How to successfully transition to new field?

Rachel Avery

July 6,2022 at 3:23PM UTC

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How to successfully transition to new field?

First off, so thrilled that I found this website and community. I have already gained a lot of insight and honestly gained some hope from it.

Okay back to the question at hand.

I am in my 30s, have been in CX for 14 years. I have primarily worked in start ups, which means not only was I a CX manager, but I was HR, Marketing, Tech, Guest Experience, Project Manager, etc----So I am in a good place experience wise.

I want to leave CX as a whole and join a more tech based or design based role. The problem is, although I have 14 years of experience and have had my feet wet in those areas, I do not have the minimal amount of experience they want for entry level. Additionally, I live in the middle of nowhere of Washington State, so it HAS to be remote. My partner is a school teacher for another year so until then we have to stay here but the plan is to move to the Seattle area after (for reference, Seattle is 2.5 hours away).

I did not finish college and cannot afford to go back. I do have my UX Design Certification from Google, tons of Udemy and Linked In certificates as well.

I have talked to dozens of recruiters who say I have the perfect background however they want someone with a bit more experience. Or when it goes perfect, they just...never respond or reach out again with feedback or any response at all.

Has anyone ever transitioned out of strictly customer service to a different area completely...successfully? I have been at it for 3 months now and I am so exhausted as looking for a new job is a full time job!

If anyone has any advice, resources, or even recruiters that helped them out and gave them a chance--I am open to it all.

Wishing y'all the best day!

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Barb HansenJuly 6,2022 at 6:18PM UTC
What role do you want to transition into? UX, coding, front end-design, analyst, product, project?
The list goes on and on right?
I know it can be hard to narrow down your options, and as you mentioned above, you have a lot of experience that's transferable to multiple roles, but I encourage you to do just that - narrow down the role(s) you want to move into.
As an example, let's say you decide to move into Product...
I'm going to use the job roles of Product because that's what I do and it's a great role to transition into b/c:
1) it's a generalized role (product people do a little bit of everyone on top of doing Product stuff, so people with a wide range of general skills can make great product people)
2) there is no degree for Product and even though there are Product certs, those certs are "nice to haves" not "must haves" for almost all Product jobs.
...so let's say you want to be a Product person ...
1) Start learning all you can about Product roles (YouTube, Udemy, Linkedin), but don't take any Product certification classes (they are not required to start with)
1a) Start learning the insider-language of Product World, and then sprinkle those words into your resume
2) Talk to as many product people as you can. I'm a product person who would be happy to chat with you (seriously, you can reach out to me anytime)
3) Look for Product jobs at CX software companies. Your experience in CX would be invaluable to a CX software company.
4) Once you've got your first Product job, you can spin that jobs into your next Product job in a different industry (if you want to move completely out of the CX Industry)
Again, I'm happy to chat if you want to learn more about Product or transitioning into other tech jobs. Please DM me
AnonymousJuly 7,2022 at 1:46PM UTC
Hi Rachel! We are so glad to have you here as part of the community. Although I do not have any experience transitioning from a strictly CX role to a tech/design role, I have made a similar jump in regards to a career change. One thing to know is that you are not alone in this endeavor.
Have you tried to reach back out to the recruiters that you haven't heard from for further explanation?
Kate Bishop, Career Confidence & Wellbeing Specialist, Coach & TrainerAugust 4,2022 at 3:40PM UTC
Hi Rachel,
I can see the challenge you are facing is a big one and you have already been given some great advice below.
I'd add to this and encourage you to reach out to your network - who do you know who can help you find a role in design? They may be able to provide you with introductions, work experience or suggestions on what else to study to help with your chances.
Widen your network too - attend online or in person events, find people and companies in Seattle to reach out to to see what opportunities are there.
Be prepared to go in at an entry level or in a CX role to get exposure to that industry.
Good luck
AnonymousAugust 4,2022 at 4:17PM UTC
Hi Rachel! I transitioned from admin roles to tech support and now from tech support to "senior customer solutions engineer" which is a combination of high-level support, QA, and tech writing.
When I was doing non-technical work, I got involved with a PC users' group and then volunteered with other organizations in order to get experience.
With the second move, I learned as much as I could about the business and took on any extra task that I possibly could. Then I asked for a review and was promoted to a new position based on what I was already doing.
Good luck!
Jennifer TaylorAugust 4,2022 at 9:36PM UTC
Welcome!
I transitioned from creative project management to corporate communications when I was 50. Yes I have my bachelor's, but that's far removed. The best thing I did was to do contract work for about a year. I was with two different companies and learned so much! Those contract roles really set me up for success and I'm not a full-time communications manager for one of the world's largest packaging companies.
Send me a connection request on LinkedIn and I'll hook you up with the incredible contract recruiter I used. LinkedIn: Jennifer Urso Taylor