The Power of Career Change
5 Lessons Learned
This post was originally written for Women Who Code and was selected for publication! However, in unfortunate timing, my post was scheduled for May 22, 2024 and Women Who Code shuttered the organization in April 2024.
So, I decided to make some minor edits (to open the audience outside of just women in tech) and share it instead! The format is slightly different, but overall similar.
Please enjoy and let me know if you have any questions or if I missed anything!
I found tech later in life, as many others have. Let’s start with a brief career snapshot as a baseline for examples of how to use prior experiences to leapfrog into success as a career changer:
Undergrad communication degree: public speaking, PR, interpersonal and organizational communication
Non-profit program director and aquatics director
The long hours and hard finances quickly burned me out.
Real estate assistant
My boss and I created a real estate marketing “side hustle.”
Side hustles
A creative outlet: licensed drone pilot, built websites, photographed homes, created print materials, and operated a 3D camera.
Gig work: home showings, attended inspections/contractor meetings.
COVID-19 challenges and contemplation
Real estate and marketing weren’t for me. “Solopreneur” contract work is unstable.
Tech drew me in; I tried self-learning to code.
Small, remote SaaS company building real estate tools/websites
Start in Support, take every technical opportunity to slingshot my way to the technical side.
After two years of trying to code on my own, I needed the accountability of a bootcamp to reach a higher technical level.
Year four with the same company
I was a Platform Expert and Onboarding Manager and then I moved into a Software Engineer role last May!
Lessons Learned
I’ve learned much and the things that went well for me others can now use to thrive! Here are five tips from my journey.
Identify your “foot in the door”
Use expertise in new pursuits
Weaknesses are growth opportunities
Allow experiences to navigate
Intentional work, better than hard work
#1 - Identify your “foot in the door”
Consider whether current or prior industry experiences can open opportunities. It may be the boost needed to get in - or closer to - the end goal.
My first career took advantage of eight years as a young adult lifeguard. Combined with leadership opportunities in college, I proved I could run an aquatics facility and its programs.
Later, I landed my first tech role through real estate experience. It sounds counterintuitive, but relating with and translating for customers allowed more technical opportunities. I could liaise between customers, product, and engineering teams for new features or customer issues.
This leads us to the next tip!
#2 - Use expertise in new pursuits
Expertise is composed differently depending on the background. Pinpoint your skills and harness them to propel a new career!
I honed customer and team communication in multiple roles, team training from aquatics, and project management from real estate.
Entering tech through Support, I deeply leveraged my communication skills. I frequently took opportunities to train my teammates and organized work using deadlines and project management. As an Onboarding Manager, I trained my team in-depth on the system and maneuvered project management to automate old processes.
These skills help in my current role as a software engineer, too! I have a unique empathy for our customers and their needs. I collaborate with teams. I find opportunities to “train” on concepts I'm learning or demo work. And I directly contribute to our project planning.
#3 - Weaknesses are growth opportunities
Take stock of where you need work. We all have something! For me, this is patience and what I call ambiguous ambition.
My weakness appears when I must bring others up to speed or if things I hadn’t considered could impede a plan or project. I’m not reckless, but it’s an area for improvement.
Especially in the beginning, I trekked without definite goals. I didn’t want to grow my career in the non-profit or aquatics sphere. There were chances for higher roles of responsibility, but I was exhausted.
It feels to me looking back I spent far too much time as a real estate assistant. I was unable to grow, and I left dissatisfied with my trajectory. This stall led me to seek an alternative, bringing me to tech. I’m frankly back where I was in the early days, feeling overwhelmed about my long-term options now that I have so many paths! So, I must remember this.
The important thing is to identify these areas and self-honesty about the challenges and skills to practice when seeking a career change. I keep practicing to grow personally, professionally, technically, and as a leader. There’s no need to be overly self-critical, but awareness is helpful.
#4 - Allow experiences to navigate
Decisions and unexpected opportunities may arise. Gauge whether they’re worth taking or align with your direction. This was my situation when I became the Onboarding Manager. It felt backward from the technical role I wanted, and I was open with the company about this.
I spoke with leadership early and often. They supported my end goal career shift because I brought up my desire frequently and clearly.
In the meantime, they requested I apply my platform and customer knowledge to guide my new team while adding tremendous efficiency by automating our manual processes. I decided to accept these adjacent technical challenges while working through my bootcamp during nights and weekends.
Other times, you might determine it’s time for a shift. After reaching burnout several years into a non-profit atmosphere, it was time to move on. Real estate wasn’t my first choice, but I saw an opportunity and allowed my experiences to guide me.
These decisions are very personal. Trust in yourself, your wants, and your goals are important. I hope that these stories are helpful.
#5 - Intentional work, better than hard work
It’s easy to fall into working hard without direction. Take it from Arit! (← A Women Who Code video ~1 hour long with some tremendously useful stories and advice!)
I worked hard as a real estate assistant. When I first entered tech, I worked hard in Support, trying to prove - mainly to myself - that if I worked harder, I would become more technical.
Recognition came and felt nice, but it wasn’t getting me closer. Ambiguous ambition was also at play. It seemed easier to keep going than to take the intentional pause to consider what I truly needed.
Once I took time to explore, I made clear decisions on a direct path. Real estate went nowhere fast; I enjoyed tech and wanted to be in that space. When I approached burnout in Support, I found that pointed help would get me to the next phase.
The decisions were suddenly easy. I got closer to a fulfilling career. Take a step back to get clear!
I hope my experience can help any career changer; being thoughtful can help amplify a career.
For more stuff from me, find me on LinkedIn / YouTube or catch what else I'm up to at mindi.omg.lol