Strategies for Gaining Experience in a New Field at 30

7 Steps I Used To Change Careers (From Healthcare To Microsoft) With No Experience: 1. My Pivot Story I started my career in healthcare, working as a medical device sales rep in North Carolina. Two years later, I landed a role in tech sales at Microsoft in New York City. Here are the steps I used to make that career change without any formal tech experience: 2. I Started With Clarity Before I sent out resumes, applied, and networked? I focused on getting crystal clear about the specific types of roles and companies I wanted to work for. Juggling the possibility of multiple job titles and industries is overwhelming and stressful. When you have a single north star, you can invest 100% of your time and energy into it. 3. Then I’d Found People Who’d Done It Before I crafted a list of criteria I wanted for myself: Specific Job Titles Specific Companies Specific Locations Specific Salaries Then I used LinkedIn to find people who met those criteria AND came from a non-traditional background like mine. 4. I Used Those Connections To Craft A Blueprint How do I build the right experience? How do I position my non-traditional background? What mistakes should I avoid? I used the connections I just mentioned to gain clarity on all of those things so I could craft a plan for building the experience I needed to fit the skills and narratives companies would buy into. 5. I Created My Own Experience I wanted to work in advertising technology (think Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc). Rather than hoping someone would give me a chance to get experience? I went and created my own. I took courses, volunteered my skills for local orgs, then used those success stories to freelance. Employers want results, not education from career changers. 6. I Focused All My Energy On Networking Online apps didn’t work. People would take one look at my resume and not see any traditional experience. When I networked with people? I could have a conversation with them. I could tell my story in my own words. And I could prove my value as the relationship built. That generated referrals and advocates. 7. I Used My Background As An Advantage Sounds crazy, right? Most applicants had cookie cutter backgrounds. I told a story of how I had to learn this all myself, from scratch. I’d bring a new perspective, new takes, and new ideas to a take vs. simply adding someone with the same thought process as everyone else. That’s got buy in from a lot of stakeholders. 8. I Created Projects To Prove My Value When I landed interviews? I’d brainstorm ideas for how I could impact those and package them in a 5–7 slide deck that matched the company’s branding. I’d send it to my interviewers as proof of the ideas I could bring. Showing them > telling them. —— ➕ Follow Austin Belcak for more 🔵 Ready to land your dream job? Click here to learn more about how we help people land amazing jobs in ~3.5 months with a $44k raise: https://lnkd.in/gdysHr-r

Are you contemplating to pivot into data analytics & data science field? As someone who has been in the field since 2013, and who's been mentoring and coaching others in the data field for the past 7 years, here are my thoughts: 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞: 𝟏) 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 Instead of learning SQL or Python from scratch, focus on using AI tools to meet existing analysis needs. For example, master how to craft prompts to generate SQL or Python code, or use GenAI to build processes, streamline data workflows, and uncover insights faster. You can also harness LLMs to enhance your analysis and insights generation, rather than slowly building your portfolio through years of hands-on experience. Use LLMs to critique and refine your insights and recommendations, ensuring that what you propose aligns with business goals and stakeholder questions. 𝟐) 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 Focus on industries with bright futures like GenAI, healthcare, cybersecurity, green energy, or mental health. These sectors are more likely to need data professionals to drive growth through analysis and insights. Do your research by searching for industry reports or talking to seasoned practitioners to identify promising industries. Reports or analyses published by organizations such as below can be your start, e.g. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, McKinsey Global Institute, World Bank, CB Insights, or Gartner. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝟏) 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 Instead of pursuing yet another bootcamp or credential (though you do need baseline technical skills), start by volunteering, interning, or offering to help current practitioners with projects. Build a portfolio using open-source data, freelance on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork, and secure your first data job—even if it’s not a 100% match to your current criteria. The ideal industry or company will come later once you’re in the door. 𝟐) 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 Whether it’s validating a specific industry’s need for your skills, creating opportunities for referrals, or honing your pitch for future interviews, networking is critical for career transitions and building long-term influence in your field. Identify “hubs” of people or communities that can help you gain new opportunities. Communities such as Women in Big Data, Women in Data Science (WiDS) Worldwide, or Data Science Association (that I helped co-found), can be your starting point. If you've been contemplating or ready to make the switch, book a Discovery session (via my profile) as your first step! Let’s explore how I can help you in our 1:1 coaching space—where to focus, and what steps to take to launch your new career in data analytics.

“How can I get work experience without work experience?” This is a catch-22 that some students and recent graduates often encounter as they navigate their early career journeys. ⭐ Here are a few ways I got around it and some things I recommend: 1️⃣ Take free certifications, courses, fellowships, and boot camps There are so many online certifications and courses for technical and nontechnical industries—a few are free, too! When I lacked experience, I took a few of these to sharpen my skills, and I included them on my resume and LinkedIn. Some platforms I recommend include Acadium (marketing courses), LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Skillshare, Grow with Google, Verizon Skill Forward (technical courses), and of course, YouTube University. Bonus: Free fellowships and boot camp programs are great too! A few I recommend are COOP, Colorwave, CodePath, Kode With Klossy, Springboard and CareerFoundry - ProFellow is a great website for finding fellowships. 2️⃣ Apply for professional development programs These programs are usually for those who don’t have much work experience and partner with Fortune 500 companies for program support and to hire program alumni. In addition to internships, they provide mentorship, career development workshops, and a robust alumni network. Some programs I recommend include MLT Career Prep, INROADS, The LAGRANT Foundation, and SHPEP (pre med/health). 🎯 You can find a list of programs here: https://lnkd.in/gzrai8Bn 3️⃣ Complete micro-internships or externships These programs are usually less than 4 weeks, project based, sometimes paid, and a great way to beef up your resume by doing projects with cool brands. You can find opportunities like these on platforms such as Parker Dewey, Extern, and Forage 4️⃣ Do freelance work When I started my marketing career, I created my own agency where I worked with small-owned businesses. This helped me stand out in my interviews and further grow my portfolio. Create the work experiences you need to get the job you want. 5️⃣ Hyped up my extracurriculars and passion projects In college, I was heavily involved in my sorority and did a lot of work in recruitment and managing our digital branding. Throughout my resume, I emphasized my wins using Google’s XYZ format to highlight my leadership efforts and show that I was a well-rounded candidate. I also ran a college & lifestyle blog which helped me grow in my marketing, graphic design, and communications skill set. By having it listed in my resume as work experience, it was always a hot topic in my interviews Don’t be afraid to share on your resume who you are outside of work because the lessons you learn in those experiences can translate into transferable skills for the workplace. 💌 and while you're at it, check out my YouTube video to help you find some of these opportunities: https://lnkd.in/gm3PB-ae #earlycareer #internships #jobhunting #entryleveljobs