The Beginning: How it started and lessons learned

The Start

I started my career in Tech about 3 years ago and have a lot of lessons learned. In 2019, I signed up for a coding bootcamp in hopes to learn to code to fill a skills gap. I wanted to get a job working in product. I’ve always had an interest in communities, and way to support them.

I graduated from the bootcamp in 2020, right after Covid exploded. While looking for a job, I worked on some projects of my own that included building community apps. The idea of building products that helped bring people together to solve problems and engage with each other excited me. I applied to a lot of companies that had community products that aligned with my passion. Like many have experienced, I was often ghosted or rejected.

I finally got a job in Fall of 2021. It was with a company that had their own community and community product. The product was different than what I had planned but after a couple of months on the job, I was given the opportunity to work directly with the company’s own community. I helped develop features that supported the effort to engage and grow the community successfully. I finally was getting the opportunity to work on community products.

The Challenges: Then and Now

The challenges I faced back at the beginning of this journey are similar to the challenges I see a lot of people facing today. Especially in the age of mass layoffs in Tech and beyond, the challenge of finding a job is real. Being one of potentially thousands of people applying is bad enough. Add on the challenge of being a career changer, new to the work force, or even just being less experienced adds a whole other level of difficulty. And some people have even more challenges like visa status, which I can’t imagine having to deal with that on top of everything else.

Lessons Learned

I learned a lot of lessons during this time of my life. If I had stayed in my previous career, I was mid-senior level. My previous role I was a Director. While I didn’t like that role at all, if I had stayed on that path, I could have transitioned laterally. I could have gone to a similar role, as a mid-career professional, making enough money to live my life comfortably.

However, I made the decision back in 2019 that I didn’t want to stay in that career. I was ready for a change and wanted to do something that more aligned with my interests and what I wanted. While I don’t regret my decision, I did learn a few lessons that I want to share.

What I learned

1. Figure out what you want up front. I spent a lot of time after leaving my Director role applying for jobs that were in my previous career before deciding that wasn’t what I wanted I actually think I finally decided I didn’t want it after receiving a job offer and realizing I didn’t want that life anymore. I could have saved a lot of time if I had spent some time thinking about it early on and realizing what took 6 months to figure out in month 1.
2. Make a plan with a goal. Once you figure out what you want, set a goal and make a plan on how to achieve it. If you notice you have a skill gap based on the jobs you want, make a plan to fill that gap. Whether it is taking a course, or something else, make a plan. This will also give you a great talking point in interviews on how you are learning, and you can talk to how you can apply your new skills in the job you want.
3. Revisit your plan and goal often – I realized over time I needed to adjust my approach. This is normal. Things change. You change as you learn more. Make it part of your process to revisit your plan and goal on a regular basis to adjust anything if needed, to add to your plan, and update based on progress you have made.

Wrapping it up

So those are my lessons learned from the beginning of my journey into Tech and into product. One thing I didn’t mention, is I did have relevant work experience in what I wanted to do. Just without the title. But with that said, a lot of experience is transferrable and I would encourage anyone who wants to change careers to give it a chance. Just be prepared for it to take awhile, and have a plan from the get go.