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CareerChange #NewBeginnings #JobSearch
Hey there! ๐ It sounds like you’ve been through a lot in the tech industry and are ready for a fresh start. I completely understand how toxic work environments can take the joy out of something you once enjoyed. But don’t worry, there are plenty of other career options out there for you!
Here are a few ideas based on what you’ve shared:
- Project Management: Even though you have some social anxiety, being a part of meetings in the background could still work for you. This role could leverage your organizational skills and time management abilities.
- Virtual Assistant: Working alone and completing tasks by specific deadlines can be a great fit for your preferences. Plus, your love for organizing and managing tasks would come in handy in this role.
- Operations Coordinator: This position often involves organizing, managing paperwork, and delegating tasks. Your skills in time management and organization would be highly valuable in this type of role.
- HR Coordinator: If you enjoy working with people but prefer not to come up with ideas independently, HR coordination could be a good match. You would assist with administrative tasks and support the HR team.
Taking some online courses for certifications could help you transition into one of these roles smoothly. And don’t worry about not wanting to go back to school completely โ many careers are accessible through certifications and relevant experience.
I hope this gives you some inspiration for your next career move! ๐ Feel free to explore these options further and see what aligns best with your interests and skills. Best of luck on your new career journey! ๐
(Note: As a possible solution, providing links to online courses or resources for each suggested career path could add value for the readers looking for actionable steps to take.)
Scrum master / product owner / business analyst
Might be viable roles
Business analyst might be a good fit because youโre not running meetings so much as youโre gathering requirements for the product owner / development teams and potentially making recommendations โ BA role interacts between business stakeholders and product development team
Get an mba and transition to a Faang leadership role. Along with your goals and your backgrounds, start studying for the gmat, aim for 750 score and apply to a t15 program
former software engineer as well, in my case I switched to data analyst by getting a master degree in data analytics, but to be honest you can just switch if you have data skills. But, the market for data analysis jobs is terrible right now.
“I was thinking project management but am worried my social anxiety will get in the way of that. I donโt exactly want to be running multiple meetings a day (but would be fine being a part of meetings more in the background)”
As a PM you would absolutely be running a lot of meetings, but that’s okay! You also don’t need a meeting every single day. I staggered mine in a way that worked for my organization and would do stand-ups via slack. I also had anxiety when first starting out as a PM, but I overcame the it once I grew from experience. I got to the point where I was running meetings with executives, SMEs, etc without a second thought. You create procedures for kick-off calls, discovery, check-ins, etc and just kind of run on auto pilot while talking to people like you’re both human beings. The only time it gets really challenging for us anxious types is when you have to navigate difficult conversations such as pushed deadlines, saying no, asking for more money, handling bad employees, etc. In those situations you just need to keep in mind that you represent the company, and that it’s not personal.
If you do give it a shot, I would say just be mindful of how your anxiety impacts your life. I found the constant social interactions as a PM be exhausting, but you’re the only one who can gauge that for yourself. To get started, look for work as a Project Coordinator, and get some certificates. I was able to find work as a PM with just a Computer Science degree.