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Hey all - Serial career pivoter here. Wrote up some thoughts and recommendations on creative ways to gain experience needed for big pivots. Hope this can be a resource for folks here. The Career Pivot - Common Questions (Part 2)
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/career-pivot-common-questions-part-2-kelly-ling
Amazon Web Services Hi Fishes! I'm a fresher with 10 months exp currently working in Oracle as a cloud analyst. I'm not really enjoying my work here in OCI, and have been exploring and learning about AWS lately. Looking for opportunities to switch to AWS. Am I going in the right direction? Can anyone pls provide any valuable suggestions/resources/contacts? Thanks!!Amazon Web Services Amazon Oracle IBM Consulting
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That’s the case in many big tech consulting firms, I’d recommend looking into mentorship programs or finding a mentor in the same industry or a desired industry of your liking.
Discuss and evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and what kind of upskilling or projects can you do you in an area you’re interested in (ADHD brains love novelty and work with with hyper focus on areas of interest).
Map out where you are and where you want to go next. A gap assessment essentially, see how you can break down this goal realistically. E.g. would you want to pivot into an industry role, a boutique consulting firm or another large rival consulting firm or even become a contractor etc.
Quarterly targets (in regards to upskilling, demonstrating certain skills in projects/community of practice, volunteer/personal projects, mentoring etc.) over yearly targets with a line manager or a mentor/peer to discuss progress, ADHD brains work better with short deadlines.
Just a few examples if you’re feeling in a rut.
Even if the job market is terrible that doesn’t mean you can’t start building n working on an exit strategy. Success in landing a job is just preparation meets opportunity remember that, don’t give up.
Opportunities can also come in the form of referrals from past colleagues, school/college peers, mentors etc. - closed mouths don’t get fed so no harm in asking around n being proactive even if it means cold calls/emails to recruiters/HR at your target firm’s industry.
You can either find a ‘buddy’ or a peer in the company you like to hold you accountable and do weekly check ins to work on your weekly tasks n explore what areas you’d like to develop in. Many people in consulting are masking just like you so please keep that in mind!
Look into how you can use accommodations n implement it yourself if you’re very worried about perception.
The more you assess your skill set n hone it, you’ll find that you can identify gaps n patterns that can lead you to a new role in industry.
P.S. I’m a minority woman + have ADHD. I’m doing really well at my current role and company after being at a big firm in the beginning of my tech consulting career 7 years ago.
You have to be proactive OP, in the meantime reach out to close friends/family for support.
Everything in life is just trial and error, and guess what we neurodiverse folks are amazing at certain niches n pattern spotting, you’ll get there but until then be proactive n seek help. You’re already doing that now by posting here n acknowledging there is a problem - now go break down that problem n see what steps you can undertake to get the ball rolling!
I also don’t feel like I have anyone looking out for me. I feel incredibly different from everyone here at least within the consulting practice.
There is a need to self-manage in an organization like that, but you’re still not alone. It sounds like you haven’t been able to find an effective coach, mentors, or sponsors within the organization. Do you have people you trust who you go to for help?
I’ve made connections within the different ERGs but I end up meeting a lot of people outside my functional areas so it’s not helpful and within my functional areas people are SUPER SUPER busy. Beside what I really need help with is a feedback loop for my day to day and I don’t have that and haven’t in a long time. The manager I have right now makes me feel stupid for asking questions that I need extra clarification on. Literally speaks in buzzwords. I don’t have any team members.
I feel this 10000%
I am sorry to hear that you are stuck, I hear this so often and having ADHD myself I really get it. I work with organisations (I am a psychotherapist but I coach as a provider for orgs) Maybe if you found someone to work with as part of your personal development plan that they then could fund for you?
Don't lose hope, you are potentially bored too! Our adhd brains love novelty! I hope you get some great support soon!
Sorry to hear that OP, fellow AuDHDer recently diagnosed. In my experience, I have always been known as the problem solver, the go-to person for any question (even on topics not directly linked to my core responsibilities). This is because I constantly need new things or I get bored, and if my supervisor didn’t give it to me I would just come up with ways to “fix things”. I have always worked with remote teams, so I could set up my own structure, aka: blocking time in my calendar to remember myseld do stuff (or even have lunch, helped when I was hyperfocusing) , categorizing emails and to-dos so I would set priorities, asking lots of questions to the point of annoying people. Always got great feedback and DA/TP in talent discussions, but instead of a promotion I got a burnout. And I have been laid off because my role moved to India. I do still think Consulting could be the right career path for me because there is always something new and I like solving problems, but I do also fear burning out again… But it’s a lonely journey, even the most empathetic supervisor will only care about themselves, and they’ll keep you where you are if you are “too good” at your job vs promoting you and needing to find your replacement… A coach or a mentor could help with advice and feedback in a safe space. Wishing you the best!