Remember when you were a kid, and grownups would ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up? The correct answer was either doctor or teacher or scientist, or even baker. But not all of them.
The thing that would cause those grownups to look at you with a puzzled expression or not quite know what to say was when you said you wanted to be a doctor and teacher and scientist and baker.
They’d laugh politely and say, “Aww, that’s so cute,” without taking the time to ask us about our varied interests or our vision for our future career path.
But the truth is, you can be all those things, if that’s where your passions are leading you. Let’s say you start out as a doctor, and in the process of paying off your student loans, you discover your passion for teaching others about smart financial planning, so you start your own online course and coaching business (teacher).
After years of teaching and coaching other doctors, perhaps a close friend of yours develops a rare disease, which pulls you into the world of research, as you collaborate with multiple research labs to explore holistic and alternative pathways to healing (scientist).
Along the way, as you bake healthy treats for your friend and others who are healing, you discover a love of baking, so you decide to take a chance and open your own mobile bakery (baker).
Stories like this are becoming more and more commonplace in today’s world, where a college or professional degree is often only the beginning. And, sometimes a degree is not part of the equation at all.
Through uncareering, more and more people are following their passions rather than their degrees and moving through careers and industries in a much more agile way than ever before.
If you’re currently in a place where your passions have shifted, and you’ve decided to make a significant career shift but are not sure how to do it or where to even start, you’re in the right place.
In this article, we’ll explore multiple ways for you to go from where you are now to your target industry and role – even if you have no prior experience in that new space – so you can stop feeling stuck and start building the momentum you need to successfully transition to your next role.
Option #1 – Formal Education – Going Back To School
The first option is to go back to school to get a degree or certificate in the area or industry you want to switch to. When I went from teaching to game design, this was the path that I chose.
At the time, my dream was to make educational games, and while I had a good amount of classroom experience, the last video games I had played at that time were Super Mario Bros. (This was in 2010, when most others in the gaming industry were playing Call of Duty, Halo, and World of Warcraft, not Super Mario.)
I knew there was a significant gap between my existing knowledge base and skill set, and what I would need to successfully transition into the gaming industry, which tends to be a very competitive space.
Plus, I didn’t want to start at the bottom and have to work my way up through years of grunt work. I wanted to jump in and start working as a game designer right off the bat, which is why I chose to go back to school.
If you’re considering a career shift that you’re passionate about but may be lacking significant knowledge or skills in, this might be an option you consider. This option is also a great way to network and quickly build up strong connections with others in your space via the cohort who goes through the program with you.
Of course, this option means that you’ll likely need to invest a significant amount into your tuition, but that could be well worth it, since a formal degree might be just what you need to open doors in your target industry.
Side note: If this is the option that seems like the best fit for you, be sure to explore grants, scholarships, and other opportunities for financial aid. When I applied for game design school, I fully expected to pay the full tuition, but then I applied for and won a full ride scholarship.
When you’re truly passionate about something, are committed to doing it, and have a big WHY, often the universe will swoop in and give you a hand.
Option #2 – Informal Education Through Online Courses, Podcasts, And More
These days, there are an infinite number of ways to learn new things beyond the walls of traditional education and formal degrees. So, if option #1 doesn’t seem like a good fit, let’s explore informal education instead.
This is the path I went down when I transitioned from the learning and development space into real estate. I always like to say that I wasn’t looking for real estate; it found me. True passions are often like that.
When I became interested in real estate, it was all I could think about. I became obsessed. Every time I would cook, walk the dog, or drive somewhere, I’d be listening to a real estate podcast or audiobook. In my spare time, I tore through real estate books, joined real estate related Facebook groups, and went to local real estate meetups.
Eventually, I signed up for multiple online real estate courses created by experts in the niche I wanted to play in, hired a coach who had worked with many others in the space, and attended multiple real estate conferences.
Essentially, I was creating my own version of a formal degree, but I was doing it on my own. I was letting my passions, rather than a professor, lead me. I didn’t get a formal degree or title at the end of it, but I did have the freedom to do what felt was right for me every step of the way.
If you’re considering this path, start by taking a quick scan of the types of offerings available in your space – podcasts, books, online groups, conferences, etc.
Make a list of what most appeals to you (an informal curriculum, if you will). Identify any aspects that would require a significant investment of time and/or money, including courses, memberships, or coaches. And of course, take into account how you learn best.
Then, take a look at the time you have available in your current schedule, and start to fit some of these items in. For example, maybe in the mornings when you walk your dog, you’ll listen to key podcast episodes you’ve identified. Maybe during lunch time, you’ll start to go through an online course. And maybe on the weekends, you’ll do research on local meetups or regional conferences you can attend.
