Former newspaper reporter Jonathan McFadden opens up about the identity crisis he battled with his career change. He recalls everything he was afraid to lose if he left journalism—would it be worth it? 

“I, like many of us do, conflated my value as a human with my value as an employee,” says Jonathan.

In this episode, Jonathan shares how he tried a couple of different jobs and industries before landing on user experience, also known as UX.

Was it all worth it? Tune in to find out and to hear Jonathan's advice for changing careers more than once. 

Episode Highlights:
• Feeling overworked
• Wanting a better quality of life
• Planning to leave
• Former colleagues look out for each other
• Soft skills are core skills
• Learning the language in a new industry 
• Battling an identity crisis about leaving journalism
• Transitioning to user experience, or UX   
• Feeling aligned with what you’re doing 
• Don’t focus on the job title
• Advice for making multiple career changes 

Additional Episodes:
Ep 31: Leaving journalism: When you need to change industries
Ep 35: Leaving media: Career change for editors

Additional Podcast Mentioned:
What Rules!?: A Career Podcast for Women of Color


Resources:
Where Editors Go Next—An Ongoing List of Pivot-able Industries by Chandra Turner
2024 Editorial Hiring Report by TheTalentFairy

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Whether you’re feeling stuck, curious about a new field, or dealing with the ups and downs of a career switch, you can make spirituality part of your journey. 

We revisit a chat with author and life coach Nancy Gavilanes, who shares how your faith can guide you through a career change.  

“You need faith to have patience, persevere, and not give up,” says Nancy. 

Episode Highlights

• The spiritual component of making a career change
• Listen to that stirring in your heart
• Advice if you’re feeling stuck
• Using faith to deal with uncertainty and doubts
• Taking a leap of faith
• Trust the process
• Living in the now
• 3 ways to include spirituality in your career change

Find Nancy Gavilanes at:

Website: www.aboundingfaith.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/aboundingfaith

X/Twitter: twitter.com/AboundInFaith

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AboundInFaith

Podcast: Abounding Faith for Today Podcast 

Amazon: Nancy Gavilanes Author Page  

Join Abounding Faith's email community and get access to a free gift: https://www.aboundingfaith.com/community/

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

It takes time to change industries or professions, and depending on how you handle that time—and the feelings that come with it—it could lead to burnout. 

I speak with Dr. Kyle Elliott, a career coach and founder of CaffeinatedKyle.com. Kyle coaches career changers, so they avoid burnout as they work on their career switch. 

In this episode, Kyle shares how having clear targets, realistic goals and a good support system can keep you from burning out.  He offers techniques to apply for jobs strategically along with ways to take care of yourself while changing careers.

Episode Highlights:

• Specify clear targets 
• Set realistic goals
• Focus on what you can control
• Stay grounded 
• Separate facts vs feelings
• Techniques to apply for jobs strategically
• Who should be in your support system
• Self-care while making a career change to avoid burnout
• Ways to bolster your confidence to combat impostor syndrome
• How all jobs are the same

Find Dr. Kyle Elliott at:
Website: https://caffeinatedkyle.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylecromerelliott/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeinatedkyle/
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/caffeinatedkyle

Resources Mentioned:

Kyle's articles:
How to Avoid and Manage Job Search Burnout

How to Write a Career Change Resume (with Examples)

Workforce Development Board: Find one in your area

Average job search:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation News Release 9/1/23

Episode 5: How to handle uncertainty while making a career change

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

As a person of color (POC) and/or first-generation professional, your family’s culture and background likely influenced your beliefs, which can now impact your making a career change.

Dani Tan is a leadership and career coach, who works with POC and First Gens who are often the first, few or only in their space. Dani reveals how the scarcity mindset from our parents can affect our career choices. And she shares how the power of networking can reset our thinking. 

Dani, who is Asian Latina and first generation, also teaches us how to let go of some career lessons we learned as kids. And, we tackle guilt, that overwhelming feeling that can keep POC and First Gens from making a career switch. 

Episode Highlights:

• Common career-change fears for POC and First Gens
• How the scarcity mindset of your parents affects your career choices
• Why networking is especially important for POC and first-generation professionals
• Building a community of role models, mentors, sponsors and allies
• How networking can quiet the fears of making a career change
• Highlight Reel and Words of Empowerment exercises to tackle self-doubt
• Connecting with other POC and first-gen professionals
• Dealing with guilt about wanting to change careers
• Releasing “survival mode” to find a new career that'll make you happy
• Highlighting those skills that make you special as a POC and First Gen
• Letting go of the “put your head down and just work hard” mentality

Find Dani Tan at:
Website: https://www.danitan.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-tan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danitani/
Podcast: The Pivot and Promotion Podcast

LinkedIn Groups for POC:

Latina Professionals

Latino Professionals

National Association of Asian American Professionals

Asian American Professionals and Leaders Network

The Black Professionals Network

Black Leaders Worldwide

Resources:
National Career Development Association: Understanding the Needs of First-Generation Professionals 

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

My guest today is trying to change careers now while he has a full-time job, a mortgage and two young kids. David Mock opens up about the challenges he's facing, his immediate concerns (will it work out?, will it be worth it?), and how he's getting through it all. 

