Career Pivot
Find out before you leave, not after
Resigning to find out whether you like a new line of work is the most expensive way to learn. This session covers how to run small, low-risk experiments while you still have a job, what to look for in the results, and when the evidence is enough to decide.
Explore this page6 sections
The imagined version of a job and the real version are often far apart.
Job titles and stories make roles look neater than they are. The reality includes the tedious parts, the people, the pace and the way success is measured, and only a small piece of it can be learned from the outside.
A small experiment buys information cheaply. Doing even a short piece of real work in the new field, or spending a day with somebody who does it, often changes people's view in one direction or the other. Both outcomes are useful.
The aim is a decision made on evidence, whichever way it goes. Some people find the direction is right, some find it is not, and some find a version of it that fits better.
Kinds of experiment, and how to run them
34 topics across 7 areas. Seven kinds, from the lightest to the most committed.
ConversationsThe lightest test, and a good start.5
- Fifteen to thirty minutes with three people who do the work
- Asking about a normal week, not the highlights
- Asking what they would not choose again
- Asking what the first year was like
- Asking who else you should talk to
People respond better to specific, short requests. Say what you are exploring, and what you are not asking for.
Shadowing and ObservingA day in the work.5
- Asking a contact whether you could sit in on a part of their week
- Attending open meetups, talks and demos in the field
- Reading the work product: reports, designs, code, plans
- Following the daily communication of people in the field
- Noticing what energises you and what bores you
A Small ProjectDoing the work yourself.5
- A bounded task that takes a few weekends
- A real problem from your own work or community
- Finishing it, and writing down what you did and learned
- Showing it to somebody in the field for honest feedback
- Noticing how it felt to do, not only how it looks when done
Internal Moves and Stretch TasksThe safest route, if your employer allows it.5
Not every manager responds well. Judge the culture before you share what you are exploring, and think about what you would do if the answer is unfriendly.
- Volunteering for work that touches the new function
- Asking for a project, a rotation or a shadow day
- Joining a cross-functional team
- Telling your manager what you are exploring, if the relationship is safe
- Weighing the risk of being seen as leaving
Volunteering and Freelance WorkReal work, with real people.5
- Volunteering skills for a community group or a charity
- A small paid or unpaid piece for a known person
- Checking your employment contract for moonlighting or conflict-of-interest clauses first
- Keeping the scope small and the expectations clear
- Learning what the work is like when someone is relying on you
Many employment contracts restrict outside work, especially paid work. Read yours, ask HR in writing if unsure, and do not hide it.
A Short Course as an ExperimentUsed as a test, not a commitment.4
- A free or low-cost introductory course
- Seeing whether you keep going when it gets difficult
- Noting which parts you enjoy
- Stopping without guilt if the answer is no
Reading the ResultsDeciding what the evidence says.5
- Writing down in advance what would make it a yes
- Writing down what would make it a no
- Separating 'this is hard' from 'this is not for me'
- Checking the plan with somebody who will be honest
- A decision: go, adjust, or stop
Common mistakes
- Experimenting indefinitely, never deciding
- Choosing tests that cannot fail
- Burning out by taking on too much at once
- Breaking a clause in the employment contract
- Treating one difficult week as a verdict
- Telling nobody, and then resigning
What participants leave with
- A list of experiments, with dates
- A yes and no test written before they begin
- A list of people to contact
- A check on their contract and notice terms
- A date to review the results
How the session runs
People who tested a direction before leaving, and one or two who tested and decided against, describe what they tried and what they learned. Participants then design one experiment each, with a start date and a review date, and share it with a small group for questions. Evening or weekend sessions, in person or online.
What your students leave with
- A list of experiments you can run in the next four to eight weeks
- A way to decide in advance what would count as a yes or a no
- Practical advice on time, energy and your current job's rules
- Ways to get a real taste of the work, not a description of it
- A habit of reading results honestly, including disappointing ones
- A plan for the point where the test says go
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.
A small test now is cheaper than a large regret later.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.