“It is impossible to change careers!”
“It’s too late to transition intosomething else.”
“You don’t have the right skills for the job.”
Is what a closed-minded person would say… 😏
Luckily, I don’t subscribe to that mindset and nor should you. People change careers all of the time, and while the road isn’t always easy, it IS possible. I am a real-life example that it can happen because I have done it several times. You could say I have made a career out of pivoting!
To give some insight into my journey, I am inviting you to take a walk with me on my not-so-linear career path, starting with my first job of out college where I was a:
Human Resources Clerk and then an HRIS Specialist (manufacturing and automotive industries).
It should be noted that I studied Sociology and Psychology in College with 0 years of HR experience. What I did have were the transferable skills, ambition, and an insatiable drive to learn. Thankfully my employer saw and appreciated that in me, and I was hired for the job.
I thought my long-term career was going to be in Human Resources, but I thankfully discovered early on that it was not the right fit for me. So, I opened my horizons and started exploring positions in other industries. And several months later I accepted a job as a…
Group Events Coordinator at Pacers Sports & Entertainment (entertainment & hospitality industries).
I pivoted from Human Resources to program and event coordination, and I changed industries as well.
This was a great job, but after several years I reached the ceiling for advancement and started to search for positions that offered upward mobility. My friend shared with me a job opportunity and after interviewing for it, I accepted the role of…
Guest Services Manager at Lucas Oil Stadium (entertainment & hospitality industries).
This was a more ‘traditional’ job change in the sense that I stayed in the entertainment industry, but in my role at LOS I created programs from scratch and managed a large part-time staff — something I had never done before, but again, my employer hired me because they saw I had the transferable skills to do the job and the drive to learn.
After only a year and some change on the job, the recession hit, and my position was eliminated. The decision for my layoff had no bearing on my performance and was just an unfortunate circumstance of the economy and company restructure.
After several months of being unemployed, I took a major leap when I accepted an offer to be an…
Executive Director for a local non-profit organization.
I transitioned from the entertainment and sports industry into the social and human services sectors AND I was leading an organization - again, something I did not have traditional experience doing, but in the interview with the Board of Directors, I made sure to convey my relevant experience and express my drive to learn and passion to make a difference in the community, and I was awarded the role.
I learned a lot in a short amount of time, and I believed in the mission and work I was doing, but I had to step away due to having a high-risk pregnancy.
Several years later, I reentered the workforce as an…
Independent Contractor working for small business owners.
I leveraged the skills and experiences I had gained throughout my career by supporting small business owners on various projects including marketing and social media initiatives, blogging, project management, recruiting, and more (using the knowledge and skills I developed from each of my jobs). This ended up being a great transition back into the working world.
As time passed, I eventually got the itch to open my own business, and in February 2022 I became the…
Founder and Owner of Interview Ally.
I love what I am doing, and I am grateful to be able to use my diverse experience and knowledge that I gained as a result of the various pivots I took along my professional journey.
So, you see…
Career change IS possible, friends. If you want to make that leap, go for it.
Keep going. Keep believing in YOU. 🎇
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