Navigate Your Career Pivot With Confidence

Making a career change can feel overwhelming.

The uncertainty of where to begin and what steps to take next can be paralyzing.

With the right approach and a clear plan, you can make a successful career pivot without starting from scratch.

Meet Kahlil

He found himself at a crossroads when the mortgage industry, where he worked as a loan officer, began to slow down due to increasing interest rates in 2022.

He realized that he needed to change his career path in order to secure a brighter future and find greater job satisfaction.

It took Kahlil six months to transition into his new role as a Sales Engineer, but boy was it worth it. He ended up doubling his income and is now working for a fast-growing cybersecurity company. It’s safe to say his new career trajectory has changed his life for the better.

Kahlil's story mirrors the experiences of many individuals we work with who are seeking change. Like Kahlil, you might be looking for higher earning potential, better work-life balance, upward mobility, or perhaps more fulfillment and impact in your work.

How did Kahlil navigate his transition strategically and efficiently? And how can you? Let's break it down.

3 Key Considerations for a Successful Career Pivot

Firstly, consider industries and technologies that are on the rise. Think cybersecurity, generative AI, data science, or sustainable technology. These fields offer promising opportunities for growth and stability.

Next, pinpoint roles that align best with your skills, strengths, and passions. Also, look for positions least likely to be impacted by automation or offshoring. For example, customer-facing roles in growing industries are low-risk for automation and off-shoring because interpersonal skills and the need for relationship building are hard to replicate with technology.

Another often overlooked aspect to consider is targeting mid-size companies (~500-2,000 employees) in the growth stage. Most people want to chase after big brand-name tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. But big companies are highly competitive and can be hard to get into if you don’t have experience. The reality is that mid-size companies provide more overall opportunities for people looking to make career pivots. These are the vast number of companies that have grown out of the start-up phase and are ready to hire people with less experience because they need good talent.

With these three considerations in mind, let's discuss your Action Plan.

Action Plan to Set Your Career Pivot Direction

1. Assess Your Current State:
   • Identify your skills and strengths that can transfer to a new career.
   • Determine what activities energize you versus drain you.
2. Envision Your Future:
   • Define what you want in a work environment, such as flexibility or high earnings.
3. Explore High Probability Paths:
   • Ask ChatGPT to suggest what roles would be a good fit for you:
     • I'm a [CURRENT ROLE or PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE] who [CURRENT WORK ACTIVITIES]. I'd like to make a career change and would like suggestions for what roles I would be a good fit for within the tech industry. I have [CURRENT SKILLS, for example, client-facing skills, and I'm good with technology]. I want a role where I can have high earning potential, work remotely, and be hands-on with technology.
   • Review job descriptions to learn about roles that could fit you well. Take note of standard skills for the role you may need to acquire.
   • Seek out informational interviews to gather insights into your target role and industry. Use LinkedIn to reach out to people who are in the role you’re targeting and come from a similar background.

By following these steps, you’ll set the destination for your career pivot. And once you have a destination, you’ll be able to develop the skills needed for your target role and begin pursuing job opportunities. We’ll show you how to do just that in upcoming issues of this newsletter…

Throughout February, we’ll explore various career paths in tech that you can consider, as well as other strategies and considerations for making a successful career pivot.

(As an early teaser, we at Better Career will be launching new programs soon specifically designed to help you fast-track your career pivot, leveraging our years of experience helping hundreds of people make life-changing career changes. Stay tuned for more info next week!)

If you could use help landing your next AE or SE role, we can help! Apply to work with us 1-on-1. We'll personally reach out to chat about how we can help you accelerate your job search.