Brand New
“A Ship in Harbor Is Safe, But that Is Not What Ships Are Built For”
Today marks “Day 25” of my new job. If you’ve been following along, I’ve recently made a pivot from working as a Project Manager at a pharmaceutical company (where I spent the last 10 years) to a new role in consulting. It was incredibly SCARY to think about leaving a place that’s been home for over a decade—after all, I worked there since before I graduated from undergrad. I was scared not only to learn a new industry but a whole new company too!
It took a lot of self-reflection before making this change, belaboring every single detail and suffering from imposter syndrome. I know it’s early and just one month in, but I’ve never felt more conviction in making a decision in my life. If you are contemplating a career change, I’d like to share with you 3 tips that may help.
1) Pick a side & don’t look back. A few years ago I was lucky enough to have job offers for two very different roles and I couldn’t decide which one to take. At the time, I tapped into an incredible mentor who gently told me that only I could make this decision. But once I did, he warned me never ever to look back. He suggested not to make up scenarios and daydream what could’ve been different if I chose an alternate reality. When you have a decision to make, sometimes the best path forward isn’t between option 1 or option 2—the best choice is to just take action. Looking back and thinking about what could have been is not only a futile exercise but steals any and all present joy.
2) Pain = Gain. If you want to grow, if you want to see change, you will have to accept some level of discomfort or at times even pain. This is intuitive or dare I say cliché—but it has to be said especially for my perfectionist brethren in the back. When you’re new you’re going to suck and suck hard. You have to be ok with being bad at something and embrace the sense of dread that comes with not knowing what you’re doing. It’s going to hurt but the reward comes in waves when things just start to click into place. And don’t worry, things will click into place.
3) Lean on your people. In the TV series How I Met your Mother (CAN YOU BELIEVE THE LAST EPISODE AIRED 7 YEARS AGO) Barney Stinson was known for having his “guys.” He had a tie guy, a suit guy and even a guy for when he didn’t have a guy for something. The point is: be more like Barney. You have to surround yourself with people who are experts in their space, people who can offer you support and people who genuinely want what’s best for you. For me, this was my loving husband who learned how to cook while I was studying for interviews. This was my best friend talking me through various panic attacks throughout the whole recruiting process. This was my resume writer Janine, my friend Jas who helped me redesign this website or even an old friend JE who took new headshots for me. You have to have your people and lean on them (& don’t forget to return the favor when it’s time !!).
Making a career pivot is daunting but with confidence and a little help from your friends who knows what doors will open? Are you contemplating a career change? Drop into the comments and let’s chat !
