Advice for Big Career Changes

[Deleted]

I'm pretty committed to the idea that occasionally you MUST do things that terrify you, in order to grow and evolve as a person. Pit in the stomach from fear and excitement? Jump!

Go for it!

[LoveTrains]

Feb 3, 2015 13:52:52 GMT -5 @choco said:

Feb 3, 2015 12:52:45 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

It's no wonder you went running back when you were faced with that train wreck....

I still haven't given up on it, just not at that particular place .

I think its a great field, but I'm feeling very disillusioned with it right now as well. Le sigh.

[LoveTrains]

Feb 3, 2015 14:31:49 GMT -5 @choco said:

Feb 3, 2015 14:27:39 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I think its a great field, but I'm feeling very disillusioned with it right now as well. Le sigh.

You, my friend, have been in it for a long time. Did you hear back from your interview? I haven't seen a follow up. Have you considered trying a slightly different route?

Ugh this is like a novel story that I will send to you privately.

[raangoli]

Feb 3, 2015 12:54:52 GMT -5 @shoegal said:

Feb 3, 2015 12:52:49 GMT -5 spunkarella said:

Do it!!

Plus, I could wear my mouse (& raccoon shoes) to client meetings & no one would bat an eye.  "Oh, those creative ad agency people." hee hee.

OMG SOLD! DO IT DO IT!!

PS the raccoon flats are now on sale at Nordstrom. It's taking all my willpower to not buy them. 

[MrsE]

If the compensation will be at least comparable, if not better, go for it!

Keep the end goal(s) in mind and enjoy what you do!

Good luck!

[sweetnsour]

It sounds like a great opportunity. You will probably feel out of sorts for a little why because you would be going from an expert to learning mode but I don't think it will take you long to learn and take off. Good luck!

[WinterWine]

This is so exciting!! I haven't read all the replies but wanted to chime in while I have time. I work in advertising and have my full career (though I'm only 28 so it's short haha). What type of advertising is this? Online, print, TV, etc? Are you talking agency, publisher, data? And what type of role? Feel free to PM me if you don't want to put out there publicly, but knowing more would help us give you better advice.

I work in digital advertising on the agency/data side now, I was formerly at a publisher. I personally love advertising- generally speaking the people are great, things move dynamically and are quite agile, and in digital the data is unparamounted. I have found that it pays quite well, and balance is pretty darn good, particularly when compared with consulting.

It sounds like you are ready for a change and this would be a fun opportunity. I assume you are also coming in high so you skip all of the crazy fresh grad hours and would be jumping right into the fun!! I'd definitely consider it and talk to more people at the company. Happy to answer any other questions you have too. You also seem to have the personality for it as pp mentioned, which is a big part!

[Deleted]

Feb 3, 2015 10:08:01 GMT -5 @shoegal said:

BirdGirl - when you were really pushed outside your comfort zone in new roles, is there anything you specifically did / were open to / etc that helped ensure you swum more than sunk???

And I will ensure if I do move on, I let you know when cool stuff opens up. The firm is really impressive, some of the work they do just blows my mind.

It wasn't so much a new role - I was still a lawyer - but totally different types of work. I jumped all in and took every kind of assignment. A lot of what I did was field cold calls, and I definitely didn't know all the answers. I asked a lot of questions in the first 6 months. I worked longer hours at first and spent a lot of time getting up to speed. All things I'm sure you would do. I think the biggest thing was not being afraid to take on something new, but realizing I had a lot to learn at the same time so not guessing if I didn't know the answer. A co-worker who started after me was far less successful in the role because he refused to do anything out of his comfort zone (which made my job SO much harder because he wasn't pulling his weight).

[Deleted]

WinterWine, thank you for the offer to share more. I have a big dinner with them tonight, so might drop you a line to help think thru next steps.

I would be responsible for their strategic B2B clients when I start, basically the same profile client I work with today - global 1000 / F500, for a well known agency. So, I'd guide the client strategy for those on my team, and own the ultimate relationship and execution with the creative (and other) agency teams and partners.

[Deleted]

@bluesky, that advice is so spot on, I was speaking with a former trusted colleague last night about the move and he was all: "Dude, WE still talk, it's not like coworkers DIE when you leave!"

Fair point !

[bunnysmom]

@shoegal

As you know I made a big career change last year and although my situation is different as I'm just starting out, I wanted to offer some advice.

Try to listen to what do you want, instead of focusing on how good you're are in your current job. You can be very good at what you do but still want something different. I say this because you might experience a lot of people trying to "convince" you to stay where you are ( "oh, it's such a pity, you're so good", etc.). Some people are very change averse and you shouldn't let that doubt your decision!

I wish you the best of luck! You got this!

[dcrunnergirl52]

Do it! I made a jump from the consulting side of things (for govt clients) to the advertising side (still for govt clients) about 9 years ago, and it was one of my best decisions. I was in a similar position as you--respected at what I did but needed a change. I loved the creative aspect of advertising, and it's still my favorite part of what I do.

[rubytue]

Dooooo iiiiiittttttt!

If only so I can live vacuously through you. I really want to make a career change, but I can't get up the guts to do what I *need* to do (leave govt).

One thing someone told me that has really stuck with me when it comes time to deciding when to leave: when your frustrations are greater than your challenges. Although you love everyone where you are, it sounds like general frustrations are getting to you, and you want a new challenge

[Deleted]

rubytue, very sound advice. Right now, frustrations > challenges for sure!

Just got back from dinner and I am energized and excited about what might be next for me yayyyy

[marathon55]

I work with ad agencies in pharma as part of my role and while some parts of their job is interesting they do work their but off, long hours, and must continue to sell on a daily basis. If you are in consulting then you must know this already and I think it would be a good move for you. I know the comp is very good but work life balance can be challenging and a good amount of turn over is present.

I'm more of a client side individual but I would pick ad agency work over pure consulting anyday of the week. Good luck.