Day 9: My Most Important Tip For Job Seekers Looking to Change Careers

I often meet immigrants in Germany who are shifting careers. They ask, “Which course should I take? What certification can I get?” My answer is, don’t — at least not yet. 

Instead, have 10 “Solution Validation” conversations.

Find 10 people who have achieved your goal. If you’re a software developer looking to specialize in AI Engineering, search LinkedIn for profiles with both “software developer” and “AI engineer”. Share your plan with them. How well do they think it will work? What else would they suggest? 

This has four benefits.

Benefit 1: Improving Your Plan

You’ll either confirm your path or tweak it.

In 2018, I considered doing a coding bootcamp and reached out to successful alumni. I learned the key to success wasn’t the bootcamp itself, but developing good study habits and building a project that showed off your understanding of web software and design to employers.

If I wanted to save the $25,000 tuition, I could focus on building good study habits and learning the skills required to build the application.

Benefit 2: Identifying Patterns

The volume - talking to 10 people - is important. Each person is an expert only on their own experience. But if you talk to 10 people, you spot common advice and pitfalls. 

Benefit 3: Building Connections

These people can hire or refer you later. As with VC funding:

If you want a job, ask for advice. If you want advice, ask for a job.

Benefit 4: Adding Value in Interviews

When I switched to product operations, I reached out to industry experts and brought my learnings to interviews. This showed hiring managers that one, I know how to do the job. Two, in cases where I personally did not know something, I have a network of industry experts I can get advice from. Very important in new roles where the industry is still figuring it out.