I've done it a few times, and it's never been easy, but it's always been very fun and rewarding. The biggest challenge is the $$$ part of it -- being able to carry yourself through the transition until you've built up a resume or client base. My examples include Tech PM > Exploitation Filmmaker (*Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead*), Tech PM > Propagandist (government campaigns), Tech PM > Author (*The Stormglass Protocol*).
I'm doing it again right now -- Tech PM > Professional Magician. Which is possibly one of the more embarrassing career switches one can make, especially to your spouse. (I *did* win the IBM's International Close-Up Magician of the Year award last week, which at least moved the dial a little... so maybe it wasn't the single worst idea of all time. Ha!) Andy Deemer PrivatePsy.com On Thu, Jul 29, 2021 at 7:53 AM Peter Griffin <[email protected]> wrote: > I've changed career paths several times. A short disastrous stint in > door-to-door sales, a stint in journalism, then all kinds of experiments > for a couple of years, then advertising for 10, consulting on communication > and freelancing as a writer for eight, then another 10 fullt-ime in > journalism. > Doesn't quite fit Alok's query, because all of them (except that sales bit) > were in some way related to writing and ideas, so transitions were easier, > but still scary. > In the last journalism stint, I moved in in a senior role; it required a > lot of quick learning on the job, and because I wasn't starting at the > bottom, I had juniors who had built networks and had some kinds of > experience I didn't. I've had to deal with knowing that contemporaries and > juniors in the professions I quit were doing very well indeed (especially > financially: advertising pays well!) but overall the experience was > positive. > And here I am now experimenting with several different ways forward, > knowing only that what I do will have some connection with writing and > creative thinking, and that I want to be able to keep time aside for > personal projects and pro bono work. > > On Mon, Jul 26, 2021 at 11:16 AM Mohit <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi Alok > > > > I worked for 13 years in corporate finance, primarily handling financial > > planning, budgeting & MIS (called FP&A). > > Then, launched my own firm planning to do the same but for multiple > clients > > - fate took a turn, and I ended up doing a number of things besides for > > almost 4.5 years. It involved running FP&A for a couple of clients, > mergers > > for another, audits & controls, and then cash management for yet another. > > After my most successful year ever, I shut that down to rejoin the > > corporate world for 5 years as Controller & CFO. > > And next week, I am joining a software firm as a Product Manager. > > > > Each of my moves has been scary when I thought about it. And yet I did > that > > because something pulled me & wouldn't let go. I think the fact that I > have > > a really really small boredom threshold has something to do with that. > And > > yes, each move has been rewarding & fun ultimately, but never without > pain. > > > > Regards, > > Mohit > > > > > > > > On Sun, Jul 25, 2021 at 1:48 AM Alok Prasanna Kumar < > [email protected] > > > > > wrote: > > > > > Read this fascinating piece on the Guardian > > > > > > > > > https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jul/14/leaving-burnout-behind-the-pain-and-pleasure-of-starting-a-new-career-in-my-50s > > > ? > > > > > > ...and wondered if any of you have switched careers later in life (say > > 20+ > > > years after one) and what was the experience like. > > > > > > Alok > > > > > > -- > > > Alok Prasanna Kumar > > > Advocate > > > Ph: +919560065577 > > > > > >
