Here's how you can navigate a career change as a mid-career professional in Writing.

I am a biotechnology engineer turned writer. Here are 5 tips that helped me succeed: 1. I worked on my skills instead of being stuck with my degree. 2. I went around giving writing interviews with no experience. There are people out there who appreciate new and raw ideas. 3. I put my content out on social media in order to build a portfolio. 4. I developed humility to ask for work. 5. I was confident all along. What's one thing that helped you?

Acknowledge your transferable skills! Start with a T-chart. On one side, a brain dump: what goes into your day-to-day in your current field? What are you responsible for? What do you collaborate on? What are the steps in between the steps? On the next side, pull over everything from your brain dump that seems to be relevant in a different context. Now do it again. Take that list of skills and practice telling a specific, experiential story that exemplifies each skill.

As a mid-career professional in writing, start by assessing your skills. Take stock of your strengths, experiences, and transferable skills that can be valuable in other writing domains. Identify areas where you excel, such as technical writing, creative storytelling, or content marketing. Recognize any gaps and consider pursuing additional training or certifications to enhance your expertise. Understanding your skillset allows you to position yourself effectively for new opportunities and demonstrates your readiness for a career change.

Leverage experience and analyze strengths to demonstrate versatility. Emphasize research, storytelling, and editing abilities as valuable assets in the transition.

The writing industry offers diverse niches, from technical to creative storytelling. Identify sectors aligning with your interests and career objectives. Pursue freelance opportunities or contribute to relevant publications to gain experience and develop your portfolio.

Explore various niches within the writing industry to find areas that align with your interests and skills. Research emerging fields like UX writing, digital content strategy, or scriptwriting for new media platforms. Attend industry conferences, webinars, and workshops to gain insights into different writing specializations. Experiment with freelance projects or part-time roles in these niches to gain hands-on experience and determine what resonates with you. This exploration helps you identify a new direction that is both fulfilling and sustainable.

I have utilised my sociological knowledge in gender, family and relationships to write self-help books on career women’s partner choices. My academic credentials lend my book professionalism and credibility, and also gives me the confidence to make the transition to the commercial field. It’s tapping into a niche that my expertise could provide.

Switching career is one of the toughest decisions to make especially when all the experience you have gathered is from the previous career. So yes Networking actively is a crucial aspect of this career change, irrespective of the mode of networking, be it physical or virtual, show up and be consistent, you are making a major shift,so meet people in your community, get involved, Volunteer, build relationships. look up opportunities and seek advice from like minded professionals. The more people you know, the more opportunities you are opened to.

Networking is crucial when navigating a career change. Connect with professionals in your desired field through LinkedIn, industry forums, and writing communities. Attend networking events, join professional organizations, and participate in writing groups to build relationships and gain valuable insights. Seek informational interviews with individuals who have successfully transitioned into the roles you aspire to. By assessing your skills, exploring niches, and networking actively, you can successfully navigate a career change as a mid-career professional in writing. These steps will help you transition smoothly into a new and exciting chapter of your writing career.

Networking is essential for transitioning careers. Connect with fellow writers and industry experts through workshops, seminars, and online communities. These collaborations and connections, often open doors to new opportunities in your chosen area.

I made a lot of connections with other authors, influencers, bloggers and podcasters on social media such as LinkedIn, Instagram and X, who specialise on similar topics as me, so that we could help promote each other’s work. I had to rebrand my own social media profiles to reflect my new focus, which is more commercial.

Switching career from HR to writing was a tough one for me. Especially in this aspect of rebranding. It felt like I was leaving all my professional experience behind to delve into something seemingly “unprofessional.” It took me a while to rebrand myself on LinkedIn but I finally worked around to it, and I had to start accepting that this was the right choice for my career. Rebranding opened me up to a new world of people, especially professional writers. Not to mention recruiters that were taken by my profile. So yes, rebranding is a crucial aspect of this career change.

You should be open to the notion of change. Do away with irrelevant skills that might not be needed in this new phase. Rebrand purposefully. Know your niche so as to build your brand around it. Make sure your rebrand story aligns with the your prospective job search or your prospective client's needs.

When I made the transition from academic writing to commercial writing, I created a personal website that lists all my writing achievements, including my academic book and journal articles. I have sections on my media appearances and public speaking engagements, to prove that I have the ability to sell my work and market my own brand as a commercial author.

Update your resume, LinkedIn profile, and professional website to reflect your new writing focus. Craft a narrative that connects your past experiences to your future aspirations in writing

A quote that has always resonated with me is, "Your next interview happens when you're not in the room." Consider your digital presence from the perspective of a stranger. What should be obvious to them? What story is your digital persona telling? We don't always get the opportunity to introduce ourselves. Make sure you are putting your best foot forward digitally so that even if you never get the opportunity to talk with someone in person, they can get a feel for what to expect from you. Authenticity is a superpower! It opens the right doors (and closes the wrong ones) for you to bring your whole self to your next chapter in life.

To navigate change as a mid-career, you need to stay updated. This is so that you wouldn't be left behind. You need to find out about the latest trends, styles and ways of writing. This is so that you would know how to use them. You should also find out about the trendiest types of topics to write about. This is so that you can write about these topics too.

Staying updated of course means what you would expect: subscribing to industry newsletters, following thought leaders on social media, and participating in webinars and online courses. But, it also means staying updated with new and refreshing feedback! You can learn a lot about how the writing landscape is evolving by constantly asking for feedback on your work.

You need to embrace flexibility when you want to navigate a career change. This is because you need to be flexible in order to be able to change. You could start by attending courses to learn new ways of writing even if it's not according to your style. This is because your old ways might be outdated. You could also accept small projects when you are trying out new things. This is to build your confidence in this new change.

When faced with a career change, you need to stay open and positive. This is to avoid you from giving up. You should be open by asking for feedback on your new way of writing. This is so that you can improve on it. You must also not take it to heart what others say about your writing. Just be positive and take every comment as a lessons to better yourself.