How do I change industries—at this stage in my career?

Don't see a clear path in your industry? We've tapped an executive coach for transition advice. Plus, see our top book recommendations for making a major change.

May 02, 2024

Ask a Career Coach

I have been at my company in the same role for the past four years and don't see a clear path for further growth here. I am good at my job and it offers a good work/life balance; but I sense it might be time for me to move on and aim for something new, bigger, and more challenging. Plus, I fear that being in the same role for 4+ years may not reflect well on my resume.

Problem is I don't know what other job I'd want; I'd probably want to switch industries from the tumultuous one I’m currently in (media), but my network and the recruiters I know are all in my current industry. Any advice on some next steps I should explore? How can I strategically think about switching industries, especially at a senior level?

In the midst of a career turning point or crisis? Crux wants to help. Send us your question to be answered (anonymously) by a career coach in an upcoming newsletter.

A Career Coach Says

This is one of my favorite puzzles to work with clients on: how to name and claim what will light you, your life, and your career up!

Designing a life with intention, all parts of it—personal and professional—is the foundational concept underlying my coaching practice and my podcast “Your New Life Blend.”

So, just to level set: You are normal to be feeling the weight of this crossroads.

This journey naturally always begins with the same question: how, and where, do I even begin? It’s always tricky for my high-achieving senior leaders who are talented and hard-working—you can do anything, right? Without any parameters, the choices and paths forward are completely overwhelming.

First, it’s important to treat this with the seriousness and thoughtfulness it deserves. Overwhelm can cause us to freeze and avoid, bumping important, yet not urgent, projects and tasks down the priority list. Your career concern is exactly the kind of thing many folks I work with tend to avoid until they absolutely must. But we never want things to get to the urgent point if we can help it!

Taking this career pivot seriously means treating it like a real project with timelines and tasks and defending that time ruthlessly. And this is the kind of project that will take time. And also a bit of space to dream and envision what more is possible for you.

Which is the first step in the process: Taking the time to envision where you’d like to go and why.

Begin by first connecting to your values, to your drivers—what motivates and grounds you. This worksheet provides prompts to facilitate this essential step and helps to guide all that follows. Being connected to what we value pulls us closer to our biggest yeses and helps minimize getting pulled off track by overwhelm, self-doubt, and the like.

Once rooted in your values, then decide on a target endpoint (not THE end, just AN end) so that you can anchor yourself in a container of time. There is no right answer for this period of time, it depends on a variety of factors, including the urgency of your individual situation.

As some examples, I have worked with clients on mapping out career evolutions over the course of three to five years, and also within six to nine months. The key is to choose the point that makes sense for what you need, and reverse-engineer your goals with your values as your guide.

With this in mind, you can then walk through the exercise of envisioning what you would like to have, do, and be—more of and less of—by that chosen end point. Some clients decided to make wholesale career pivots, to find new employment within their industry, to redesign their priorities, to reclaim time in their life, to realign their relationship to work in general, and more.

Use this worksheet I developed to help you identify what you value from your past and present, assess what you want to bring into your future, and dream about next steps. It’s modeled off the framework I will often shepherd clients through who are struggling with exactly this kind of crossroads.

Finally, I want to address your comment about your network. I have a feeling, based on my experience working with many folks currently in the media industry to do exactly what you want to do, that there have already been shifts. Take a look around and see what roles and organizations respected colleagues, mentors, and associates have begun to transition into.

Also, oftentimes we forget our networks are broader than our industry itself. You likely worked with people at each of your companies who weren't in your field (think: engineers, product managers, IT, etc). While these may not be fields you're interested in, these people may be at companies that you are — don't forget them.

Get curious about what your network is up to, and connect to learn more! I’d be surprised if much of your network isn’t already at least dabbling with other industries.

Reach out to folks who are doing interesting things and connect to catch up. These conversations, along with what you design for yourself, are going to shape your path ahead in big and small ways.

— Shoshanna Hecht

Meet the Coach of the Month: Shoshanna Hecht

In her own words:

I’m an executive and personal coach, speaker, and host of the podcast “Your New Live Blend.” Based in New York City, with over 10 years of previous experience as a clinical therapist on the West Coast, in my current practice I support and equip high-achievers and their teams in their success. I help folks to build and refine skills, stretch into new roles, and design a life and career that lights them up.
It’s so fun helping clients step into the next level of leadership, build confidence, sharpen communication, and find clarity in their vision for their personal and professional lives.
Of course, I’m always cheering you on—foundational to my approach is my firm belief that we hold all the answers within ourselves. And I never take for granted the privilege of getting to partner with folks to help people discover these answers and to break through any internal barriers so that they can move forward powerfully and thrive.

Crux Subscribers: Sign up for a free consultation here—talk to me about your crossroads and other pain points you might be grappling with, and let me see if I can help or make a referral.

Shoshanna’s Go-to Resources

Book Recommendations for Career Changers

Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One by Jenny Blake: An oldie but still a goodie on how to learn from the (many) pivots of tech companies to find your own best next step.
The Designing Your Life Workbook: A Framework for Building a Life You Can Thrive In by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: Based on their bestselling book (which is based on their famous course at Stanford), this journal-meets-workbook offers detailed steps for going from problem to action.
Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention by Patricia Heaton: OK, so you may know her from Everybody Loves Raymond, but she’s also acted out a career reinvention, reinvented her own career, and interviewed plenty of other reinvent-ors. If stories about others’ journeys are your speed—this is your book.
A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger: According to this innovation expert, asking different (er, better) questions, as it turns out, can fuel creative ideas and directions you may have never considered.
Get a Life, Not a Job: Do What You Love and Let Your Talents Work For You by Paula Caligiuri: What if you could focus less on finding your dream job and instead on creating your dream job. Whether you stay at your current company or start your own business, this book pushes you to figure out how your existing talents can help you get there.