If you’ll be dedicating more time and attention to your career change and growth this year, I have five of my favorite tools that will help you save money, time, and energy, as well as create new connections and opportunities for yourself!

These applications and tools are favorites of our community

YNAB | Between the Great Resignation or simply your curiosity about pursuing self-employment, there’s nothing more powerful than having flexibility and savings in your budget. YNAB is hands down the reason I was able to leave my full-time job - and it’s still the reason that I have a lot of flexibility and never feel pressured to overwork or find new clients. 

I use it for my own personal budget and also to manage the budget for Work Wonders Careers. There is definitely a bit of a learning curve to YNAB so I recommend signing up for at least one of their super helpful webinars until you get the hang of it.

Freedom | Who among us doesn’t get a little distracted “working” online? Freedom is the perfect app to help you actually focus on your career change and growth goals. It’s an app that blocks specific sites that you decide distract you a little too much from work (I’m looking at you, Twitter!). 

You can set specific hours and days and even extend it to your cell phone. Yes, I went ahead and bought a lifetime subscription because who am I kidding? I will need this for as long as there is internet!

LinkedIn | My clients have mixed feelings about LinkedIn...but I’m a fan. It is your space to own your experience and strengths, stay connected to peers and colleagues, and create a launchpad for your next step. Get clear on your goals and how you want LinkedIn to support those goals (hint: logging in, scrolling, and logging right back out is probably not going to get you the results that you want). 

If you’re struggling to get started, check out our Uncomplicate Your Job Search Toolkit that includes Feel Good LinkedIn - and make sure you follow me if you’re looking for a friendly face and cheerleader while you get started.

Accelerator | If you know you want a new job, there’s nothing better than giving yourself the support, structure, and tools to make it happen. If you happen to catch this post in early January, you might be able to snag a spot in our Winter Accelerator. Otherwise, check out our services, which include access to Work Wonders & Co., our program for job seekers that includes feedback on your resumes, access to our on-demand curriculum to help you execute your strategy, and our friendly and ambitious community to keep you motivated along the way.

Community | Speaking of community...you’re not trying to DIY this whole career change and growth thing, right? Please tell me you’ve got a team behind you! If you’re thinking of changing careers, joining a professional development community in your potential field is a great way to meet new people and gather critical information. Tech Ladies is a great example of this! (And of course, you can check out the Career Collective if you’re looking for support launching a portfolio career, starting a side hustle, building visibility, or exploring other career goals.)

Do you have the tools and resources you need to reach your goals this year?