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Let’s face it: making a career change when you’ve invested a lot just to get to where you are currently can feel really scary.
To take things further, transitioning into a brand new industry can make the fear of the unknown (and whether you’re making a good choice) even more overwhelming.
We get it, we’ve been there, and we’ve got Leslie Lai’s story to help you navigate that path to a place of personal fulfillment.
Leslie holds nothing back as she shares the resistance she faced while transitioning out of a career in law to tech.
Listen now to learn how Leslie:
- Built new skills through a coding bootcamp which landed her a job as a software developer, a role she’s using to get to her next destination of product manager
- Found a group of supportive friends and mentors who encouraged her to pursue the career and lifestyle she desired
- Classified 3 do’s/don’ts that you can apply to get your next role in tech
TL;DL (Too long; Didn’t Listen): 3 Actionable Takeaways
- Seek people who will support you through your career change, including making new meaningful connections with people through LinkedIn and other means
- Consider joining a bootcamp to help you gain more solid footing within the tech industry – Leslie took a coding bootcamp with the intention of getting into product management!
- Take regular, consistent action while looking for jobs – slow and steady (e.g. 5-10 well researched applications each week vs. 2 days sending 50+ applications)
But wait there’s more! Share your #1 takeaway with today’s featured Empjoyee and other Empjoyees in the Empjoyment community!
From Insight to Action
“Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” – Norman Vincent Peale
Leslie shared that companies consider the risk involved with hiring someone for their organization and recommended several ways for you to reduce the perception of risk during your job search.
Your Joyney: Let us know “What is one thing you’ve done or have seen done that has made someone feel more comfortable / reduced the risk associated with you when taking on a new role or project” within the Empjoyment Community.
Additional Resources to Accelerate your Growth
- Check out Leslie’s website where you can find out more about her and her projects
- Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn!
Getting to Know Today’s Featured Empjoyee: Leslie Lai!
Leslie has a B.A. in American Studies from Yale and a J.D. from Georgetown. She has worked as an aviation finance lawyer, an executive of a food startup, and a software developer.
Currently, she is a freelance writer, focusing on nonfiction essays and articles about technology, culture, gender, and ethics.
When she’s not agonizing about what to do with her life, she enjoys board games, photography, traveling, and writing letters.
Spread the Joy to Help Others Experience Empjoyment
Kudos to you for taking another step towards experiencing enjoyment through employment through today’s episode.
If you find this podcast helpful, we would greatly appreciate if you took a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to helping new Empjoyees know that this is a podcast that really has their interest at heart. Plus, we read each and every one personally!
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode, share the episode with one person you know who would benefit from today’s episode, and let us know if you’d like to share your story as a featured Empjoyee to help others learn from your experience too.
