Changing Horses in Mid-Stream
I was recently asked on Quora about how to make a mid-career job role change. The person asking wanted to avoid "starting over at the bottom".
The short answer: The best way to not "start at the bottom" in a new career area is to not start your new career at a new company.
The long answer: Rather, find a position directionally related to your new area of interest, at your existing company. While the opportunities vary from company to company, and in different geographies the practices and customs can differ as well, the best chance you have of making a lateral move into a new area is to do it with an existing employer.
Why? Because quite often and existing employer is more willing to take a risk and give you a position of similar rank to your old position -- knowing that the new domain make take some time to ramp up, but also knowing that you have a history of good performance and on-the-job learning capability.
A few things to keep in mind:
1) Not all employers will think this way, so you may FIRST have to move to a new employer that has this kind of perspective (and continue in your OLD career space when you first move over). This may or may not be less time consuming that just making the jump and starting afresh in a new field, depending on how senior you are.
2) You may not laterally move into the position you want right away. Think about interim steps, and who you need to work with and get visibility with and network with, to eventually get into the role that you want.
3) If there are certifications involved with qualifying for the new career field, get started on those NOW rather than later when the ideal position is open and other candidates, who have the certifications, are in the running for it as well.
And, finally, find a champion in the new field -- a leader who can act as a mentor or even an advocate for your move and your potential in the new space. This can help bridge all those niggle-ly gaps that might otherwise unfairly disadvantage you.
The short answer: The best way to not "start at the bottom" in a new career area is to not start your new career at a new company.
The long answer: Rather, find a position directionally related to your new area of interest, at your existing company. While the opportunities vary from company to company, and in different geographies the practices and customs can differ as well, the best chance you have of making a lateral move into a new area is to do it with an existing employer.
Why? Because quite often and existing employer is more willing to take a risk and give you a position of similar rank to your old position -- knowing that the new domain make take some time to ramp up, but also knowing that you have a history of good performance and on-the-job learning capability.
A few things to keep in mind:
1) Not all employers will think this way, so you may FIRST have to move to a new employer that has this kind of perspective (and continue in your OLD career space when you first move over). This may or may not be less time consuming that just making the jump and starting afresh in a new field, depending on how senior you are.
2) You may not laterally move into the position you want right away. Think about interim steps, and who you need to work with and get visibility with and network with, to eventually get into the role that you want.
3) If there are certifications involved with qualifying for the new career field, get started on those NOW rather than later when the ideal position is open and other candidates, who have the certifications, are in the running for it as well.
And, finally, find a champion in the new field -- a leader who can act as a mentor or even an advocate for your move and your potential in the new space. This can help bridge all those niggle-ly gaps that might otherwise unfairly disadvantage you.