Option #3 – Find A Related Role In Your Target Industry
Let’s say you currently work on Wall Street but have big dreams of working at a design firm as a creative director. In addition to trying to bolster your design skills through online classes and weekend workshops, you might also consider switching to a job that’s closer to what you’re looking for.
Of course, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be hired as a creative director right off the bat with little to no relevant experience, but it’s entirely possible that you could be hired by a design company, in a role related to what you’re doing now.
For example, perhaps you have years of experience with finance through working with various companies on Wall Street. You can take your finance experience and apply for a finance position at a design company.
While you will still be in the finance function, this puts you in much closer proximity with the design professionals and creative directors whose roles you aspire to. As such, you’ll have more opportunities to shadow them, learn from them, and pick their brains.
As they, and the rest of the team, get to know you and your aspirations, they may help point you in the right direction and guide you along so that you can gain the skills you need to eventually make that transition from finance to design.
Option #4 – Consider Working At A Startup
This one isn’t for the faint of heart. I’ve worked at many startups over the years, and they’ve been among my most favorite professional experiences. But, they also come with a LOT of work, as well as significant amounts of ongoing change and uncertainty. Like I said, my favorite. 🙂
Startups are often created with a big idea in mind – some new and innovative way to disrupt an industry and thus change the world.
When I was working in game design, I joined a startup focused on making mobile physical fitness games for kids.
Whereas most game industry veterans take years to climb the ranks from QA (quality assurance) to level design to game design, I was able to skip straight to the top by joining a smaller and yet-unproven team.
Because it was just the founder, a programmer, and me, I wore many hats, which is very typical of the early stage startup world. I was not only the QA tester, level designer, and game designer, but I was also the UX (user experience) researcher, graphic designer, web designer, and social media manager.
It was incredibly intense, but it gave me a ton of experience in a short amount of time.
If you’re thinking of “breaking in” to a new industry and are willing to put in a significant amount of work in exchange for hands-on experience, joining a startup might be a great way to go.
A startup might be more open than a more established company to overlooking your lack of relevant experience, thus giving you a chance to get into your target industry. Plus, you’ll get to wear a lot of different hats and learn much more than you would while sitting in a lecture hall.
Option #5 – Start Your Own Business
If you’re ready to jump in with full force and make a huge impact, there’s no better way to do so than to start your own business.
When getting into the world of real estate, this is exactly what I did. I knew I wanted to work directly with my customers and make an impact in their lives. As such, I didn’t want to join another company; I wanted to shape the experience for my customers in my own way.
If you’re thinking about starting your own business, start first with a side hustle, and figure out your MVP – minimum viable product. In other words, before you take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans or try to raise your seed round, start by making sure your idea actually works and attracts an audience.
For my real estate investing business, this meant trying to find at least 3 people willing to invest in a real estate deal with me. So, before I spent time creating a website or designing business cards, I created a 1-page PDF of the real estate deal I was considering, and I shopped it around within my network.
Once I found those initial investors, I knew that this was a viable business model. It was only at that point, once I saw that the MVP was successful, that I then proceeded to invest the full faith of my time and money into the venture.
If you’re thinking of starting your own business, this can be one of the best ways to shift into your target industry while also making a significant impact. Just keep in mind that getting a business off the ground takes a LOT of work, which is why you need a very strong WHY to carry you through.
Side note: Even if you start a business and it doesn’t pan out, you can still turn this into a success! Your business venture attempt can show potential employers in your target industry your passion and knowledge, even if you decide to close the business.
Next Step – Choose Your Path
Now that we’ve explored multiple options for transitioning from your current job into the industry you’re looking to get into, it’s your turn. Take some time to sit with these options, journal about them, and consider which one(s) might be right for you.
As you journal and reflect, think about the following questions:
- What’s my big WHY for making this career shift?
- Why is this career shift not just a should but a must for me?
- How quickly am I looking to make this shift?
- If I were to pick Option X…
- What would my days look like for the next year?
- How long would it take to go from where I am today to my ideal industry / role?
- How much time / money would I need to invest?
- Assuming I successfully make this career shift…
- How would my life change?
- How would my happiness / fulfillment levels change?
- What impact could I make on the world?
Finally, make sure you add a deadline to the mix. If you are choosing an option that requires you to quit your current job, choose a date when you will give notice, and make sure to put that date into your calendar.
If you are signing up for a course or applying to a program, make sure to put the relevant application deadlines into your calendar. And if you’re planning to launch your own business, put a target MVP launch date into your calendar.
Regardless of which option you choose, remember that the journey you’re embarking on is one that most people never dare to attempt. Even if the path ahead seems fuzzy, unclear, and daunting, know that you’re doing a very brave thing – the very thing that could completely change your life. Go you!
