctober 9,2026 at 2:07PM UTC

   Hi there!

   Yes! In the IT world things move quickly. There is definitely a need to continue to upskill and in some cases be at the top of the curve if unemployed. This would be a great time to upskill and possibly even be ahead of the tech game.

   I would recommend a few things below, free & paid (if able to);

   • Enroll the free online AI classes that you see advertise. They are free as long as you don't select any of the add-on tools or services they upsell. You jump on a training for an hour or more and walk away with some new tools. They are all not great, nor will they make you experts, but you can find out what the new or up and coming tools are and commit to trying them out yourself.
   • Training Platforms like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning. These are great resources for trainings. These can be free or paid. LinkedIn Learning will also attach a badge to your profile when complete. Coursera can connect you with trainings from some very reputable companies like Google and has filters for you to find the free, low cost or higher cost courses. It also allows you to filter based on length of time you are looking to complete a course as well. I have included the links below.
   • I already saw someone shared open-source projects and products as an option, so I will just add to that a couple places to look i.e. GitHub, Discord, even Reddit has a few groups that can lead you to so private work groups, etc.
   • Self-Directed - IF you have the ability to be able to teach yourself, you could approach your upskilling like it is your job. Pretend that you are employed and being asked to find free trainings that you have to select and attend. Set them up as you would for a job. It's amazing what we mentally do for an employer but can struggle sometimes to do for ourselves.
   • (Paying Option) Bootcamps - IF you are looking to upskill in a particular software or area of expertise i.e. shift from programming to cybersecurity, then a bootcamp may be a great resource. IF going this route and paying for it, I would also recommend that you find a bootcamp with outplacement services that can assist you in finding a job in the field. Even better if they have some sort of money-back guarantee (you have to be very diligent to qualify and stay eligible).

   Be sure to network in these opportunities as well. You never know where your next opportunity will come from.

   I truly hope that this was helpful.

   Coach Olivia

3. Steven MockNovember 7,2026 at 5:13AM UTC

   You're not alone in feeling this, especially in IT — and I don't think your skills are disappearing the way it can feel when you're out of work. The tools change fast, but the core of the work — how you think through a problem, how you learn a system, how you work with people — doesn't go away just because you haven't used it in a while.

   What helped people I've seen in a similar spot is picking one thing, not everything. Choose the one skill or tool that keeps showing up in the roles you want, and build something small and real with it — a small project, a volunteer piece of work, a short course with an actual outcome you can show. That gives you something concrete to talk about in an interview, and it usually does more for confidence than another round of general study.

   You're not starting from zero. You went back to school, you already have a career behind you, and that experience counts. Keep going — and if you can, talk to someone working in the area you're aiming for. A short conversation about what they're actually using day to day can narrow the focus a lot.