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How often do you think about changing your career path? How do you professionally manage multiple interests/passions?
I have way too many things I want to pursue!
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15 answers
Updated
Catherine’s Answer
A lot of professionals will say it's time management only if you can manage your time and you can still have another side income job and your recent work . I always like to look at ways how can i have a side income online job . I think positive when it comes to changing my career path because it always excites me and make my life challenging . For now , i have to spend my time in volunteering online , sell in my physical store and creating my content online .
I appreciate your support, Catherine
Gabriel
Updated
Bhavana’s Answer
There are many careers to keep you interested in any 'field' that you may enter - there are a lot of options for example:
Software Engineer - project management is related and you can transition easily even within the same company; think about other people you work with in your current role or who you interface with and explore their job as a potential
Attorney - there are many fields within law to explore (by the way I went to school originally as a stage manager); what you are good at and what you enjoy doesn't fundamentally change - find ways to use those abilities and interests and you can expect to have a lot of different careers; I found that in a project management role, I found that I liked giving companies advice and it led me to employment law. Every job I have had involves writing and giving advice. Its okay to explore a lot of professions, but find what is at your core!
Marketing - early in my career I thought about switching careers a lot and then later on I started to narrow down where I wanted to be and from there I make minor shifts every few years; it is hard fulfill all of your interests in one job, but you can do external activities to exercise your other passions as well.
Human Resources - I didn't know I would be in HR; I started as an Admin Assistant at a major manufacturing company - there were so many opportunities to work with so many different business units and professions and I fell into HR from there while doing a lot of project management. You definitely have to be patient and really really like people!
Overall it seems like every job has a potential for project management - maybe open a dog bakery! Good Luck, stay true to yourself!
FYI - this was a group response with 4 different professions represented!
Software Engineer - project management is related and you can transition easily even within the same company; think about other people you work with in your current role or who you interface with and explore their job as a potential
Attorney - there are many fields within law to explore (by the way I went to school originally as a stage manager); what you are good at and what you enjoy doesn't fundamentally change - find ways to use those abilities and interests and you can expect to have a lot of different careers; I found that in a project management role, I found that I liked giving companies advice and it led me to employment law. Every job I have had involves writing and giving advice. Its okay to explore a lot of professions, but find what is at your core!
Marketing - early in my career I thought about switching careers a lot and then later on I started to narrow down where I wanted to be and from there I make minor shifts every few years; it is hard fulfill all of your interests in one job, but you can do external activities to exercise your other passions as well.
Human Resources - I didn't know I would be in HR; I started as an Admin Assistant at a major manufacturing company - there were so many opportunities to work with so many different business units and professions and I fell into HR from there while doing a lot of project management. You definitely have to be patient and really really like people!
Overall it seems like every job has a potential for project management - maybe open a dog bakery! Good Luck, stay true to yourself!
FYI - this was a group response with 4 different professions represented!
I'm excited to put your great advice to good use!
Gabriel
Updated
Bob’s Answer
I believe you will find, over time, that your career changes will fit within a fairly broad window of opportunity and interest. Think first as to what drove you to your current career interests. Perhaps it is the industry you are comfortable within. For example, the medical industry may offer you opportunities to help people, to understand what type of jobs you enjoy within that industry. Then again, your interest may conincide to be the best (you choose) you can be. The knowledge and skills you develop, in various roles, wil help you to explore careers in that industry or other industries of interest.
In my case, I had a goal to lead a business. Based upon an interest in designing and making things, I chose education degrees in engineering and manufacturing. To lead a business I would have to develop other knowledge and skills. So, I pursued jobs in finance, strategy, marketing/sales, product development, software, etcetera. All of these capabilities, over time. in various industries, allowed me to become President, CEO and Chairman of several global businesses. Remember, whether you remain in one industry or cross into various industries, you are always learning, growing and honing skills that will be of value to a prospective employer or for your own start up. Of course, that does not preclude becoming the best of what you do, rising to the top in income and position, without ever changing the company you work within.
Look at the knowledge and skills you wish to develop and pursue as opposed to a job title.
Speak with alumni who are in industries and have responsibilities that appeal to you
In my case, I had a goal to lead a business. Based upon an interest in designing and making things, I chose education degrees in engineering and manufacturing. To lead a business I would have to develop other knowledge and skills. So, I pursued jobs in finance, strategy, marketing/sales, product development, software, etcetera. All of these capabilities, over time. in various industries, allowed me to become President, CEO and Chairman of several global businesses. Remember, whether you remain in one industry or cross into various industries, you are always learning, growing and honing skills that will be of value to a prospective employer or for your own start up. Of course, that does not preclude becoming the best of what you do, rising to the top in income and position, without ever changing the company you work within.
Bob recommends the following next steps:
Your advice was so helpful!
