How can you get your foot in the door of a new industry if you don’t have the traditional credentials, experiences, or education required? Brad Stewart went from being a tattoo artist to a real estate professional to a marketing manager in the financial sector in spite of lacking the formalised experience or education of most other candidates. In this episode of the Career Relaunch® podcast, we’ll discuss how he pulled off his major career changes by overcoming judgment, imposter syndrome, and adversity along the way. I also share some thoughts on how I manage the opinions of others during my own career transitions.

Key Career Insights

1. One way to figure out if you’re on the right path is to look at the people around who have been in your industry for longer than you and asking yourself whether you want to turn out like them.
2. It’s inevitable that people may initially judge you based on your appearance, but the onus is still on you to have your work and results speak for themselves.
3. Career change often involves a total life change too, including your circle of friends, lifestyle, habits, and attitudes.
4. Imposter syndrome faces us all, but doing your best to be logical rather than emotional about how you react to it can help you manage it.
5. Be careful who you listen to. Always seek feedback, but be careful what you take on board.

Tweetables to Share

Resources Mentioned

At end of the Mental Fuel segment, I mentioned a quote from Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen” song, originally from Mary Schmich’s 1997 Chicago Tribune article. Here’s the full music video:

https://youtu.be/sTJ7AzBIJoI

Listener Challenge

During this episode’s Mental Fuel® segment, I talked about the importance of thinking critically about whose feedback you take on board. If you’re struggling with how to navigate your career transition, definitely solicit the opinions of people you admire, but when you do, sense check it against your own gut and what you feel is ultimately going to make the most sense given your specific situation. This is your journey, so do what you feel works best for you.

📖 Episode Chapters

00:00:00 Overview
00:01:07 Introduction
00:04:01 Chat with Brad