Career switch FAQ
Friends considering a professional career change often come and ask me questions about it, because I’ve had many professional lives. I thought it was maybe worth writing a story.
My story
As a student, I had dozens of side jobs. I was a yes-person, taking a chance at every opportunity. Salesperson, yes! Soccer stadium usher, of course! Costumed guide in a castle, why not! Waitress, I’m game! Caricaturist, bring it on! Dental office secretary, sure! Holiday camp activity leader, here I am! Silkscreen printing assistant, on my way! I could go on.
I loved arriving in a completely different context, with new people, a new culture, new jargon, and trying to crack something. In other words, I was into the Quantum Leap vibe (calling out all millennials)! My friends loved hearing the stories of whichever crazy new job I had found, and some even joined me in my adventures. Of course, as a student, making money was a strong driver, but it was also about building my story as a young adult and having fun. My older self is glad I had all those incredible stories in my backpack when I got my diploma. “New” was already a familiar concept when looking for a more perennial position.
After I got my diploma, my quest didn’t end. I worked as a retoucher for a year, then as an art director for about 2.5 years, became a photoshoot producer for 3 years, and then decided to learn about interfaces. That was in 2015. Ever since, I have been designing interfaces, shifting from UX to UI, and more recently to a more full-stack approach with Product Design.
FAQ
How do you know it is going to work?
Internal versus external move
Most of my career changes happened because of internal opportunities, so the risk was under control. I knew I could revert to my initial position easily if things turned wrong, as it was part of the negotiation. I’ve always had huge respect and admiration for my new coworkers, I wanted to become their equal so badly that I never asked to revert to where I was before.
The first time I didn’t change internally at a company was my most difficult move, but I secured it by checking there were enough job opportunities so I could swiftly move away from difficult situations.
I also made sure that my partner was ready to bring me full support down the road, as I knew it would be a bumpy ride.
It is also so much about where you work! Some experiences I took didn’t fully work out. Back then it made me feel very insecure about my new life choices. Taking a step back, I realized it was not about my career decisions, but about culture fit, which I had little control over.
Mindset
The odds that your new career could disappoint can be paralyzing. I’ve seen many coworkers daydreaming about change while not being able to initiate anything. They eventually doubted their worth, and it made change even more out of reach. When a job isn’t fulfilling anymore, I think it is riskier to stick around and lose your spark. Yet I believe that the odds of being disappointed are low if you are intentional about what is worthy of your dedication. In other words, you can control your drive.
My good friend M. can get passionate about anything. She once was in an internship at an advertising agency while working hard on her diploma. One of her first tasks was to run an analysis of how people use toilet paper. When she told me about it, I felt sorry for her, and to be honest, I still wonder whether it was bullying. Surprisingly, she was very excited, she ran me through all her discoveries, she was doing amazing with this project, giving it a fun twist. Each time she faces new situations, she succeeds gracefully because of her lack of preconceptions. Everything is potentially worthy of her attention. Her enthusiasm is inspiring. I made a conscious choice of being like her rather than dragging my feet when facing what appeared to be thankless tasks — which you’ll face as a second-time junior! Thanks to this mindset, I can confidently state that each job I took was my dream job up until I left.
How do you know it‘s the right moment?
My golden rules
Golden rule number one. Even if you are best friends with your co-workers, if people are the only reason you’re sticking to that job/position, that’s not a good enough reason. Another golden rule I have is to move forward before becoming bitter. Life’s too short. If you’re experiencing long-term frustration about what you are currently doing, maybe it’s time for introspection.
Why do you wake up every morning?
Are you doing your job for financial security? To gain experience? To have a positive impact on society? For promotions perspectives? What are your drivers? Is your job allowing you to be aligned with those?
Opportunism
In some contexts (especially when you don’t have kids), an unexpected opportunity and the adrenalin of a new adventure can also be a good driver and a way to build experience.
My husband was initially a videogame designer and he applied for a position at the company we met at. They sent him the motion design case study instead of the art direction one by mistake. He decided to give it a shot rather than emailing the hiring manager to ask for the right case study. He watched an insane amount of online tutorials to complete the task in time. He got the job and it was the first step of his career as a video director.
The market is changing
Sometimes it’s about reading the room. As I mentioned before, I used to work as a photoshoot producer. I loved my job, I had so much fun. At some point, I saw the volume of photoshoots decreasing, and the job slowly transitioned from craftsmanship to a handling job. Freelance photographers were struggling and begging us for more contracts. My coworkers sometimes spent the whole day at the coffee machine. Being unoccupied and numb became the norm, and some folks were even annoyed when they were assigned missions. It was painful to watch. It was obvious that our company would organize layoffs at some point, it was just a matter of time. Sooner or later, we would be a cohort of unemployed people simultaneously looking for the same job, with few opportunities on the market. The fall I was witnessing was probably happening in similar organizations too. Even though I still had paychecks, the job I once loved was already gone. It was time to proactively move on and pour passion into something else. It was a painful decision but I never regretted it.
How does career change happen?
As mentioned, I have done career changes both internally and externally. A very important thing to consider is that it is always easier within a given company. You have a safety net, and people already trust you. If you want to change careers and start fresh somewhere else, it’s going to be more challenging to gain people’s trust. I think it took me 2 years to stabilize when I transitioned to interface design for instance, with painful dips. Still, it was the best decision I ever made for my career.
