Do you ever wonder how people make the professional transitions they do? How do you go from being a teacher to being an entertainment executive? Or from consulting to VC?
We traced those paths, along with a few others, to get a feel for how people can make these monumental changes in their careers. Sometimes it only takes a couple of steps; at other times, it’s taken several moves to get into their long-term goal job.
So what do these stories mean for you? We hope they inspire you to figure out what your story might be. Say you’re a real estate finance professional who hopes to get into CPG. All the big CPG companies have come and gone and you’re left without an offer. Instead of assuming that you have to wait until next year to pursue CPG again – or, worse, that you can’t pursue CPG at all – you need to consider what steps you can take to attain that long-term goal. In short, you need to find your story.
Of course, to make the change you may need to consider a few different potential stories. What’s most important is that you know and can communicate to others how the steps you will take will get you to your ultimate goal.
Note: in our example above, the person made a two-step transition in Path B, including a full-time stint in consulting.
You can use these examples as a jumping-off point to create your own transition. Use the template below to start considering what story you’ll be able to tell as you move to your desired industry.
