Career Swap Like a Boss
There’s no hiding the fact that changing careers is a huge step! For most people (including me), it’s terrifying! But it’s also very possible with a little determination and forward planning.
My Journey
So far, I’ve made four major career changes and not because I’m flaky and can’t stick to one thing (I know you were thinking that 😉). It’s because I am driven to continue learning and growing in work that is personally satisfying. My varied experiences haven’t logically connected or flowed from one to the other on paper. But in practice, every single one has taught me valuable lessons that I’ve been able to apply to subsequent roles.
In the Beginning
I started my working life where many teenagers do, working at a supermarket after school and on weekends. When I finished high school I had dreams of becoming a visual artist, or a psychologist, but took a year off to work (and think) before choosing the ‘practical’ route of nursing. I had several administration and caring jobs while studying nursing at university and then worked as a Registered Nurse at a major hospital after I graduated.
While I was nursing, I decided I wanted to do further study to become a midwife. But I soon changed my mind after seeing how little I would be earning in exchange for the extra student debt! As I was considering my next move (having realised that shift work in a hospital wasn’t my true calling), the bright lights of pharmaceutical sales caught my eye.
Changing Careers (the first time)
Beautiful clothes, company car, and travel; 24-year-old me thought it looked like a very nice gig! I set out to build my network in the pharma industry and found a recruiter who was willing to take me on… if I had experience. I didn’t have experience, but she managed to set-up a day for me out on the road with an established sales representative so I could get an inside view of the job. After that, I could technically tick the box of having industry experience. After following a few unsuccessful leads from the recruiter, I applied directly to AstraZeneca (a pharmaceutical company). After passing a full day of testing and interviewing, I was officially a rookie pharmaceutical sales rep. I was on-boarded with a bunch of other newbies and we were sent to Sydney for several weeks of training. I couldn’t believe my luck and loved the lifestyle my new role offered!
After a few years of working in sales, winning a team sales champion award, and making new friends, I started to feel disenfranchised with the pharmaceutical industry. I went in as a very naive young nurse and soon had my eyes opened to the money and influence of ‘big pharma’ and the (at times) unethical practices of both companies and doctors that lead to huge profits. At the time, our team was pushing two key products and one of our reps visited each geographic ‘brick’ (location) every week. Receptionists and doctors were tired of seeing us and hearing the same information, over and over. Sales were good, but my satisfaction was low. Rather than leaving, I negotiated with my company to reduce my hours to three days per week and spent the other two days working with my ex-husband in his signwriting business.
From Corporate to Small Business
In our business, I did everything from administration, reception and client consultations to design, and recruitment. During this time I also completed professional photography training and started doing food photography for some of our hospitality clients. It got to a point where business was doing well, we had bought our first house, and having kids was the logical next step. When I had our first son, I took maternity leave from my pharmaceutical role, but I was back at our signwriting business the next week. In hindsight, it was way too soon… but that’s a story for another day. I never returned to my pharmaceutical role, resigning after my maternity leave ended. For the next few years, my ex-husband and I worked in his business, grew it, and had another son four years after our first. By then, we had more staff and my role in the business wasn’t as significant. But there was another big change on the horizon.
A Catalyst for Change
When our sons were six- and two-years old, my ex-husband and I separated. The kids and I moved in with my mum who lived nearby. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate at that point, I decided it was also a good time to go back to tertiary study. I enrolled in a Graduate Diploma of Communication at Deakin University. The next two-years were a whirlwind of managing kids, study and part-time work. I also became very unwell with Glandular Fever and had repeated collapses due to adrenal fatigue in the two-years following that. At the end of my degree, one of my lecturers invited me to teach as a sessional (casual) staff member at Deakin, which took me completely by surprise and started the journey to my current full-time role as an Associate Lecturer in Communication.
As I mentioned earlier, my experiences in these very different roles have informed each subsequent one. I still apply many of the principles and ethics from nursing to my current teaching role. I also draw on my sales, corporate, and small business experience every single day. Although I could never have planned for or predicted many of the things I’ve done, I wouldn’t change any of it!
Making a Career Change Possible
Looking back, I can see a pattern or formula that has helped make each transition possible.
The first thing that every career change needs is research, and networking. Each time I started feeling that I needed a change, I researched different jobs and industries online and found some people in those industries to talk to. This helped me gain an insight into what the job involved and if it sounded like a good fit for me. This process of talking to people is a good way to learn, but also to network and find referrals to potential employers and roles.
Once I had some insider insights, the second step was to plan my transition. Every situation is different but in my case, I considered whether I needed to do any extra study, or build skills in particular areas to qualify for the next role and thought about timing the move according to what was happening in my life at the time, and how much leave I had accrued, etc. There are some super brave people out there who resign from one job before securing the next one, but I have always had something to go straight into. Making a career transition is scary enough without adding extra stress and uncertainty about when the right gig might come along!
The third step (which actually coincides with the second step in many cases) is developing a strong online presence, or personal brand. This is a fantastic way to stand out in a crowd of job seekers. Although I didn’t need an online brand in 2007 when I moved from nursing to pharmaceutical sales, I absolutely need one now. And there aren’t many industries where having a personal-professional online presence isn’t an advantage!
If you’re new to the concept of online personal branding, have a look at this post: How to Brand Yourself.
TLDR;
Changing careers is absolutely possible (and rewarding)!
- Step 1: Research, and networking
- Step 2: Plan for the transition
- Step 3: Develop a strong online presence (personal brand)
What’s your next move (and what do you need to know)?
Are you ready to make your next career change? What are your burning questions?
Do you know which industry or job you want to move into, or do you just know it’s time for a change (whatever that may be)?
Are you hoping for more meaningful work? More money? More time?
I’d love to hear from you below — your comments and questions will help shape my future content, and I’ll refer you to any other relevant resources and advice too!
*I was going to title this post something like ‘Lessons in Changing Careers’ but my eldest son got the naming rights in the end. I don’t think it exactly fits the tone of my writing but hey, it was more engaging than what I had! If you like his style, you’ll have to wait a few more years to see his writing because he’s busy making YouTube and TikTok videos right now! :)
This blog was originally published on Brave Little Pig
