How I Transitioned Career 4 Times

The journey of learning, exploration, adaptation and growth

My Career Pivots

I have transitioned into four different full-time roles in my professional career thus far. This transition stems from my curiosity about people and a wide range of topics, as well as my desire for continuous growth and self-actualization.

Pivot 1

After four years of studying Advertising in undergrad, I started my first full-time gig as a project manager at a media company.

Pivot 2

After a few years of gaining hands-on experience in various areas, including advertising planning, event organization, and customer service, I had the opportunity to internally transfer into the field of digital marketing for the brand.

Pivot 3

Following the completion of my graduate degree in marketing and analytics, I embarked on a 10-year journey, evolving from an individual contributor to a people manager as a marketing decision science practitioner.

Pivot 4

Fast forward to earlier this year in 2023, after years of mentoring talent in the workplace and within the data science community that I co-founded, I decided to embrace my passion for helping people grow and creating a more sustainable planet. So I launched a new career as a professional Leadership and Life Coach a few months ago.

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Are you curious about what your career pivots could be? Schedule some time with me and let’s chat!

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All the Things I Learned

Here are the things I've learned from pivoting and launching different careers four times:

Self-awareness and Reflection

• I consider myself as an introspective person (perhaps too much at times…). After an event or a period of time, I like to reflecting on the experience, the emotions that arose, and the individuals involved. This practice has helped me identify those things and people who energize or drain me, and has further clarified my priorities in how I'd like to allocate my time and energy.

• During the rise of social media, I had the privilege of interning and shadowing my colleague, who served as a social media and digital marketing manager. The blend of right-brain creativity and community engagement, coupled with left-brain strategic planning informed by engagement analyses, perfectly aligns with my passion for exploring diverse subjects. So, when my former coworker decided to depart, I eagerly raised my hand and was entrusted with the role of leading the digital marketing strategy for the brand.

Deliberate Learning & Skills Development

• I had been a people manager and a mentor to other aspiring analytics professionals for a few years before I began coach training. Despite my experience in hiring, coaching, and developing various talents and teams, and my consistent efforts to learn from mentors, I felt the need for a more systematic approach to summarize my experiences and insights over the years. The outcome of going through the coach training was transformational. It not only helped me address my personal limiting beliefs but also provided me with tools and resources that I can consciously choose based on my audience's needs. This is all because I am aware of my preferred learning style (systematic learning) and what I required (resources for personal and professional transformations).

MVP (minimal viable product)

• An MVP is the simplest version of a product or service that can be created to fulfill the basic needs of its target audience. When I began my journey as a coach, I provided free coaching sessions within the climate community (Work on Climate). My goal was to validate whether this direction was both necessary for those motivated to transition into careers focused on solving the climate crisis and viable for my new way of making a living.

• Testing the waters with something small can prevent you from investing significant resources and time before going full-scale. It also provides you with the opportunity to solicit feedback, fine-tune your approach, and accumulate valuable experiences that can be useful when you're ready for a full launch.

Hard Work, Hard Work, Hard Work…?

• Some people say it's all about hard work, right? Well, not exactly. I've picked up a thing or two along the way. It's not just about grinding, learning new stuff, and putting in hours to create fancy reports. Working smart, that's the real deal, which takes me to the following two points…

Planning and Time Management

• When I graduated from grad school, I didn't have a job offer lined up. So, I promptly shifted into full-time job search mode, dedicating my days to compiling job postings, submitting applications, networking, and attending interviews. It took me two months of full-time 'work' to secure a role that truly excited me. Despite the stress and frustration of facing rejections, it was deliberate planning, knowing what needed to be done, and diligent time management, focusing on tasks based on their importance and impact, that paved the way for the first step in my decade-long career.

Networking, aka Creating Meaningful Relationships

• My entry into the field of marketing analytics came through a referral from an alum of my grad school. I had initiated a virtual coffee chat to gain insights into their experience at the company. By the end of our conversation, they kindly offered to refer me for a role that concentrated on providing attribution analytics to clients. The rest, as they say, is history.

• Networking has been an integral part of my career and life thus far. It has facilitated enriching exchanges and conversations, opened doors to job, project, and partnership opportunities, and, most importantly, provided me with the chance to journey through life with wonder and awe.

Networking, Effectively

Effective networking, defined as the creation of mutually beneficial relationships that contribute to each other's career and personal and professional development, involves several key components:

• Set Clear Goals: Define clear goals so you don’t get burnout. What do you hope to achieve through networking? Whether it's finding a job, learning from experts, or creating a diverse network that can sustain itself, having clear objectives will guide your networking efforts. You may also dedicate time per week or month for networking so you can also enjoy other activities in life.

• Offer Help: Networking is not just about what you can gain; it's also about what you can give. Offer your assistance, share your knowledge, and help others when you can. These can be offered proactively by reaching out to the individuals with the specific information, or passively by sharing on your social profiles like Linkedin, Facebook, or Instagram.

• Build Relationships, Not Names: Focus on building meaningful, long-term relationships rather than collecting a large number of business cards or LinkedIn connections.

• Be Genuine and Follow Up: After meeting someone, follow up with a personalized message or email. Mention where you met and express your interest in staying in touch. Following up is often where the real networking begins, and people are more likely to connect with real, honest individuals.

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