November 2018
On creating visibility and making a career change
Generally the way I see people building visibility in any field is through actively participating in conference activities and interest groups. Do you go to conferences? Offer to write up what you learn for a group newsletter or lead a lunch and learn session with your coworkers to share any insights that can help move your team practice forward. Look for Meetups in your industry or area of interest and use the relationships you develop as a practicing ground for speaking about your skills and accomplishments. Propose to lead a discussion or give a talk about an aspect of your work. The benefits of speaking to outside groups are that it raises your self-confidence, increases the visibility of your own company, and of course raises your value to the company as an ambassador, which also raises your value as a potential partner or hire to those who see you speak.
If confidentiality or proprietary knowledge is an issue then stick to soft skills topics like team communications, professional development, or topics that you know your company is public about. Look at press releases for ideas.
Also, look for meetups in areas that you are curious about. You may learn something new that you can apply at your current job or that can get you to the next step elsewhere.
If you do decide to change careers, know that your current skills and knowledge are valuable. You shouldn’t want or need to ditch everything you know and start over. I know people who were filmmakers who went into software design and commercial product marketers who coach business leaders using what they know about their earlier areas and applying them to the new field.
If it’s possible to arrange a meeting with the career center at your alma mater, I highly recommend it. Even people who think they know what they want to do next benefit from the knowledge their career offices have. Career coaching is another option and can be pricey, but if you are in a specialized field it can give you an edge. Most coaches will offer an initial consultation to see if it’s right for you. It may be all you need to build confidence.