The Writer’s Coin

I’ve written a lot recently about my new job, but for those of you who aren’t familiar with the story I got a new job about a month ago in a completely different field from what I went to school for and from what I was working in before.

The new job is in the financial industry and I used to work in publishing. The reason I find this interesting is because there are a lot of people who want to make a similar switch and don’t. The main reasons people don’t start doing what they really want? “I can’t because I need to go back to school,” “I don’t have enough time,” “I’d have to quit my job first,” “Why would they hire me in that field when I’m not trained in it?”

Well, I’m proof that it can be done and there’s no reason why you can’t do it either. It didn’t just happen though—I worked hard for it and the hard work payed off. So here are some tips that helped me when I made the switch:

• You do not need to quit your job: Having a steady paycheck is a must for a stable financial situation, so I wouldn’t just drop that outright. Besides, I know this is a major stumbling block for a lot of people, as well it should be. Instead, I say you find time in your already busy schedule to do whatever new thing it is you want to do. If that’s become a wine connoisseur, then find time to read up on wine or go to tastings or whatever. I think the best place to find “free time” is in the mornings before most people are up. I know it sounds tough waking up before you “have to,” but once you get used to it it’s pretty easy to sacrifice a couple hours of sleep. Besides, isn’t this supposed to be your passion? Instead of sleeping, use this time to read, study, practice, or do whatever it is you want to be doing in your new industry.
• Start a blog: There are readers out there for what you have to say, trust me. Especially if you are switching industries. People love reading about that because it gives them motivation to try it themselves. Granted, it takes additional time, but if your situation is similar to mine, a blog might be a good thing. I didn’t necessarily want to work in the financial industry, but I started this blog because I wanted to write about personal finance. The blog ended up getting me my new job so it worked out nicely. Whatever field you’re getting into, do something with it so after a few months there is some evidence that you’ve done work or studied it. Have something to show for it. In the case of this blog, it gave me a setting where I had interaction with others and “someone” to respond to—which made writing for it almost like homework, only fun.
• Just do it already: A lot of people never start because they come up with excuse after excuse. This is the hardest part to get over. Just go out there and do it already. Think you want to go from working at an office to a wildlife park ranger? Go out and try it on the weekends. Accountant to baseball coach? Try it first. I know it’s tough because you want to make sure your every move is perfect, but it won’t be and it doesn’t need to be. At this stage you need to just get down and dirty and just do it.
  The quicker you do it, the sooner you’ll know if this is something you want to keep getting up early in the morning for or not.
• Treat it like a second job: If you’re lucky you’ll end up working in this new field full time, but for now don’t forget to treat it like the seriousness of a job. It may be a hobby right now, but hobbies can be neglected without any problem. If you want this to become your job at some point, you have to remember that you can’t just push your work off for a week and expect it to be waiting for you. Be serious about it and keep doing it, day after day. It’s the only way you’ll become an expert at it.
• Find a mentor: Find someone who is an expert at whatever it is you’re looking to get into. Having someone you trust that can guide you from newbie-dom to eventually becoming an expert is invaluable. Plus if you ever want to ask a stupid question (which will happen, trust me), this is the perfect person to go to. This can be a former alum of your alma mater or a friend of a friend. Just make sure it’s someone you can trust that knows his/her business.
• Take a class: You could take college classes or you could take free classes through a community center or the library. Either way, getting together with other people that like/love the same thing is a great way to get a boost on what you’re trying to accomplish. Plus, it’s a great way to broaden your network. Who knows what may come of it.

In the end, the best piece of advice I can give you is this: there is no perfect/best way to do something like this, so why not just do something now to get started? Sure you could wait until you have more money saved up so you can quit your job and do it full time right away, but why put yourself in such a precarious position financially? What if it isn’t everything you thought it would be? It’s better to go into it gradually, from a position of strength, so that if and when you do get an opportunity to make this passion your full-time job, you’ll take the best opportunity instead of just taking the paycheck. Write down all of your excuses and then come up with a plan to address every single one. 

Any other tips from people out there who have made a similar switch?

Tags: changing careers, hobby, job