How to completely change careers

You’re hoping that I’m going to tell you that there’s one perfect way to do this.

I’m not.

I’m going to tell you that there’s every way in the world to change your future and that you need to find the way that works for you. That finding your own unique way is the thing that you should do. You need to know that there is plenty of room for you in the world and what makes you different can be what gets you noticed.

Get out there and clear your own path!

And while you’re at it, write about it!

Image by valiunic via Pixabay

Years ago, I would have told you that I could never handle anything tech-related. That the only thing I could do with technology was to break it. Anything having to do with technology was completely out of reach. It was best for everyone if it stayed that way.

Well, life has a way of derailing your carefully laid plans and your assumptions about yourself. Fortunately, after learning to code and discovering the joys of working with data, the fear was gone!

Once upon a time, writing was my favorite thing to do in the world. (I was totally the kid writing her novel instead of paying attention in class.) Just for fun, I put together a couple of articles and posted them on Medium. Long story short, I discovered that it’s actually possible to write your way into the tech sphere!

In no time I was a top writer in both artificial intelligence and technology. More than half a million people have seen my articles this year alone. Because of that, I’m frequently asked to consult on new products and technologies. I get to have conversations with truly incredible people and hear their amazing ideas.

It’s only because I remembered that I once loved to write.

Cultivate weirdness

What makes you different can be the most powerful thing about you. If you’re looking at a career change or if you’re just starting out in a brand new field, you can’t expect your expertise to define you. It won’t. It’s incredibly unlikely that you’ll have the most qualified resume in the bunch.

But there are a lot of reasons to hire someone beyond their resume.

Ask yourself what makes you different. Build on that. If your related experience isn’t noteworthy, then create something that is! Do you love to teach? Mentor students who don’t have as much knowledge as you do. Start a group. (Online groups are great.) Volunteer! Contribute to the open-source community! That’s a great place to get involved. There are thousands of amazing projects being run by volunteers who would love to have your help.

Not sure how to contribute to open source projects? You’ll need some familiarity with Git and GitHub. Check out this article if you’re interested:

But here’s the thing: no one knows what you’re doing if you don’t tell anyone about it. That’s where writing makes all the difference.

Write about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Write about the challenges you face.

Write about your successes.

Write about your plans for the future.

Write about your hopes and dreams.

Write about the cool stuff you learn!

Then share your writing everywhere. Eventually, people might just start reaching out to you.

What makes what I do unique?

There’s nothing more exciting for me than sharing complicated information in a way that everyone can understand. I love to teach. I love to help beginners and non-experts. Plus, I have experience with data science and analysis, machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence.

It turns out that there are a lot of people (and companies) in technology-driven fields who want to share their ideas with everyone, but they’ve become such experts that it‘s now almost impossible to find the language to make that happen.

I help them find that language.

I do something different. You need to figure out what you do that’s different!

What do you believe?

One of the smartest things you can do is figure out what’s important to you.

What do you believe? What do you want to change? If you look critically at those questions, you’re going to have a much easier time figuring out where you want to go. Chances are, just knowing what you believe will help you focus on the materials and connections that matter to you.

I believe that everyone should get involved in tech. Technical literacy is becoming every bit as important as standard literacy and there’s no reason that you shouldn’t at least be participating in the conversation. That’s why I started writing and posting articles and that’s why I keep doing it. It’s a powerful motivator!

If you feel passionate about something, get in there, raise your hand, and make a difference.

Start writing!

Writing is one of the best things you can do. If you can string a semi-coherent thought together, you should consider writing. (If you can’t string a semi-coherent thought together, still write, but consider a pen name.) If you’re dedicated and smart about it, you can use the power of this medium to change your entire life.

If you don’t want to write for others, then write for yourself. You’ll be astonished by the difference between understanding a concept and understanding a concept well enough to write about it.

Photo by rawpixel via Pixabay

It took fewer than three months to become a top writer on Medium. I learned how to write posts that quickly rank on the first page of Google searches. More than 500,000 people have looked at what I’ve written in the last eight months on Medium alone. People now reach out to me for projects and advice, which is the most incredible feeling in the world.

None of this would be happening without writing.

If you do start writing, but you’re having a hard time getting your work seen, you might want to take a look at this article:

So what should you do?

Anything and everything you can. But start doing it right now!

There are thousands of reasons that you might decide to change careers. Maybe you started a family. Or you might really need a change. Maybe you have a job that you can’t return to or a job you can’t move forward in. It’s possible that you lost your job.

Maybe it’s simply time for you to make a fresh start.

Photo by skalekar1992 via Pixaby

If you can’t go back, then go forward. Don’t waste any time or energy on doubt. Take the one minute you have here and the five minutes you have there and start something. Write something! There’s no reason to wait.