How to know if it's time to change careers

I was not one of those kids

that knew exactly what they wanted to do

when they were growing up.

In the last 15 years of my career,

I've been an English teacher, an attorney,

and a video game creator,

and now, a toilet paper
salesman selling millions

of rolls of toilet paper a year.

(playful music)

Life is about finding the intersection

of what you really, really love

with what you're really, really good at.

As simple as it sounds,

it's really not that easy to find.

After a brief stint as an English teacher,

I went to law school and
ended up becoming an attorney

at a really big law firm
here in New York City.

Like most Americans for
the next two, three years,

I was holding onto my job

for dear life working really late hours

at a job that I thought
maybe I was good at,

but certainly not one that
I really, really loved.

I then came upon that
epiphany that it takes years

if not tens of thousands of hours

to get really good at something.

I really didn't have a
lot of time to waste.

This talk isn't for those

that are just looking to quit their job

because they don't like their boss

or they had a long day at work.

This is for those that are ready to make

the completely scary leap
into a brand new career.

So, as you think about
making that career change,

here are a few tips
that I hope you consider

and a few things that I've
picked up along the way.

First, there's three things to think about

before you're ready to move on.

Number one, professional
life is about learning.

If you're not even interested
in learning anymore,

that's a huge red flag

that there might not be a
future for you in that industry.

Number two, career changes
are often gut-driven.

If you're constantly
having sleepless nights

where you're just wide awake

staring at the ceiling thinking, oh man,

I can't live with myself if I
never try to make this change

or if I don't even
actually investigate it,

then trust your gut.

It might be time for that career change.

On the flip side,

one reason to not move
on is short-term pain.

If you don't like your boss

or people at the office
are grading on you,

that's actually not a really good reason

to absolutely change your career

because when you do change your career,

you're generally going to
have to start from the bottom

and you're actually gonna probably feel

a lot of short-term pain

whether it's through a lack of
salary or a lack of a title.

Pain at any job is inevitable.

So, now you're convinced

that it's time to change your career.

Then, there's three
things to do immediately.

First, network, network, network.

No one ever builds a career

without a good mentor or
a good support network.

What I mean by networking is
getting all the great advice

that you can possibly get.

Technology has made it so simple
to reach out to new people

to say, hey, I'm thinking
about making a career change.

Do you have just five
minutes to chat with me?

That passion and that hunger
and that ability to be a sponge

really attracts awesome mentors

and people willing to give you their time

to give you some good advice.

And so, go out there and meet new people.

The second thing you
need to do immediately

is shore up your finances.

The reality is, when
you change your career,

you're either gonna start
with a job with a lower title

or lower pay or maybe even no pay,

especially if you're
starting your own business.

So, going out there and making sure

that your finances are in order

to make the transition less painful

is really, really important.

For me personally,

as I made the transition
from being an attorney

over to a video game creator,

I wanted to have at least six to 12 months

of personal runway in the bank.

Six to 12 months might not
be the right number for you,

but be honest with yourself
on what that number should be.

Number three, if you're not
ready to make the full jump

right at this moment, then
get your side hustle on.

Side hustles could be anything

from volunteering with an organization

that's in that new industry
that you wanna go into,

could be starting your business part-time

on the weekends.

It's a free way to get a taste

to see if you really,
really love something.

So, you're ready to make the move

or maybe you already made the move.

There are three things

you should think about doing right now.

One, do not, I repeat,
do not burn bridges.

You spent years building those bridges.

Why burn them now?

The world is such a small place,

especially with all
these online platforms,

that believe me,

you will see these people again

and probably in the
most inopportune times.

Number two, take stock
of what you've learned

in your previous career or careers.

Most likely, a lot of those
things are really applicable

to your new job and your new career,

whether it's interacting with
people, playing on a team,

or whether it's dealing with jerks

and dealing with assholes.

All those things are really
universally applicable.

You're gonna find jerks no
matter what industry you're in.

No one's immune to it.

Everyone's gotta figure it out

and you probably know
how to do it already.

And lastly, when you start your new job,

I know you're gonna be
nervous, but don't worry.

Take a deep breath because
this is what I wanna tell you.

You're part of a new team now

and everyone around you is
rooting for your success

because your success is their success,

so welcome to your new career.

(light jazz music)