This week marks one month since I started my latest career move to Microsoft. It’s also been the beginning of Microsoft’s new financial year (FY), new teams, new technology and new solutions for customers and partners.
All in all, it’s been very new.
To celebrate one month at Microsoft, I was reflecting on how my non-linear and varied career experience landed me in tech and how the role I’m in now leverages it all.
- 2013: my breakout into data science and code started at university studying politics and research methods; exploring Markov Chains and Bayesian methods for prediction, specialising in quantitative text analysis and building language models, and taking a Code First for Girls course in programming
- 2017: Started working in policy evaluation and consulting, getting deep in impact analyses, strategy, organisational change
- 2020: I decided to change careers; built this website, taught myself how to code, did an online Computer Science pathway after work, shared my learning in the open and landed my first job as a data engineer in a legal start-up
- 2021: Was invited to be an AWS Community Builder for Data and later became a Solutions Architect for Public Sector specialising in application modernization
- 2022: Combined my strategy, community enablement and technical experience to move into worldwide Go-to-Market for application modernization across all regions and industries
- 2023: Founded Pathways Collective and trained as a professional career coach and mentor focusing on those going through major career or life transitions
- 2024: Moved to Microsoft as a sales specialist in Data, Apps and AI focused on financial services and regulated industries
Writing this down, dated, from start to finish, gave me a sense of confidence and nostalgia I find it hard to articulate. In my late teens studying politics and questioning why most pollsters used the same statistical methods for analyses, reading a book on Bayesian methods for predicting basketball scores that piqued my interest, I didn’t think I’d end up where I am now a decade later. I’m not sure I knew where that fascination would take me, but that deep thirst for learning, asking why, has never left.
At Pathways Collective, I specialise in working with those navigating change in their lives and struggling to uncover, or get to, the next turn in their path. Many clients come to me diminishing their expertise because its non-linear; for example, they “haven’t done [that job] before”, “didn’t study [insert-technical-subject] at university”, or “don’t know where to start”.
I encourage them, and you, to embrace all your varied experience when thinking about where to go next.
Alongside the distinct roles I’ve held above, I’ve had a decade of part-time customer service experience, working in housing associations, retail environments, employer branding solutions and universities. I’ve been public speaking on stages to hundreds of people and business executives since I became a First-Year course representative and President of university societies – now totalling over a decade. I’ve been promoted several times, managed teams, mentored others and helped restructure businesses. I’ve supported changes in HR policy for mental health. And, importantly, I’ve been mentored and coached by people who’ve started their own businesses, worked in government, written books, held CVP positions in Big Tech and built brands on social media, all of whom had just as varied (if not more) career paths as me.
The key is understanding the skills you gain from each experience over any title or accolade, and making sure the next move aligns with what you want to learn.
If you don’t think you’re worthy of the next leap, the person opposite you in an interview table won’t either.
If you don’t think you’re the right person to support your customer, the customer won’t either.
If you don’t think you can do it, you won’t.
Embrace the unknown, the difficult, the challenging. Embrace life as a continuous learner who will:
- Make mistakes
- Work in a job that doesn’t feel right
- Say the wrong thing to a customer
- Fail in front of people
- Have competing interests
- Feel lost and confused
Life isn’t linear, so we shouldn’t expect our careers to be.
Find out more about coaching at Pathways Collective: helping you find your path and grow your business with balance.
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