Divya is a content contributor for South Asian Success, check out all his articles here.
“Are You Leaving a Quarter of a Million Dollars on the Table?“
That was the reaction I got from my family and friends when I told them I was leaving a Software Engineering role, which offered that level of compensation, to pivot my career towards more customer-facing roles. 😂
To be honest, I was bummed to be taking a salary cut, but ten years into my career as a Software Engineer, I knew it wasn’t the right fit for me. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with writing code and seeing what you design come to life. However, I wanted to understand more about how businesses were managed.
Sitting behind a computer and writing code all day wasn’t the answer. I needed a front row seat to the action, not just a backstage pass!
Once I made up my mind, I decided my goal was to find a customer-facing role that would allow me to interact with customers directly, start learning about what mattered most to them, and most importantly, how they made decisions that impacted the whole organization.
By this time, Customer Success as a career was gaining traction, and the more I read and heard about it, the more I realized this is where I wanted to be.
The early stages of my journey leading to Customer Success were not easy because people saw me as an Engineer first (which has changed drastically now), but I relentlessly pursued opportunities that I knew would help me get answers to those questions and land me in Customer Success.
Having the following skills helped me get here quicker.
Being Bold and Taking Risks
There is no better time than the present to switch careers if you want to. There’s never going to be a best day to make a decision like that. So why not now?
The best place to start, if you already have a job, is within the company. Review internal job opportunities, talk to people on those teams, evaluate the pros and cons, establish a rapport with the manager and potential new teammates, and once you’ve decided this is the path for you, apply for the new job. For me, what has always worked is to be honest and keep my present managers in the loop. My managers always knew my desires for taking on new roles and responsibilities. When I applied for the new job, this didn’t come as a surprise to them. Because I had already done my homework regarding the team and the new role, my interviews were short and direct as I presented solutions to existing problems, and I had the support of the new team.
If you are not currently employed and are thinking about a career pivot, you can still make it, but it may take a bit longer as you will need to network more and find an executive willing to take a chance on you. This is where having a resume that reflects the work you have done but can be translated into something the new job is looking for and a solid network of people that can vouch for your experience will come a long way. Regardless, be bold and take risks.
Be Persistent
My journey after Software Engineering took me to Technical Project Management, Strategic Partnership Management, Program Management, and then to Customer Success. In between it all, I owned a business as well!
Yep, it was a long and winding road with different titles, and I’m so grateful for this journey because I realized there are many overlaps in skills and responsibilities regardless of the titles. As a Customer Success leader now, I’m able to bring in fresh perspectives because of all the experience I’ve gained over the years. Despite it taking an additional ten years to get to my dream job as VP of Customer Success, I never once wavered because I knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight and that I needed all the experience to be able to make an impact in my organization.
For you, the path may be complicated as well, but if the new career is one to bring you happiness, then stick with it, no matter what it takes – be persistent!
Do Your Homework
The best way to impress people, especially in a new role, is to be able to talk the talk.
Having a new job is hard. You must prove yourself quickly while learning at the same time. What has always worked for me is to be open to learning. Learn by listening (conversations with people, podcasts, webinars) and learn by doing (take on additional projects, volunteer to help your teammates). Keep in mind that you are a lifelong learner. Technology changes constantly, and your business/company objectives change too. If you are not bringing in new ideas or are unable to make smart, informed decisions, then you will not succeed. So, always do your homework.
I hope this gave you some inspiration to take the next step in your career. If you need someone to offer guidance, please reach out to me on LinkedIn. I would love to help in any way I can!
Resource idea: Try the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test to help you understand your personality and how it aligns with various careers.
Graphic created with Dall-E.
