I think this happens to most people; in fact, it has happened to me more than once, so I would like to tell my story as an example. You are in a specific career path or maybe in a particular sector of your industry for a while (in some cases, a long time), and at some point, you start to question if what you are doing makes you happy. I’m not talking about being promoted to another role. I mean giving a radical change to your career.
I could not imagine my father thinking that way; baby boomers have a great need for stability (they have lived through significant job shortages), so abandoning what they have built until then seems unappealing to them. On the contrary, generations like X or Y (Millennials) tend to go through this process. I will not say anything about the now so famous Generation Z because they see everything differently since they are children.
When I was young and still in university, my biggest dream was to be a scientist. I wanted to apply all the theoretical knowledge I learned and discover something that would change the industry (in my case, food). I finished my degree and started working as an intern in the technical area of a dairy company (quality control). It was a good starting point. All was very well, but within a few weeks, I began to notice a pattern. I could have my whole day well organized and executed according to my objectives; however, if the commercial area called with an emergency, I had to throw everything out the window to help them.
Since my interest was in the R&D area, I began to get closer and closer to this department, looking for an internal transfer. I eventually figured out how things worked and understood that this department basically did what the marketing and sales area told them. This revelation was new to me (they don’t tell you that at the university) and was a huge disappointment.
I went through several weeks of acceptance, and finally, by the time my rotation ended, and they asked me if I wanted to continue, I had a clear idea. I no longer wanted to work in the technical area; my personality did not allow me to be available to what others told me. I wanted to be in front, leading the changes and controlling the reins and, therefore, the ship’s course.
During the following months, I gave up my dream of being a scientist to explore the commercial world. I have always called this process my “step to the dark side” since I left behind the papers and passive work in the laboratory to enter a more aggressive and dynamic world where I had to deal with clients and manage budgets. Without forgetting to master all the necessary sales techniques to achieve my goals, that is, knowing how to influence.
I had to spend arduous months of preparation and internal mental adjustments, but happily, a company allowed me to start a career in sales. Of course, I went through the fear of the initial stage (I already talked about it in another article), the frustration of not getting sales (inability to influence and other tactics), questioning my decision and much more. At one point, I realized that I wasn’t using my strengths. I was a science-savvy person, but I was trying to sell like a snake-oil salesperson. I had to merge those two worlds to make use of the resources I had. I understood that my sales style was more technical than friendly (I’ll talk about it in another article), different from other salespeople without a technical background, and I had to take advantage of this.
As the months went by, I refined my sales tactics and became more of a consultant, which means someone who visited clients and recommended products based on technical knowledge, like a doctor who evaluates a patient and prescribes what he needs to improve. My ambition continued, and the local market where I worked began to feel small. Since I worked in a company that imported products, I had a particular connection with what was happening outside of my country. So my next goal was to upgrade and become an international seller.
This was followed by more preparation and a search for opportunities; I finally managed to set out on this path, and from then on, there has been no turning back. Of course, over the years, I have continued to raise the bar and seek new business challenges, learned a lot and become a market developer with a clear understanding of my strengths and limitations.
But recently, I felt that need for change again. It’s like a voice whispering in your ear, asking if what you’re doing fulfils you as a person or if you could be doing something more. So I started learning about DISC, writing my book and then, without realizing it, I was training to be an executive coach.
What I want to say when telling the story of my life is that changes in direction in your professional life are real; they happen to all of us, and if you are clear about what you want, nothing will stop you, and you will be successful. Gone are the old beliefs saying that one must be an expert in something and dedicate to it all your life. In today’s world, we can learn new things quickly and become experts in whatever we want. There is simply no need to be afraid to dream.
What is true is that you will need tools, knowledge and time depending on what you want to do. As I mentioned above, I had to invest a lot of time in acquiring what was necessary to succeed in the new directions I chose. But there are ways to shorten it. Part of my objective as a coach is to help technical people make that leap to high management or commercial roles, providing the necessary tools to ensure success in a short time.
Suppose you are going through a similar situation, or the company you work for has proposed that you take a higher position, and you feel that you need support. In that case, I recommend contacting me to receive information about my coaching programs for technicians who want to make a career change.
Alexander Martinez
