Starting your career over at 25.
To everyone who says they know what they’re doing and are confident in it- there is a solid chance they can put their money where their mouth is, but also a solid chance they’re a big fat liar.
I thought I knew what I wanted to do. And then I did know. And then I didn’t.
Amidst all that, I also faced major imposter syndrome and never felt like what I was doing was enough. Other people made it look so easy, and I knew I was smart and capable- yet I still wasn’t on the same level.
Until I realized it was all a facade.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned in the past 2 years is growing a backbone, standing up for your thoughts and opinions, and being confident in it. Whoever said “The truth will set you free” was not kidding! On the surface, people think I have my sh*t together but I feel the complete opposite. When I opened up about how lost I felt in my career and the lack of direction for a corporate career, I realized that many other people felt the same.
Early in my career, I was hellbent on working in the fashion industry and having a Devil Wears Prada moment. Suddenly I was a data analyst, then I was working in growth marketing at a B2B SaaS company. In the midst of all that, I was working for myself and building a surf company out of New York City. Suddenly I want to pursue Private Equity, with a focus on Real Estate.
Do I have any formal finance experience? No. Am I going to be relentless in finding an opportunity that is willing to take a chance on me and the knowledge that I’ve gathered for myself? Yes.
Here’s some of the most important advice I have for myself and for anyone else who is looking to completely pivot their career in their mid-twenties:
First, understand why you want to pursue this new role. What draws you to it? Does it challenge what you know?
Find creative ways to weave in your previous professional experience in a new industry. What hard skills can you translate over?
Have some kind of non-corporate experience in what you’re trying to pursue whether that’s a freelance position or even content creation. This allows you to bring in a fresh perspective while still allowing you to validate your knowledge and bring something to the table.
For example, I’ve been bred to do real estate since I was 13 years old and have always been interested in it. The sales aspect of it never appealed to me (unless it was glamorized but remember, these are salespeople- they don’t owe you the reality of things). However, now that I want to pivot into Private Equity, it gives me a slight advantage because I have real-world experience and my marketing skills translate over to the roles that I want to pursue.
Just know that nothing is as it seems, and everyone is still figuring it out day by day. It’s easy to be caught up with the aspirational content and “get rich quick” videos we see on social media, and at the end of the day, it’s just who markets themselves the best to sell to other people.
The more you expose yourself to different people and experiences in life, the more you’ll realize that what you know is only a fraction of what is out there. Sometimes what you think would never be the right fit could be something you end up loving. Be open-minded to any opportunity that comes.
My rule is you’re only able to “give up” after you’ve put in 110% and try to pursue every angle you can. This takes a huge amount of honesty with yourself to admit, but if you do- it will challenge your perseverance and whether or not things will play out in your favor.