Gabriel
Updated
Kyle’s Answer
Hi Gabriel,
Great question and kinda hard to answer but here we go, will try my best! I think having success in a career is a mix of passion, ability and a little bit of luck. In your case, I would ask people you know who are in the industries /roles you are passionate about if you can shadow them for a bit of time to get a sense of the day to day. That will give you a great sense of the position/role and if it aligns with your skills, passion.
Great question and kinda hard to answer but here we go, will try my best! I think having success in a career is a mix of passion, ability and a little bit of luck. In your case, I would ask people you know who are in the industries /roles you are passionate about if you can shadow them for a bit of time to get a sense of the day to day. That will give you a great sense of the position/role and if it aligns with your skills, passion.
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Annelise’s Answer
I changed my mind 3 times on my college major. When I graduated, I got a job in an adjacent field to the one I studied, and I still wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do long-term. The MOST helpful parts of my journey to being in a role that I love and get to feel like I'm using my talents boil down to this: 1) Interdepartmental exposure at my company- I got to work on cross-functional teams and learn what other people do and what tasks I liked and didn't like in those different roles. 2) Identifying a mentor, or someone who I really respected in the office and taking notes on how they work, what their processes are, what kinds of questions they ask. 3) I tore through all the job sites even when I wasn't interested in applying anywhere else. Reading all those job descriptions opened my eyes to what is out there and helped me identify what skills would be useful in other roles.
After all that learning- for me I spent about 4 years just soaking all this information in- I asked myself, if I could build my ideal role, what would it look like? I took that proposal and brought it to my manager and we were able to start aligning my responsibilities to that role I had created. I got lucky that my company is great and my management was really supportive.
After all that learning- for me I spent about 4 years just soaking all this information in- I asked myself, if I could build my ideal role, what would it look like? I took that proposal and brought it to my manager and we were able to start aligning my responsibilities to that role I had created. I got lucky that my company is great and my management was really supportive.
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Megan’s Answer
When I was in college, I chose a major that could get me a job and afford me the lifestyle I wanted for myself and my future family. I *like* my job, I don't *love* my job. I also focused on *working to live* instead of *living to work* but it all depends on a person's goals and priorities. You can change jobs and fields throughout your lifetime so long as you are comfortable being bumped back down to a new hire-esque role. Some people like mixing things up to keep things interesting and learn something new. Others want to start at a job and just climb higher and higher and higher in their career in the same field. It all depends on what your long-term goals look like!
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Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. This is a common question.
Firstly, when deciding your career, you may take time to think about what you have interest and how would you do to pursue your career. You can consider to shortlist a few careers and start with the one you have the best interest.
Suggest you have a career plan on what you would like to achieve in 2-3 years time. You would not really know whether the career is suitable to you after working in it for a few years.
Having said that, if you find the career really does not suitable or you have no interest after prudent consideration, you can consider to change the career. But, it is better to do it at early age. It really takes time to develop in the career. If changing the career all the time, it may not able to make any achievement at the end.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Firstly, when deciding your career, you may take time to think about what you have interest and how would you do to pursue your career. You can consider to shortlist a few careers and start with the one you have the best interest.
Suggest you have a career plan on what you would like to achieve in 2-3 years time. You would not really know whether the career is suitable to you after working in it for a few years.
Having said that, if you find the career really does not suitable or you have no interest after prudent consideration, you can consider to change the career. But, it is better to do it at early age. It really takes time to develop in the career. If changing the career all the time, it may not able to make any achievement at the end.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Loved reading this, thanks!
Gabriel
Updated
Erika’s Answer
Hi Gabriel!
Such a great question! I think reminding yourself that whatever career you pick initially does not mean you have to stay there forever. As you gain more experience you will learn new skills and things that you enjoy doing, and you're allowed to pursue those as hobbies or even incorporate them into your career/as your career eventually if you'd like. If you don't want to change careers yet, there are many way to get involved in the community through LinkedIn, Meetups, Facebook groups, etc. Shadowing people who are in that role as well is another way to get involved. Having multiple interests and passions is a wonderful thing!
Such a great question! I think reminding yourself that whatever career you pick initially does not mean you have to stay there forever. As you gain more experience you will learn new skills and things that you enjoy doing, and you're allowed to pursue those as hobbies or even incorporate them into your career/as your career eventually if you'd like. If you don't want to change careers yet, there are many way to get involved in the community through LinkedIn, Meetups, Facebook groups, etc. Shadowing people who are in that role as well is another way to get involved. Having multiple interests and passions is a wonderful thing!
Thank you for giving me advice.
Gabriel
Updated
Nurhan’s Answer
In my opinion, most job categories, a one-year window surrounding the U.S. median job tenure creates a perfectly acceptable frame to most folks on the other side of the hiring process. In other words, it's generally OK to switch jobs every 3-5 years.
