By any measure, I was an unlikely choice to head the training program for a Fortune 200 manufacturer that was opening their first international plant. My only manufacturing experience was as a minimum-wage laborer to make ends meet as a newlywed. I was an early-childhood educator who worked in childcare and had led a Head Start center for two years. My previous job? A public-school kindergarten teacher.
To this day, I’m unsure if it was naivety or blind optimism that compelled me to make the career switch from teacher to trainer. It came at a time where my family was relocating to the Midwest, a move that I didn’t relish but gave me an opportunity to rethink my career.
When I did, I realized that although I loved my teaching work, I loved working with the staff more (and as an early-childhood educator, I always had staff). After starting two childcare businesses, I realized that I liked the business end of things. There was also the issue of pay. Staying in this line of work meant that if my family relied on my income alone, we would be at the poverty line.
So, as we trekked to new territory, I mapped out a new career path. I was fortunate to be encouraged by a mentor doing the work I wanted to do. Luckily, I found the book What Color Is Your Parachute?, which guided me. Perhaps most importantly, I threw myself into doing the work to make this career shift.
The work entailed two primary activities:
- Defining a career vision then charting my transferable skills
- Conducting dozens of informational interviews
While the vision charted my path, the clear articulation of how my skills in early-childhood education transferred to business and industry challenged me the most. It was learning a new language and being able to speak in terms businesspeople knew and understood. It was being able to translate how managing a staff of nine had honed my leadership. How my training and experience was in creating learner-centric environments that allowed human beings to learn naturally and joyfully. How I could deconstruct a task into its elements and build more complex skills, a step at a time.
Once I was clear on my target role and transferable skills, I began informational interviews. I called and asked for 30 minutes with those I thought could help me better understand training in the business world. Requests went out to others doing the work I so desperately wanted to do and to those who may hire someone in this role.
Here is the amazing thing: People are overwhelmingly generous with their time, their support, and their wisdom.
When we arrived in this Indiana town of 16,000, I knew our realtor and my husband’s boss. Within six weeks I had met (and received support) from 20 people, including several plant managers. Within twelve weeks, I was offered a training coordinator role at the largest and most-respected manufacturer in the area. That job turned into a 14-year career that was pivotal in enabling me to:
- Earn my master’s degree at a respected university (with tuition reimbursement).
- Move into middle management and a corporate role that included global travel.
- Be the recipient of an estimated $100K of training to hone my skills.
Since leaving this company, I’ve taught at a college level at Purdue University, a lifelong dream. I’ve founded three consulting companies. I’ve written two books. Best of all is that I do the work I love, and my income is well-above poverty level.
I’ll leave you with three pieces of advice:
- Learn and speak the language of business. It’s your job to translate what you can do with a business lens. You have transferable skills and you need to clearly name them.
- Take a risk. This is not the time to be timid. You need to prepare, but you also need to avoid overthinking things. Share your dreams. Reach out to others. Give it a go. Learn when you get a no. If this is important to you, stick with it.
- Resumes don’t get jobs, but relationships do. This is the most important lesson of all. People are eager to help if you are clear about how they can help you. Your resume must be well done, but it is your relationships that require nurturing and the most care because relationships matter most.