Currently, David feels stuck and he shares how he's working on becoming a certified junior cybersecurity analyst, a new career that would provide personal growth, financial freedom and more flexibility.  It could also secure his future in a growing field.

Are you working on your career switch, too, like David? Here's hoping you can relate to any part of his story and that his experience and advice will motivate you to keep going. 

Episode Highlights:

• Feeling stuck
• Looking for growth and financial freedom
• Wanting to change environments 
• Researching a new field
• Securing a better future
• Learning from interviews
• When going back to school is not an option
• Self-paced studying while having a full-time job and family
• Taking time for self-care
• Internships and freelancing
• How to deal with fear and self-doubt 

Find David Mock at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkmock/

Cisco program: Junior Cybersecurity Analyst Career Path

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Cybersecurity is a growing industry: https://blog.dol.gov/2023/09/22/see-yourself-in-cybersecurity

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

If you’re dreaming about breaking out on your own to do something creative, this episode is for you! Creative strategy coach Michelle Guo works with creatives, such as freelance web designers, copywriters and social media managers. As the founder of Magicave Media, Michelle empowers her clients to build a sustainable business around their desired lifestyle.  

Is a creative career right for you? Michelle helps you figure that out with all the things you should consider, including your personality, lifestyle and finances. She also reminds us that a creative career has a business side to it, which you should also keep in mind.  

Epiosode Highlights:

• What is a creative career?
• Consider your personality, lifestyle and finances
• Resources for creatives 
• How ikigai can help you figure out a creative career
• The business side to a creative career—taxes, legal and profit
• Common challenges for creatives
• Dealing with rejection

Find Michelle Guo at:

Website: www.magicavemedia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleannguo/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/magicave-media/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelleannguo

Clear, Connect & Close Resource Vault: https://www.magicavemedia.com/clear-connect-close


Resources Mentioned:

Freelancers Union: https://freelancersunion.org

SCORE: https://www.score.org

PositivePsychology: The Philosophy of Ikigai: 3 Examples About Finding Purpose

LinkedIn: Ikigai, Japanese Secret To Long & Happy Life – A Book Summary & Review


Creative Career Switch Episodes Mentioned:

Ep 18: The pros and cons of becoming a full-time writer

Ep 21: A side hustle results in a career switch

Ep 25: A hobby turns into a career change (photography business)

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

After she was laid off in her 50s, Argentine-born Mirta Rinaldi decided to follow her passion for cooking. Today, Mirta is in her 70s and teaches Argentine cuisine. She also owns her own business, Mendulcina, where she hosts cultural experiences and makes and sells delicacies from her home country. 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Mirta shares how she made her career change and the rich ties her new career as a cooking instructor and entrepreneur has to her culture. It's more than just cooking for Mirta; it's about preserving her family's legacy and teaching others about Argentina. 

Check out Mirta's advice if you, too, are making your career switch after age 50! 

Episode Highlights:

• Getting laid off after age 50
• Learning a new career hands on
• Saving family recipes
• Focusing on your passion
• Reinventing yourself at any age
• Not being afraid to be yourself 
• Advice for a career change over 50
• Sharing your culture with others 

Find Mirta Rinaldi at:
Instagram: @rinaldi.mirta and @mendulcina 
Website: League of Kitchens

Learn more about the League of Kitchens at:
Website: www.leagueofkitchens.com
Instagram: @leagueofkitchens
Facebook: @LeagueOfKitchens
LinkedIn: @theleagueofkitchens

Watch Mirta's documentary, "From Grandma with Love: Mirta's Argentine Kitchen":
Amazon Prime
Apple TV+

More episodes for Hispanic Heritage Month:
Ep 33: Leaving corporate to lead a non-profit

More episodes for making a career change after age 50:
Ep 4: Aged out: Making a career switch at over 50
Ep 16: Breaking into a new industry in your 50
Ep 18: The pros and cons of being a full-time author
Ep 21: From side hustle to a new career
Ep 23: How being bilingual helps your new career
Ep 32: How to make a career change after 50

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Did you know? 48% of U.S. employers offer undergraduate or graduate tuition assistance as a benefit? This means you can start making your career change NOW while you’re still at your current job! 

