3 Pieces of Career Advice to Begin Making a Career Change

I love how many young professionals talk with me after keynotes and workshops seeking career advice about the challenges they are facing.

While the exchanges are typically brief, they are almost always with individuals who connected with the talk's message and want to discuss what it means for them and where they are now, or where they would like to be in the future. Maybe it's because I made such a dramatic career shift. Maybe it's because they want to do what I do. Maybe it's because NO ONE in their current organization's is safe to talk with on career advice and pursuing their aspirations.

Whatever the reason, the challenge and opportunity of coming up with quick, on-the-spot career advice to answer their questions is exhilarating. It keeps me on my toes.

The most recent one, like so many others, was someone who wants to figure out the career plan B to make a big move away from her highly specialized job. She’s looking for something more fulfilling in her career.

3 Pieces of Career Advice to Begin Making a Career Change

My suggestions for her, to the extent I can generalize and share them here:

• Figure out a way to start sharing her expertise online, even if she must mask her current organization. It's vital to build a repository of valuable content you can point people to for proof of your expertise, if not today, then in the future. Use the advantage of time to get started sooner than later.
• Look for ways to start generalizing her specialized knowledge so she can apply it in other areas. This is especially true for people that want to make huge shifts in what they do. You can find ways to move much (if not all) that expertise with you to a future gig. There are always smart connections you can make between what you do now and what you want to do in the future. Figure them out and make all of them that make sense.
• Get a copy of Idea Magnets. I know that sounds self-serving. Idea Magnets is the deepest long-form content we have on how to strengthen yourself as a creative business leader. And in this case, I told the person asking for advice that I'd send her a personal copy of Idea Magnets if she follows up with me.

For all the rest of you, here is my message: If you ever see me speak, please come up and say hello. Ask all the questions you want. I welcome the opportunity to offer more personalized advice than I ever can during a keynote talk. – Mike Brown

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