To Exist is to Change, To Change is to Mature, To Mature is to Go On Creating Oneself Endlessly

Last August, I took a leap of faith to transit into technology despite spending my university years as a to-be-pharmacist. When contemplating this decision, there were a lot of uncertainties and doubts in my mind? - Do I really want to leave the medical industry? Will I do well? Will I fit in? That nagging anxiety magnified as I pondered about it. One day whilst driving home from work, and listening to a podcast - “The Psychology of Your 20s” - it struck me the importance of trial and error in our personal and career growth and to figure out who I am and what I like. It was time to step out of my comfort zone and make the change.??

The job hunt was not the easiest. The self-doubt grew as the rejection emails in my inbox increased and further escalated when I flunked a few interviews. Giving up felt like an option and an easy way out. Thankfully, I received constant encouragement from family and friends. They took time to help me with the interview preparation, providing reassurance and after two months of searching and failing, I was fortunate enough to be offered.?

The moment the position was offered, I was elated but at the same time, the anxiety was also creeping up. Navigating a new environment, managing interpersonal relationships whilst picking up new skills was already challenging - then came the news of a lay off across the company, one month into the job. The news was so sudden and being the newest in the team, I thought I was going to be asked to leave. It was a period of heightened worry and a lot of questions around if I made the right choice.?

Now, being in the role for close to a year, I have developed some great relationships with colleagues who reassured some of my fears, provided guidance, and a channel to ask for help.?

Career transitions come with lots of ups and downs and I believe many people experience the same. Therefore, I want to write this to remember what the journey has been like, the lessons I've learnt and think is important and hopefully it encourages others who are figuring out their careers as well.?

1. Fear is not a bad thing

I often feel fearful and worried about a few things when I am in a new position in a new environment: e.g. not performing well, being judged by others, not being able to blend in and more.

Fear is not a bad thing, it's only negative when we let it cripple us and hold us back. In fact, fear shows that we are eager to do well and we show up despite having all these thoughts in our head.?

Something I’ve learnt is to turn fear into something that is exciting. Excitement and anxiety actually activates the same areas of the brain - the amygdala and hippocampus. Instead of thinking “Will I be able to blend in?” Trying to be positive and be excited about meeting new people could help dissipate the fear.?

I’m still learning and taking steps to overcome my own fears, and I want to encourage others like me to do the same. Sometimes, I find myself falling back a little but it’s all reminding myself to consistently take actions to better that.?

Often times, when I take that step, the results are positive and I realised “hey this is not that bad after all”?

The next time you are afraid of asking for help, or asking a question - stop overthinking and just do it.?

2. Be consistent and focus on the process

I think everyone knows this, probably heard it like a thousand times but I want to share some actionables that I did to help my work towards being more consistent and sustainable:

• Break the goal down and develop daily actions to take in order to increase chances of achieving the goal.?

This would lean towards being more analytical. You can see it as similar to calories counting when trying to lose weight. It boils down to numbers and science, boring but unavoidable, as it will help set your daily to-do-list, and bring you closer to your goal each day.???

• Finding someone to check in with and motivate each other

This could be a fellow team member or a friend who you share career goals with. Having regular check ins and?

• Leave time to pursue your interests outside of work

It can’t be about work 100% of the time. Putting aside time (intentionally) to do something non-work related was and still is important for me to reflect, to keep myself motivated and to prevent burnouts.?

Sometimes when I am experiencing a bad day at work, I think of just going home, cooping myself up and oftentimes, it is a negative spiral. When I choose to do otherwise, hanging out with friends, going for my Japanese lessons, I feel refreshed and ready to take on another day.?

3. Acknowledge your own strengths and achievements

It is difficult for me to have this mindset, possibly because I came from a family background where my parents always taught us to be humble and be grateful towards others. (Nothing wrong with that!)?

However, I learnt that recognising the time and effort I put into achieving my goals is something that I needed to be conscious about. For a few reasons:

• Helps to build more confidence in your capabilities
• Builds intrinsic motivation - reminding yourself of successes you had instead of dwelling in failures and mistakes
• Gives me the chance reflect more on what I did that reaped results and what did not

It’s equally important to find problems to improve on and recognise your small wins.?

As you consider a transition, remember change can feel overwhelming. However, believing in your abilities, focusing on your strengths, and accepting constructive criticism will make any change easier to conquer.