The story bits:
After 16 years in sales I left the profession. I'd learned a ton about communication, teamwork, problem-solving especially with solutions-focused processes, and learning quickly.
I decided to use those skills to pursue more passionate interests. That's where web development comes in.
From a young age I loved playing video games, then as a teen I learned how to make websites with simple html, and later css, followed by javascript. Then I went into the sales profession seeking the highest pay for the lowest barrier of entry. I certainly found what I sought. However, I never completely gave up on websites. A couple businesses I started began as website ideas. Over time with every business becoming a technology company, I slowly learned this and that.
Then after 16+ years as a sales professional in real estate and franchise investments, I began learning fast the ways of programming in Python, Javascript in depth, NodeJS, and learning libraries like React and other tools such as Bootstrap and Tailwind. Now I'm ready for a career move after 3 years of study and practice.
The step-by-step bits:
My career change has followed this intentional process:
- make a list of criteria important to me in my next career (ex. personal passion, indoors, work-life balance for my family, etc)
- identify possible jobs/roles fitting most of the criteria
- identify skills to develop to meet minimum viable skillset for getting hired
- learn the skills
- build portfolio and profiles (ex. blog posts on dev.to, profile build-out on GitHub, etc)
- get job.... ....i'm building my github and working on getting a job.
I hope this helps you if you're considering or at some stage in changing careers. Cheers!
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