Changing careers is hard. Sometimes you leave because the costs start to outweigh the benefits. You are overworked, underpaid, and undervalued, and you are thinking to yourself, Is this really how I want to spend my life?
Other times, you build up an entire skill set that took yeaaars to learn, garner a whole network of connections, and maybe even rise up the ladder with a big, flashy title or, better yet, a cushy salary. But life happens and one day you realize, Man, I just CANNOT do this anymore.
I get it — after building a career in the fashion industry, I'd just about had one too many Devil Wears Prada moments that set me on the brink of a breakdown. So I quit my job, left the industry behind, and haven't looked back.
Every day is a new day of possibility, but it's not easy! I'm back to square one and feeling like I'm a fresh baby all over again. So if you've ever switched your career path, or maybe you even said "Screw it" altogether and are doing something completely different, I wanna hear from you! How'd you do it?!
Maybe you spent years working long hours in investment banking, only to realize you actually really do enjoy sleep and you were just a *tad* burned out. Now you're on your Eat, Pray, Love shit and never going back. You scouted out fixer-uppers in tourist beach towns in New England and found an old Victorian that you turned into an inn. Now you spend your time painting, harvesting vegetables, and hosting transient guests who are also looking for their next adventure. Your paychecks are less, but you don't need much.
Perhaps you chased the acting dream for too long and realized you needed a little more stability in your life, so you took a coding boot camp and became a software engineer. You can still pursue your artistic passions, but without the pressure of it being your paycheck. You enjoy your consistent income and feel comfortable leaving your work at the door when you come home each day.
Or maybe it's simpler for you: You lacked the same zest you once had for your field, found no more room for growth, and saw that you could apply your skills as an account manager to open a business based on that clever idea that had been simmering for years. Now you're thriving with a leveled-up salary and taking on projects you never touched in your old gig.
