Some advice on changing careers…

Here is a reply I left at “Husker Connect,” an alumni forum at the University of Nebraska. As an aside, I was by far the oldest alum to reply to this question. Can not believe it has been over 50 years 🙂

Some Huskers are considering a career change. Why (and how) did you take the leap to transition into a new job or career field?

—What led me to a leap of faith? Being laid off from an engineering job less than two years after graduation, with a very pregnant wife. I remember thinking, “So this is how the game is played.” So I set my goal on having my own business, with no idea what that might be. A second layoff a few years later solidified my thinking.

—How did I prepare for it? I studied small businesses, and started some side hustles. One that worked best was teaching adult evening classes on electronics. That skill later became an important (and lucrative) part of my future engineering consulting & training firm.

—How did I navigate the change? Realizing my engineering background alone was not enough, I took a job as a sales engineer ( a career shift itself), followed by a marketing position and a stint at a startup. Dropped an MBA program when I realized it was NOT taking me where I wanted to go. Tried to leap once and failed. Tried again later and succeeded – the day the stock market crashed in 1987. Still at it 33 years later (although now semi-retired and just having fun.)

—What advice would I offer? Have an honest discussion with yourself about what YOU want out of life. Assess what you enjoy (and are good at), and what you don’t enjoy. Focus on the former, and forget the latter. If not sure, try a bunch of stuff — side hustles are great for that. Backfill your deficiencies as needed. Live beneath your means so you have financial options rather than being an economic slave.

—Finally, enjoy the ride. My business mantra has been, “Have some fun, do some good, make some money.” Mine has been a great if varied career. Wishing you the best — Daryl Gerke (PE), UNL ’68-BSEE.

Hoping some of you may find this useful. And don’t delay — the years go by fast. In retrospect, making my personal leap (or JumpToConsulting) was the second best decision in my life. (The best was asking my co-conspirator to marry me.)

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