Changing Career Paths

Question

Does anyone have experience on changing career paths? How do you start? What worked for you and what didn't? Do you think you made the right decision?

SV · Answer

I got my bachelor’s degree in one field (event management and government), and worked in it for 7.5 years. I wanted to change careers (to IT) but I felt like my background was putting employers off because it wasn’t related enough. So I went to grad school and got my master’s in the field I wanted to go into. I basically had to prove I really knew what I knew, plus I learned more to back it up.

I left my job in field 1 to take a job closer to where I would be going to school (since I was driving to another county for the first job). At my new job, I started out in an entry level position unrelated to what I was pursuing in school. But I communicated with the members of the IT department and got moved into a position within IT. Since then and since graduating, I’ve moved into a second position in the department.

What worked for me: 
1. I was willing (and able) to leave a job I had for a long time to take a new job in a new field because I had an end goal.
2. I was personally able to pay my way through grad school so I didn’t take on any debt in the process of changing. I would recommend evaluating the cost/benefit before taking on debt (especially additional debt if you already have debt) in order to change careers through education.

What I would have done differently:
1. I should have made a change earlier. I stayed at a job for 7.5 years but should have switched earlier. I was almost 30 when I made the changes.
2. I do regret moving from my non-IT job into the IT job at the same company. I often hear or am made to feel that I got the job in IT because I had the other position; I feel like my master’s is downplayed for some reason (possibly because others in the department are not educated to such a level). I look forward to my next position where only my education and relevant work experience are important.

Dana Barnes · Answer

I am still in the process of changing careers. I started by becoming more active on LinkedIn and connecting with people who worked in the profession I want to pursue. Also, I conducted informational interviews. One of the people I connected with on LinkedIn is also a career coach, who cares about helping her clients pursue careers they enjoy. I joined her free Facebook group in 2018 and became one of her clients in 2019 after I noticed some of her clients made successful career transitions. So far, I am happy with her services. In addition to working with her, I am also going to network with people face to face, which she strongly encourages me to do. I hope to make a career transition before this year ends.

BBI · Answer

Yes. Did. Tellimarketing. And change to in store Marketing and doing Online Marketing now All is great jobs

Sandra Diaz · Answer

I have leveraged my consumer goods marketing and innovation skills to a workforce development leadership role at a non-profit and a private job search coaching practice. I started by creating a job search ministry for a church in 2010, and was encouraged by my 'clients' to pursue it as a profession.  The non-profit where I work by day called me to consider a role because I had over the years provided them useful information to pursue their Economic Empowerment area goals. So, I proved my value to the employer and relied on relationships to open the door for the career change.

Changing Career Paths

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