I was a chef.
I realize that many people switch careers today. Some switch into careers wildly unrelated to their original, and I suppose I fit that category in this instance. I’m certainly not alone, but I do occasionally receive some raised eyebrows when I tell people what I used to do in comparison to what I do now.
I spent several years as a chef, obtaining my Journeyperson status and accumulating varied experience. I was comfortable. I was safe, for the most part. The idea of change was frightening. However, circumstances conspired to force me into a job change, at a bare minimum. Looking at the situation and discussing it with my wife, I decided that even though I was nervous…even afraid…of the change, I felt this was the time to do it if I was ever going to do so. I admit, it did help that to a certain degree my back was to the wall, and my wife had a lucrative and stable career. She was also incredibly supportive of me making a career switch, and in fact encouraged it.
A change was apparent, it was just a case of how significant a change. I knew what I wanted to do, what I had always wanted to do. When I finally admitted to myself that I had really just been too afraid to make the change before, it became easier.
When I first made the shift into the I.T. field full time, leaving a job as a food service manager, at one point I was working four jobs. All were part-time, and only one of them was related to information technology. It was very easy to become discouraged as I pored over my resume, trying vainly to find a legitimate way to apply my past experience, a couple certifications, and a few years of hobby I.T. work to my newly chosen path. Years of experience and contacts built up in a trade, amongst a certain sector of business, suddenly rendered mostly irrelevant. Education and certificates that did not apply. The mental and emotional strain of taking everything you KNOW for sure and packing it away and taking up something that, though familiar, was not your mainstay, and worse yet realizing just how much you did not know about your new field. The older you get, the more difficult this becomes I think. Switching careers can be a scary business, especially if you have a home and a family.
After two years of part-time jobs, most unrelated to I.T., I went for an interview with a local telecommunications company who were making a big push for service technicians. This was around 2005. They were implementing their new I.P. T.V. solution in full force and needed a large number of people. A good job, with good pay. To my surprise, I was one of those hired. This was the turning point for me. Though field work installing and repairing phones, internet, and I.P. T.V. was not exactly what I wanted to be doing I felt it was a legitimate break into the general field where I wanted to be.
Why did they hire me? Wouldn’t the fellow twelve years younger with a newly minted MCSE or Computer Science degree be a better choice?
Life experience, or at least I think that is part of the reason.
We tend to focus on the very visible and practical skills associated with a given profession or trade. Cooks are associated with elegant meals, lush desserts, and the ever present white chef’s hat. I.T. professionals are associated with screens full of code, a workbench full of mysterious computer parts, and fixing your email. However, no trade or profession exists in a vacuum. Skills and abilities such as organization, the ability to talk to a variety of people, and many more play an important part in our careers no matter what we do.
Looking at my qualifications, I saw a resume without enough I.T. experience on it, a half finished general university degree, and several years of hobby work in I.T. The hiring officer at the telco saw a man who had grown up on a farm and had a basic understanding and skills in electricity, carpentry, and even a bit of welding. He saw someone who had managed food service operations successfully, implying organizational and people skills. He saw a homeowner and family man, implying stability and commitment. He also saw someone who had studied independently for his A+ and had started taking computer science university classes again, implying a willingness to learn and progress. The computer skills? He had worked part-time and as a hobbyist with hardware, software and networks and talks about technology with great enthusiasm. He has potential so we’ll take him in and train him more in those areas as we see fit. As the interview progressed, I relaxed and realized they liked what I had to offer. I realized I did have something to offer.
What a difference in how we each saw me initially.
That was my turning point. The realization came over the following months as I found that I was competent at the job. I soaked up every bit of information I could, asked questions of any other technician that had knowledge. I helped any other tech who needed it, sharing what I was learning. The job was a term position, and when the term was up, myself and several others were extended, then extended again. They offered a number of online study courses for free, and I digested as many of them as possible.
Fast forward and I moved on. I am ten years in as part of the the I.T./Engineering department of a radio broadcast company. I am on my way in my new career, gaining knowledge and experience every day, and continuing my hobbyist work at home as well. For all those out there considering making a major career change, keep a positive mindset, and remember what I mentioned above. Jobs do not exist in a vacuum, and sometimes skills we have obtained that don’t apply in a direct sense to what we intend to do are just as important as anything else.
Confidence in myself was essential to the success of the change I have made. For anyone out there contemplating such a change, confidence is probably more important than anything else, at least initially. Confidence, willingness to be humble and admit what I don’t know, learn and to unlearn sometimes, to adapt and to progress.
Will it always work for everyone? I don’t suppose it will. Perhaps I had some good luck as well. There was certainly no guarantee that I would be able to shift careers easily, but work and a positive mindset gave me better odds. Not trying at all and having the mindset that it was impossible would have ensured that I did not succeed.
Every situation is different, every person is unique. I do believe that most people can make a successful change as I did, given some time, some work, and the willingness to perhaps take what seems like a step or two back in order to progress further in the long run.
