Career Pivoting, it's okay to do so

Career Pivoting is not the easiest thing, but sometimes it’s necessary. Let me make a point to say that when it comes to pivoting, a great majority of us are not brave enough to make the change. I believe we all deserve to do what we love, but also recognize that not all of us are afforded this opportunity. So, for those of you privileged enough to be in a position to pivot, it’s something I encourage you explore.

Business school is full of pivoters…and I am often very fascinated by the varying background of people in the MBA program…both at Brandeis, as well as other universities in the area. Anywhere from Dentistry, military, medicine, political science, to social work and so forth. These are all people who have analyzed the work they are doing and recognized that there was a crucial need for change in their lives and career, and they hope that graduate school would take them there.

Day after day, I meet people with PhDs in biochemical engineering working as consultants or a degree in finance working in recruiting. It’s the most fascinating thing, yet the most necessary and rational thing. To be honest, most of us often don’t know what we want to do when we decide to get our first degree, and a great many of us still won’t know at Master’s degree level. I was fortunate to have a good general idea, but I know that many people are not as lucky, but that’s actually okay—you have a chance to try many different things to see what works.

On the way to where I wanted, I also had to pivot, because no matter how good a plan—life throws the most thrashing curve balls. Naturally, I needed to adjust. My long-term goal was always to be in entrepreneurship or be in entrepreneurial related roles, yet I quickly learned that this path is not always easy. The industry I wanted to be in wasn’t so clear, until I was in the corporate world for at least 5 years. I had 4 industries in mind, and would apply to any place that would take me. After a few years working, that’s when I decided I wanted to work in tech or have a business in tech, and long-term looking at other cool industries (which I am not mentioning here). Going back to business school was in a way a pivot for me because I was coming from entrepreneurship, and I had to figure out what to do next. Because at this stage (through experience) I know exactly what industries I want to be in and the type of roles I am looking at; I decided to look into management consulting or a strategy-related roles in the tech industry. This would be a pivot because I am coming from financial services and fintech industries.

But such pivots are not uncommon; it’s happening everywhere. The US is currently facing what is being referred to as “The Great Resignation”, and I believe that is greatly because people are recognizing what they want and deserve in a workspace and deciding to make a change if they feel that their needs as employees are not being met. Now, I am not saying you should go and resign from your job. I am saying that it’s worth having an introspection to identify if you can find fulfillment in a different role or industry (if your current role isn’t doing it)….sometimes career pivoting could entail switching departments and roles within the same company. In any case, make sure you think it through and make the most logical decision that aligns with your aspirations and values.