One of the biggest things to consider would be to sort out your financials first, because a career transition is already very stressful, you don’t need financial pressure on top of that … Another important factor is being honest with yourself about your career goals.
Money is undoubtedly a strong motivator for why people want to transit. But beyond financial gain, it’s not very sustainable if money is the sole factor.
For me, I prioritise more time with my loved ones and enjoy the process of continuous learning. It is also crucial to research the industry before you look into the career path that you want to go into. So look at their job postings. Look at what kind of skills they are looking for in those job postings, and see if there’s a viable path towards attaining these skills, rather than chasing those “hype” skills. They might fit for a year or two, but just focus on long term stability.
I did take a look at government reports on jobs in demand and made sure that this career is one of those that are going to be in demand until you retire.
Tiffany:
So now that you have gotten the job, are there days where you have struggled?
Jane:
Some days, I ask myself: “Am I really a software engineer?” In my team, I’m still considered a very junior software engineer. I have my seniors ahead of me. I have my tech lead ahead of me.
Tiffany:
And also not many women (in tech), right?
Jane:
Not many. When I look at the code that they are writing, sometimes I really don’t understand. It makes me feel like: “Oh, we’re all software engineers, how come I don’t understand what you’re writing? Am I really a software engineer?”
Tiffany:
So how do you overcome that? When these thoughts come.
Jane:
