Yes, I Made A Massive Career Shift - The Journey That Followed Was Least Imagined

It was a free fall in the beginning. I did not know where I was headed, and if I would hit headfirst. All I knew was I couldn’t stay stuck anymore.

Stuck to career norms.

Stuck to social norms.

Stuck to nearly everything that is hard to break free from.

Pause reading for a while (bookmark it though ;) ) and take a look at my profile. You’ll find surprises lined up!

Now, you have questions. Sure! I understand :) And I am not very surprised when people around me ask the same and very usual questions.

“You have an Engineering degree and you chose to be a writer?”

Me: Yes :) I’m so happy I made that choice!

“But why Engineering in the first place? Could you not have done what you’re doing much earlier?”

Me: I could have. But exploring what I am not cut out for and beautifully discovering what I was meant to be has been the best bit ever :) I’m even more glad that I made a right choice after a wrong one.

“Well, you wasted so much time and knowledge. And money too!”

Me: Time and money- hmmm...understandable! Though I did a major part of my higher education with a full scholarship and fee waiver (Bragging alert!). But please help me understand how “knowledge” can possibly be wasted :) 

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If it looks like I am desperate to prove a point, that’s because I am :)

We talk and write so much about being who we are, yet when it comes to making a different choice, why do we step back? What makes us look around so much?

I know so many people, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, who are stuck in a career rut only because they don’t know what else they could possibly do. Even if they have it all figured out, taking the big leap mostly seems absurd. Insane. Especially when there are-

# Rigid (unwritten) career norms

# Too many naysayers around

# Least guidance/mentorship

# No fallback option(s)

But let’s be honest here. Our worst fear is-

“What will people say?”

Battling wrong (but socially correct) career choices seems way easier than answering questions. In fact, not just career, we make tons of important decisions in life out of this fear. The fear of being socially strange.

So we put our own happiness at stake to make ourselves socially acceptable. Our carefully-crafted, perfect lives keep surfacing on Facebook and Instagram, constantly reminding people how successful we are!

I have lived that life myself. Hence I know where it hurts. And, also where it leads.

Today, I am a writer-turned-marketer and I am enjoying every bit of it. Every single moment seems worth celebrating. Through my moderate efforts every day, I try to make an impact. Big or small, doesn’t matter.

And trust me, this way you not only change your own life but also the lives of thousands around you. A few months back I published-

Dear Corporates: The Underperformers May Actually Be Your Potential Assets And Here's Why You Fail To See That

The response was overwhelming. Do you know why?

Because people are so busy hacking success formulas that they become ill-equipped to deal with anything else. The path to success, dear reader, is equally important.

Here, once again, my friend, you have to believe there “is” a path. Almost always. Even when it is not seen. Back to basics, the world is always “round”. It never ends for anyone :)

As fate would have it, I received the prestigious industry award - Most Influential Content Marketer (Top 50 - India) at an unexpected turn of my new career.

In that overwhelming moment, I realized something. Something I want you to realize too.

You are never too late to restart your life, reboot your career, and live your dreams. I always say I was born at 27, and I will never stop living.

I still get asked- “why did you do it?” instead of “how did you do it?”.

And I never forget to respond with a smile :) A real smile!

You will find bits and pieces of my journey and my present engagement here-

The takeaways from this story won’t be too many. Because it is my journey. But do you know when life lessons start taking real shape? When you are bold enough to write your stories too.

When you have the nerve to say -

“This is what I want from life”.

So what’s your story of breaking free?