Career Pivot
The most useful advice comes from people who have done it
This is the session the rest of Career Pivot is built around. A few people who changed role, industry or direction describe how, plainly, including what went wrong, and then answer questions from people thinking about a move of their own.
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Advice about changing careers is mostly written by people who never had to.
A lot of advice on career change is general and cheerful. People in the middle of a switch need the specifics of how somebody else did it, including the months that went nowhere, the money that ran short and the doubts that came back.
The speakers are asked to be candid rather than inspiring: to say what they did first, what worked, what they would do differently, and what the move cost them in pay, seniority and time.
No speaker is selling a course, a coaching service or a placement, and speakers agree to that in advance. The session describes the format; the people who speak depend on who is available and who is a good fit for the audience.
What speakers are asked to cover
27 topics across 7 areas. The same questions for each speaker, so the stories can be compared.
Where They StartedThe situation at the beginning.4
- What they were doing, and for how long
- What made them want to change
- What they were afraid of
- Who they told, and who they did not
The First MovesWhat they did first, and in what order.4
- How they chose the new direction
- Who they talked to
- What they tested before committing
- What they learned, and how
What Carried Over, and What Did NotThe honest accounting.4
- Skills and experience that counted
- Experience that did not
- How they described their background to a new employer
- What they had to learn from the beginning
What It CostThe part most stories skip.4
- Changes in pay and seniority
- Time and effort outside work
- Effects on family and finances
- Moments when they thought of going back
What Did Not WorkThe mistakes and detours.4
- Applications and interviews that went nowhere
- Courses or routes they would not choose again
- Advice they ignored, and advice they wish they had
- Timing and money mistakes
The First Year in the New WorkGetting the job is not the end of it.4
- What was harder than expected
- What was easier
- How it was to be new again
- Whether they would make the same move now
What They Would Tell YouIn their own words, in the room.3
- The one thing they would do sooner
- The one thing they would skip
- What they wish somebody had told them
Who speaks
- People who changed function within the same industry
- People who changed industry while keeping the function
- People who moved between technical and management work
- People who moved into data and technology roles from other fields
- People who moved from a company to their own practice, or the reverse
What participants leave with
- Several routes to compare with their own
- Answers to their own questions
- A realistic sense of how long a switch can take
- A follow-up contact, where a speaker offers one
How the session runs
Two or three speakers each describe their switch for about fifteen minutes, followed by questions. Speakers are chosen so that their moves differ. The group is kept small so participants can describe their own situation and ask about it. Speakers talk about their own experience, and nothing they say is presented as a general rule. Evening or weekend sessions, in person or online.
What your students leave with
- Several real routes to a different career, described by the people who took them
- An honest sense of how long a switch can take, and what it can cost
- Answers to your own questions from people who have been there
- A sense of what is ordinary in a switch, and what is not
- A contact or two to follow up with, where speakers offer
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Hear it from people who made the move.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.