When Weavy Garcia’s company offered an MBA program to their employees, he went for it. It was an opportunity to learn about business, get his master’s, and switch from IT into sales, a more lucrative option for him. 

In this throwback episode, Weavy recalls what it was like to go back to school for 18 months while working full-time and how it affected his family life. 

Weavy shares how his MBA and IT experience have secured his future and how networking played a key role in making his career change. 


Episode Highlights:

• Applying for an employer-sponsored degree program
• Earning a degree to diversify
• Going back to school while working full-time
• Staying motivated
• Leaving to grow your career
• How to network socially
• Networking to open doors
• Pros and cons of alternating between two fields 
• Securing your future with a higher degree

Weavy’s podcast: The Uncanny Coconuts

Weavy’s drone business: FlyTechGuy Drone Services

48% of U.S. employers offer tuition assistance: 2023 SHRM Employee Benefits Survey

Resources:

10 Best Master’s Degrees for Career Changers: 

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/best-masters-degrees-for-career-change

These Fortune 500 companies will help pay for employee MBAs:

https://fortune.com/education/business/articles/2021/07/15/these-fortune-500-companies-will-help-pay-for-employees-mba/

50 Companies with Amazing Tuition Reimbursement Programs:

https://myscholly.com/50-companies-with-amazing-tuition-reimbursement-programs/

25+ Companies with Tuition Reimbursement Programs:

https://getschooled.com/article/5206-companies-with-great-tuition-reimbursement-programs/

How to Use—and Ask For—Employer Tuition Reimbursement Benefits:

https://extension.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-use-and-ask-for-employer-tuition-reimbursement-benefits/

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Any career switch will have its ups and downs. I speak with recovery coach Gerardo Matamoros about some potentially harmful behaviors you may start relying on to help you handle whatever is going on right now with your career change.

Gerardo is the owner of consulting firm 7RM7 and a group facilitator for Smart Recovery, a nationwide nonprofit which offers free support groups to individuals who want independence from any type of addictive behavior. 

In this episode of Career Switch Podcast, Gerardo tells us what’s really behind whatever behavior you may be using to cope, whether it’s too much eating, spending, drinking, smoking, sleeping, TV watching, gaming, pill taking—anything that can be harmful when done in excess. 

Gerardo explains how your thoughts affect your actions and offers 3 keys to how you can better cope with making a career change.

Episode Highlights:

• Warning signs that can lead to unhealthy behaviors
• Why people start turning to potentially harmful behaviors to cope
• Stress and control
• Cognitive distortions that affect your actions
• Questioning your thoughts 
• Using cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT
• Stages of change
• Reducing anxiety with acceptance and patience
• Taking action to reduce stress

Find Gerardo Matamoros at:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gerardo-matamoros

Learn more about Smart Recovery at:
English: www.smartrecovery.org
Spanish: https://smartrecovery.org.es

Resources mentioned: 

How to Make Stress Your Friend, TED Talk by Kelly McGonigal

Ep 5: How to handle uncertainty while making a career change

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

When making a career change from corporate to non-profit, who wouldn’t want that HR perspective? The chance to find out from a Human Resources manager what they’re looking for when hiring. Thanks to nonprofit consultant and coach Niki Lomibao, that’s exactly what you’ll get in this episode!

Niki has 10 years of HR experience in the non-profit world and she’s hired plenty of career changers. As the principal CEO of Desert Blue Consulting & Coaching, Niki gives us the inside scoop on what it takes to transition to nonprofit.

In this episode of Career Switch Podcast, we cover the common assumptions many of us make when we think about switching to non-profit. Niki also shares what you should do NOW before you start applying for non-profit jobs and she reveals three interview questions you’ll likely be asked by HR managers to see if you’re a good fit for non-profit.  


Episode Highlights:

• Myths about working in non-profit
• The biggest difference between working for corporate vs non-profit
• What you should do NOW before you apply for non-profit jobs
• Soft skills HR managers look for in career changers
• 3 interview questions to see if you’re a good fit for non-profit

Find Niki Lomibao at:

Website: www.desertblueaz.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikilomibao_desertblue

LinkedIn:

Niki: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-l-4b980975/

Desert Blue Consulting and Coaching:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/desert-blue-consulting-coaching/

Resources for nonprofit jobs:

 https://www.idealist.org/en

 https://www.indeed.com

 https://nationalnonprofits.org/nonprofit-jobs/search

 https://careers.councilofnonprofits.org/

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.