Here’s how it happened. In my idle photoshoot production period, I heard about 2 colleagues who got scholarships to retrain, I also had a few thoughts about interface design. One morning, as I was bored I Googled “interface design training” and “scholarship” to spend the time. I gathered my findings in a folder on my laptop. By lunchtime, I thought “Now I have this, why not pay a visit to this center that grants scholarships and has lists of approved trainings?”. So I asked my manager whether I could take the afternoon off, I printed everything out, gathered it in a binder, and left.
Once at the center, people working there saw my binder and said I could skip their information meetings because my project was seriously scoped. They had no idea my seriously scoped project was initiated in the morning. They asked me to write a cover letter and fill out an application form. I was surprised by the simplicity of the steps. They had lists of schools they could fund, and a dream school was on the list. So I applied to that school, wrote the cover letter with the help of a person who got the scholarship and filled out the application form.
The school called me back to explain their enrollment was based on portfolio reviews. So I spent an evening gathering whatever I could showcase and I went.
I got both a seat at my dream school and a scholarship.
It was just a sum of small steps, it never felt like a leap of faith. At each milestone, I thought, “Now I’m here, the extra mile doesn’t seem that hard to reach, let’s give it a shot and see what happens”
Should I tell people about it?
I don’t seek external validation anymore to arbitrate on career choices. My close ones now know about my projects when they are already in motion. But it’s really up to you. You can start testing the waters by telling your loved ones about your project. Just keep in mind that they will never know as much about your project as you will. They may be excited, not care so much, they may not get it, and worst case scenario, they may project their fears onto your project and deter you. If you decide to talk about your project, you have to be ready to face this.
Did you experience imposter syndrome?
I am a childbirth nerd, so let me draw a sketchy parallel. Just before the expulsion phase, the child bearer’s body produces a powerful surge of adrenalin. This is because the baby’s lungs need this hormone to be ready for their first breaths. But adrenalin is also the survival hormone our body produces when in danger. For the child bearer, this results in the impression that they will die in the process. In French, we call this “la phase de désespérance”, the despair phase. When you know about this biological process, it makes it bearable and even reassuring. If you don’t then it’s a moment of pure panic and terror. See where I’m headed?
During the first 3 months after landing your shiny new job, you will very probably have a professional despair phase. You’re almost there, you’ve done the hardest part, but you are overwhelmed by imposter syndrome and start panicking. How many times have I thought “What the hell did I do?”. I can tell you from a place of experience that it’s a healthy part of the process, and it’ll pass. Just think of it as your conscientiousness manifesting.
What is your advice?
Job search advice
Landing the first job is the hardest part. For recruiters, you’ll often be the outsider because of your age, or your former career. This is why you need to work on your sales pitch. Your sequence of professional decisions should make sense and needs to be a captivating story.
It’s ok if your first job doesn’t tick all the boxes. Finding people who trust you at this stage of things is already huge. Just watch out for red flags so a toxic culture doesn’t drag you down at a moment when you are vulnerable.
The first months at your new job
The people who hired you believe in you. You need to be reliable and worthy of their trust, so show that you can learn fast. Write everything down, clean up your notes, and re-read them so you can show some autonomy. If you realize something isn’t clear, overcome your insecurities and ask to clarify quickly. It’s embarrassing when coworkers realize a long time after that you didn’t get what they explained and didn’t speak up.
Stay excited about your new job. Read about it, listen to podcasts, watch online conferences, attend meetups or webinars, and find some people to admire.
Mentorship
I have decided to seek a mentor this year through an association helping women thrive in my field. I waited a long time before doing it, and now I wonder why I didn’t do it sooner. It is a privilege to have someone more senior by your side, to discuss your weaknesses or struggles in a very straightforward way without any judgment or performance pressure. It will never replace your manager, but I think it brings a different perspective on the challenges you are facing.
Pass it on
Some people will look up to what you did. Eventually, someone you met in your former life will reach out. If you succeed in your career change, be kind to those who feel inspired and want to learn from you. Say yes to a coffee chat to listen to their concerns, and answer their questions if you can.
I have helped a lot of former coworkers who wanted to change careers, it feels really good when you see their LinkedIn updates.
Wrapping up: a few words about seniority
You will probably be older than seniors when you land jobs, so there will be a temptation to find shortcuts. I’ve been there! I work in tech, promotions can happen fast. I have been a manager early after my career change. I have then decided to revert to being an individual contributor. Rushed promotions are a mirage. I have seen a lot of people burn out. Your career isn’t a race or a competition, and your mental health should be your priority.
I loathe the “fake it till you make it” advice, I think it creates so much unnecessary pressure! Pretending to be more knowledgeable than you are to rush promotions is —in my opinion— a missed opportunity, which will probably result in embarrassing moments (hello Dunning-Kruger effect!).
You need robust foundations, so embrace being a junior in the open, enjoy every sip of it, and ask for as much feedback and advice as you want. Be honest and genuine: if you make a mistake, raise your hand and let your team know, so they trust you and so you can build long-lasting knowledge while fixing stuff. If you don’t know something, say it with no shame, say you need time, and find a way to figure it out. Ask more senior coworkers you admire about their secret sauce. A junior showing curiosity and joy in learning is inspiring and has so much value in a team.
You are so lucky to be able to start over knowing what you already know about the professional world!
