M

Age at time of shift

25

Gender

Female

Education level

Graduate

Universities attended

Loughborough

Shifted from

IT Consultant

Location

London

Salary

£30,000-£40,000

Years in old career

2

Shifted to

IT Contractor

Location

London

Salary

£75,000-£100,000

Years in new career

1

Year of shift

2006

What was your role in your old job?

IT Consultant, starting to specialise in organisational change

What is/are your new role(s)?

Currently an IT Contractor, working as a PMO (Project Management Office) Analyst. This isn’t my ideal final job, just an interim step to earn some money (and free up some time!) as I work out exactly what I want to do. I think I want to work in the field of development economics, so I've just started a diploma in economics – the workload of that on top of a full-time job is going to be challenging, but will hopefully pay off in the long run.

Why did you change?

I was perfectly happy for my first year of working as an IT consultant. Then I realised that I desperately wanted to do something that “made a difference” (I’m still not exactly sure to who or what), and I also wasn’t using the skills I wanted to use. I had been doing well, but realised that I couldn’t bring myself to have the commitment to the job that I’d need to really progress.

Are you happy with the change?

Yes – it was definitely the right choice to leave my job. I wish that I could be in a role that I love sooner – my current plan involves one year of part-time study, then a full-time Master’s degree in Economics – two years seems like a long time to put my career on hold.

What do you miss and what don't you miss?

I miss the people I used to work with, and the social life that was attached with the job. I don’t miss the hours (writing status reports on a Sunday afternoon) or the work itself. I love the freedom of contracting, and that it is more about actually doing a job well than simply appearing to do it well.

How did you go about making the change?

It took me about a year of being utterly miserable in my job before something finally snapped and I resigned.

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

Taking the leap of faith that I would find temporary work quickly – resigning without a job to go to was pretty scary.

What help did you get?

I worked with a number of IT contractors who helped me with my CV and general recruitment advice. Also a very supportive boyfriend (now husband) helped me every step of the way.

What have you learnt in the process?

A lot more about what I do and don’t want to do in a working day. And that it’s ok to not want exactly the same as everybody else – jumping off the career ladder isn’t the end of the world.

What do you wish you'd done differently?

Started the process a year earlier!

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

If you know that the job you’re doing isn’t right for you, but you’re too involved and busy to work out what is right, consider just leaving and taking some time out to make an informed decision.
There aren’t always quick fixes to a situation. People also react unexpectedly to those who are doing something a bit unconventional – I got a lot of support from colleagues who I thought would think I was crazy, while there were friends who just couldn’t understand what I was doing.