(Photo Credit @lndtxphoto)
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Last week, I posted a blog discussing the Top 5 Things You should do to Now to Pivot Into the Tech Industry. It’s been a pretty popular post, so I thought I’d expand upon each of these topics and offer some additional advice.
Define it: Why are you pivoting?
There’s a reason (maybe many reasons) that you’re considering this switch, and you should be clear on what these are.
It helps you identify your motivations for the move, how to avoid similar pitfalls in your new job/career, and gives you the confidence to explain the decision to others too.
It’s also really important to have this solidified so you don’t have regrets later on. We all spend time looking back at choices we’ve made - it’s natural to revisit decisions. The hope is that you review the decision and know that you’d make it again, even if it was hard or went in a direction you weren’t expecting. Building your trust in your decision-making muscles will help you in so many other parts of your life and career.
Unsure? Check out the top 2 questions to ask yourself about whether to stay or go by visiting my post on job-hopping successfully.
Write it down & consider these questions
Start by writing down where you see yourself in your current career, and where you envision yourself after a successful career transition into tech.
Looking back: Why are you leaving your current role/company? Did it get boring or frustrating? Lack of growth opportunities? Company culture mismatch? Distrust in management? Burnout due to overwork & no one above you seems to care? Need to increase your salary? Try to name the reason(s) and be specific - don’t just leave because you have a vague sense of meh.
Looking forward: Why does tech excite you? What part(s) of the industry make you curious to learn more? What impact do you hope to have in tech? What kind of role will you be in after this pivot? What kind of company did you end up at? Close your eyes - what does it feel like to be in that new role? Sitting at your new desk, meeting new colleagues, tackling new projects?
It’s ok to dream here! This exercise will help you to define why you’re making this move, which will help keep you motivated along the journey.
Get creative to stay inspired with your pivot
Now that you’ve put words to the page that help you see what you want, we need to keep you motivated to actually take the next step.
Easy: create a Pivot Post-It for your desk at home. You could also have one at your desk in the office with nothing but a date on it. (No one needs to know it’s your target departure date but you!)
Medium: Add a daily or weekly invite to your calendar. Take a minute to close your eyes, and visualize yourself in your new role. Breathe it in. Live it!
Worth your time: Create a career pivot vision board. I know, I know - I used to think these were kind of silly. But there is plenty of research now on the power of visualization in achieving your goals. You could have a paper one or a digital one, something very simple or with tons of images. The important thing is that (a) you spend the time creating something that will inspire and motivate you, and (b) you look at it regularly & often.