Thank you, Nurhan!
Gabriel
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Michael’s Answer
I have been in the workforce for 22+ years now, so changing my "career path" doesn't really happen for me; however I am always thinking of other things I could do that interest me in addition to my primary career. Maybe it's something that's "seasonal" that would only be something you look at doing part of the year, or maybe it's something that you're passionate enough that you'd be willing to spend your weekend time on as well.
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Medaliz Rayza’s Answer
I've switched careers a couple of times and I've thought a good bit about this question too! Often, the major you choose will deviate from your first and perhaps even second job at college. It's important to think about what you want your day to day to look like, will you enjoy where the majority of your time is spent? For instance, I loved learning the practical concepts of managing money and investment principles when I worked as a wealth manager but the day to day was very stressful because there was an insane amount of client calls and requests that I had to field. I yearned for down time to think and do analysis. I taught myself to code and switched careers to become a software engineer and although I loved the focused time, I missed working on big picture items. Nowadays, as a product manager, my job hits the sweet spot. I have to perform analysis and have periods of time to think through big picture decisions, the only downside is that I attend a lot of meetings haha but it's worth it because there's always a part of my day that I look forward to!
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Joe’s Answer
Hi Gabriel,
It is fantastic to hear that you're wrestling with balancing multiple passions! Patience and time are your friends. Give yourself time and grace to try things out. Keep in mind that it is very rare in this day and age for someone to keep the same career their entire life. If you find yourself in a role that is not a good fit, that's okay! Stick with it for a little bit to learn about yourself, the industry, and the specific role. Then move on to something else. No shame in that!
Believe it or not: Over a long enough period of time and a varied enough background, you will be able to create a role for yourself that fulfills your passions. As time goes on, data is pointing out that diversity in experience is a huge benefit for many industries and roles. In my opinion, the best outcome is to have a career that you enjoy that allows you the time and resources to explore your other passions while not at work.
It is fantastic to hear that you're wrestling with balancing multiple passions! Patience and time are your friends. Give yourself time and grace to try things out. Keep in mind that it is very rare in this day and age for someone to keep the same career their entire life. If you find yourself in a role that is not a good fit, that's okay! Stick with it for a little bit to learn about yourself, the industry, and the specific role. Then move on to something else. No shame in that!
Believe it or not: Over a long enough period of time and a varied enough background, you will be able to create a role for yourself that fulfills your passions. As time goes on, data is pointing out that diversity in experience is a huge benefit for many industries and roles. In my opinion, the best outcome is to have a career that you enjoy that allows you the time and resources to explore your other passions while not at work.
Thank you, Joe!
Gabriel
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Erin’s Answer
I've changed career fields three times in the last 10 years. Started in retail sales, went into higher ed as an advisor, and now I am in tech as a project manager. I've never been that person that knew exactly what I wanted to do, so changing jobs has been a good way to learn what I enjoy and need in a work place. When you are looking to change fields, it will be easier to do that if you are already working at a company that you can move around internally because you will have connections with others in the company already who might know you. Start talking to people in the area you are interested in applying to ahead of time and tell them you are interested. Ask them questions about what skills you might need to gain in order to be an attractive candidate for that job. Then when a position opens up, you are ready to apply, and they already know you are very interested in that job. If you are needing to move to a different company, look for a lateral move into a position that is as related as possible to the job you'd like and then start working your internal connections. When you are making a career switch, it can be tough to move upwards into a position in which you don't have the specific skillset that the job requires, so start with the lateral move, learn the ropes of the company, and then work your way up.
Thank you, Erin for the advice.
Gabriel
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Sharon’s Answer
Gabriel, Thank you for your question. Over my career of 30 plus years I can honestly say I re-evaluate my career at least once a year. I looked for careers that aligned with my interests and strengths at the time. As I have gotten older I my interests and passion change. Prior to embarking on a new career you need to the research on not only the company and how they invest in their employees. I love positions that allow me to keep learning new things. It is about taking ownership and waiting for someone to tell me what to do. You have to own your career. You have to know is this career fulfilling me beyond the needs of money. Sometimes the opportunity to fulfill various passion are not part of your job but volunteer opportunities not only uplift the community but you. Volunteer opportunities can allow you to explore your other interests. Sometimes volunteer opportunities can lead to new career or helping you appreciate the one you have chosen. That is why I love working a Verizon.
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Whitney’s Answer
Gabriel, it's great that you have so many interests! I think one important factor to consider when building a career is the similarities between different interests. By finding similarities between different interests, you can build skills that are transferable to different careers ensuring that you can pursue different lines of work without "starting over" from scratch. I would encourage you to think about your career trajectory as a whole prior to pursuing your first full-time job.