Changing careers in your 30’s kinda feels like staring into this…
What is even out there?!
For weekend reads today, I’m getting a little personal about the major life changes I’ve been going through over the last year and a half and getting real about what it’s like to do a total 180 when it comes to your career.
Changing Careers in Your 30’s
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that I was in Las Vegas this week for the WWD Magic trade show. All of your favorite stores attend to buy products for the upcoming six months.
Which brings me to the reason I was there; for the last year, I’ve been working on starting an e-commerce shop that specializes in women’s clothing and more specifically, special occasion outfits. Think birthdays, honeymoons, bachelorette parties, etc.
BUT I have ZERO fashion/ business experience…like I mean actually none unless you count blogging. And absolutely no business experience.
And after twelve years of working in sports TV as a reporter, I decided to make a radical change in my life and not pursue another full-time sports job after I got laid off from my NBA job.
Why did I decide to do this? Who knows? Sometimes you just need change. And sometimes you just need someone to push you to do it…like getting laid off.
I’ve wanted to be a sports reporter for as long as I can remember. Like we’re talking about five years old.
My mom was a professional figure skater and my brother and I both went on to play college sports, but from a really young age, my brother and I were just totally obsessed with watching college football and the NFL. We’d watch every single game we could get our hands on. Melissa Stark was my idol.
I followed that passion through college at USC, then on to Butte, Montana…Boise…Indianapolis and then finally, Portland. But TV can be cruel and eventually it slowly started to suck away my passion for sports. That often happens when your love becomes your life’s work.
Then just when I thought I had reached some semblance of my dream job, I got laid off. And it wasn’t just any lay off, it was more personal. It was implied that they thought I was boring, and they wanted to someone that’s more of a model-type. How’s that for personal.
It’s something that still really hurts, but it made me really look at my life and at the life that I wanted to have. That’s why I decided to make a career change in my 30’s.
And that my friends is terrifying. The last year has been filled with panic attacks, crying, calls to friends at all hours of the night, making my husband listen to the same worries over and over again. I constantly question whether or not I made the right decision.
That will probably all continue, but I will say, it’s been a lot easier than I thought it would be. People are way nicer than you think and willing to help when you ask.
So on to this week, I was really, really scared to go to this trade show. I don’t always feel stress outwardly, but can always tell when I’m really anxious about something, because I have the worst stomach aches in the week leading up the event.
In fact, I even told my husband and best friends that I wasn’t planning on talking to a single person because I was too intimidated.
What would people say about my business idea? Would they not want to sell their clothes to me because I wasn’t one of the cool kids? What if it turned out to be way more expensive than I had previously budgeted and now all of this was going to have to go out the window? What if I came across like the biggest idiot they’d ever seen? No fashion or business experience…they’ll see right through me as a fraud!
But guess what, none of those things happened. I even talked to many, many people.
And they were lovely and supportive and genuinely interested in the new business I was starting! Not one brand turned their noses up at selling to me, and that includes some of the most popular brands around.
So I guess what I’m getting at is sometimes you just have to make the leap.
Am I still terrified of what I’m doing? Of course. Do I still feel like am imposter? Every day! And not a day goes by that I don’t miss working in sports full time. (But you know what I won’t miss…working on Christmas!)
A lot of people think they have to be stuck in jobs they’re miserable in because they’re too afraid to try something new.
That’s why I wanted to share my story, in hopes of you feeling that you’re not alone.
Tips for Changing Careers in Your 30’s (or any age!):
– Just about anything can be figured out with the help of the internet.
– You’re never too old to learn something new. I took an entrepreneurship class through the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. They even have scholarships to make the class completely affordable, and I met mentors that are helping me set up my business for free. I am also planning on taking an online class from Parsons (the BEST fashion school in the country) on retail buying and trend forecasting.
– Ask for help. This is a big one. I did this a lot in journalism; just ask people who you think have the knowledge you need for help. 1 in 10 people will be total dicks about it, but guess what you still have 9 nice people who are willing to help! I have sat down with women business leaders all over Portland from the owners of Barre3 to Wildfang. Each of them were willing to hear my idea and give me feedback of how to achieve it. All I had to do was ask.
– Don’t be afraid to be a beginner. And listen! Ok, I still struggle mightily with this one. But lean into being a novice and soak up every bit of information you can. At the trade show, I literally eavesdropped on hours of conversations between buyers and brands to get the lingo and process down.
I still often feel like a failure, but I’m trying to remember that everyone is going at their own speed.
I’m now trying to measure success in little ways (like talking to people at a conference or even having the guts to go in the first place.
But I hope you all realize you’re not alone.
P.S. Morgan Harper Nichols is an amazing follow!
Weekend Reads | 8-16
Interesting thoughts on monetizing your passion.
How to make grown-up friends in a new city.
Ideas on boosting productivity at work.
Thoughts on success and failure from Rihanna…the serial entrepreneur.
Managers weigh in on what makes someone an instant hire.
The best business books via The Stripe. Just purchased “The War of Art.”
After my total career overhaul, my absolute favorite podcast is “How I Built This” on NPR. It feels like an old friend, and I learn something new from EVERY.SINGLE.EPISODE.
Favorite podcast episode: Without Fail’s Ep with Golden State Warrior Andre Iguodala. He’s now a big time Silicon Valley investor, but it’s amazing to hear his stories of venture capitalists turning him down to invest. They wanted him to “stick to sports.” That is until the Warriors won the title. 🙂
32 Life Lessons from Wellness Expert Candice Kumai.
What to do when the Sunday Scaries set in.
Easy ways to jazz up your Linkedin profile.
Love the series “In Her Shoes” from The Cut. What female bosses, celebs, entrepreneurs, etc. actually wear to work.
A psychologist breaks down what’s wrong with positive thinking.
Thoughts on how much weight we give to others’ opinions of us. For me, this is something I am really trying to break with.
4 ways to celebrate small work victories.
Just for fun… best of Amazon for the month of July.
Weekend Sales | 8-8
Abercrombie: Take 30% off your purchase.
American Eagle: Take 25-50% off jeans, joggers and shorts.
Ann Taylor: 40% off your purchase with code SOGOOD.
Anthropologie: Extra 30% off sale items.
Banana Republic: Take 40% off with code BRFRIENDS.
J. Crew: Take 30% off your purchase for J.Crew Rewards members (free to sign up) with code BDAY.
Loft: 40% off full priced styles with code FUNFUNFUN.