How I successfully did a mid career switch at 38 years old

1) Mental clarity on what you want out of the job is really important. It helps you list out what you really want out of the job, we are not talking about being picky about a job but what are the lines that you are willing to compromise. The possibility to get that perfect job is only possible if you even know what the perfect job is.

I did my own reflection and realise that I really just want to change to another job that is less operational based. I want slightly more flexibility and thus the possibility to take care of my family needs over my job. There are definitely alot of options to get there but many times it usually mean a freelance or part time job which may or may not mean a continual income or at a timing that can accomodate your family needs. 

2) Once you understand where you are, then you need to firm reasonable expectations for the new job, in terms of money and job scope. 

So I really come to accept how there is a cost to everything and I was willing to accept a paycut in order to have the flexibility. With that paycut, I switched into a junior role in the data analytical field. Even that I feel immersely grateful to find a job as I do feel I donot have enough knowledge with analytics at all. 6 months of training is not enough however no amount of time is ever going to be make a person feel super competent. I knew that it will be a steep learning curve and I am willing to strive for it. 

3) Sell your strength and share what you hope to develop (not your demands) at the job interview. A job interview is a two way conversation for the hiring company to get to know you and also for you to know more about what you are getting into. 

The stars aligned that the department I was applying for (I applied for a junior data analyst role) were looking for a candidate who will be managing data analytic related trainings for personnels with little or data analytic backgrounds. Training usually involves getting them to be familiar with the new platforms that the company is embarking on and also to inculcate certain skill sets. This is really a perfect position for me to jump in given that I was still deeply interested and happy to conduct trainings. These two questions really form the lasting impression in me.

Interviewer: "What value do you think you can bring to the new role?" 

I did not know about the training to be conducted as it was a generic job description at the start so I answered about my beginner mindset and the ability to give a new perspective when it comes to a data analytical question.

My question: "What are the expectation of me after I join the company within the first month?"

This question gave me a lot of clarity as my hiring manager describe the scope that he intended for me to fill in and where I heard about the trainings I will be involved in. I supposed this is also the point that if what is described are not what you are looking for, you can probe more. I asked at a subsequent interview session with the higher managment to understand what is the openness to switching to another job scope within the company. The answer I get was that there are opporunities so I formed my expectation to make sure I find project assignments whenever I can to develop my data analytical skills.

4) Lastly, have gratitude and not rush yourself. 

I am proud of what I had managed to accompolish and grateful for the colleagues I had met so far. I need to remind myself to lean into my curiousity (so that there is always a constant motivation) and it is ok when I donot feel like learning anything (as there are tonnes of tech things to learn). We need to be sustainable about this. 

These are my two cents worth. Hopefully I can pick up my blogging post rate again. See ya.