LTB #4: Ever thought about switching careers? See what it’s like!

When I tell people that I have started learning to code, the reactions I get are in full specter - from skepticism 🙄 to curiosity 🤔, encouragement 🤩, and support 🤘. Most are just clueless as to why someone who has been running businesses and managing people for 13 years would need to do coding himself.

And I get it!

So here is why I am learning to code, and maybe it will inspire you to try something new.

Here is what I am covering today:
1. Ruminating about potential other career paths…
2. We just take it too seriously
3. Do it the lean way
4. Will it be easy? No! But here is how to make it easier.
5. My story - why am I learning to code?

Ruminating about potential other career paths…

This newsletter came to a realization after having a few conversations with people, sharing what career path they would pursue if they did not have the direction they are in right now.

What fascinated me the most was listening to the reasons why those other “dream” paths are no longer possible. Yes, there might be cases when that is impossible, but I have not heard of them yet.

Most fall into one of the following categories:

• Discomfort resistance - Learning new skills that can lead to a career switch is HARD and takes TIME, which leads to discomfort. Sometimes, we would rather mask our dissatisfaction with the current situation than face the discomfort.

• Endless rumination - using these '“unreachable” hypothetical careers to justify inaction and why we are stuck with the career we are in right now.

• Public image - “What will people think when I start doing this thing?” Especially when you get older, have spent a fair amount of your life working, and have gained some kind of status and seniority in your life/existing career. But mostly driven by fear of failure.

• Other sacrifices - all the rest I would put in this category. Fear of sacrificing something you have right now - status, money, time. And yes, you will have to sacrifice something.

Most of the reasons come from not seeing the path of getting to the end goal we have imagined, and this is what I wanted to touch on 👇

We just take it too seriously

I am 36, and most people around me are in their thirties. Funnily enough, this is the age gap where most people start to question what they are doing in life. When we speak about a career change, in 80% of cases, the only way people see it is in the form of everything or nothing. If you want to change careers, you either drop everything you are doing/have right now and go get a bachelor's degree in that “dream” career, or you have to stick with what you are doing right now. But I do not see it that way.

Since childhood, we have been asked, “What will you be when you grow up?” and I think that this is where the fundamental issue comes from. We are led to think that we have this one choice we must make in life, and that will define what we will “be”. How about letting go of what we “are” and focusing on what we want to “do”? So, instead of thinking about what you can do with what you are right now, you can start thinking about what skills you need to do what you want.

The trick here is that you do not have to change who you are, you just need to figure out a skill/knowledge you need to add to yourself. 90% of cases your previous experience comes as an advantage rather than “wrong path”.

Of course, there are some exceptions—like becoming a surgeon—but if you get to the core of what you want to do, maybe a surgeon is not the only way.

This is how you should approach it 👇

Do it the lean way

I strongly suggest taking this approach from the startup world. It is called The Lean Startup - something entrepreneurs struggle to implement, but once they get it, it makes the most sense. The Lean Startup - if you can, read the book and think of your new skill as a business idea.

Startup world example

The simplified idea is this. Imagine you have decided to build Instagram. There is so much to it, such as images, filters, videos, messaging, likes, recommendation algorithms, masks, infrastructure, etc. You quickly realize that you need a billion dollars to build something like that from scratch (and maybe no one will use your Instagram), so you give up - the wall is just too overwhelming and big.

The lean approach would be to understand that Instagram might be the long-term goal, but at the moment, you could find the smallest step you could start - something you are most interested in - for example, creating beautiful image filters. You say no to most (for now) and focus on what you can do with your resources and time right now. (creating filters) Then, if everything is successful with the first step, you build up.

Career/Skill example

Imagine you wish you had become a “Nutrition specialist” - to “be,” you have to go to medical school, get a Bachelor's, then a Master's, be an intern for some years, and then you can “become” it. Again, it's a big and overwhelming wall - especially in your thirties when you have family, mortgage, and other commitments.

Here is my vision of doing the lean way:
1. Start learning about the topic - books, influencers, podcasts, courses. Go deep, try to learn as much as you can yourself, and understand everything yourself. Still interested?
2. Start sharing your knowledge/findings with friends, social media, blogs, websites, and newsletters (you are reading one now, right?). Are you still hyped? Have people started asking for suggestions?
3. Shadow someone - try finding out if there are any institutions or people already in the field you could join or speak with to experience what it is like to be them.
3. Try monetizing what you share - start with friends and their friends, then try monetizing online (courses, lectures, paid groups/newsletters, etc.). Are people buying? Do they like it? Do you still like it? Are you still missing the “be” thing?
4. Do the jump - at this point, you have validated this career path for yourself and others, and you now have much to lose.

Start little and build on that, or stop at the “level” you feel satisfied. It is not always about monetization, but it is a great side effect. 🙂 

p.s. For inspiration, you can check Simon’s Instagram account.

Will it be easy? No! But here is how to make it easier.

The journey will be hard, take a lot of time, and require quite an effort to get anywhere, so it is super important to ask one of my favorite questions—“Why?”

Why do you want to have this new skill/career?

• money 🤑 - if the only reason is that people earn a lot there, don’t even start. You will not enjoy the process and will give up anyway. Don’t waste your time.

• it was my dream, I am passionate about that topic and any other reason - perfect! Go, go, go! The lean approach will help you validate if the dream actually is what you thought it was before you go all in.

The later in life you start, the harder it will be, so the best time ever is to start now. There will never be a better time again.

Reach out to people who are already pursuing what you want—you would be surprised how much people are ready to help, support, and share.

My story - why am I learning to code?

I always knew I wanted to be an Entrepreneur, but after graduating from school, I had to go for higher education, so I had to choose a path. At that point, I loved tech stuff. I had been developing some basic websites on my own, and I was thinking about going into Computer Science (CS), but those were crazy in 2007 when everything was about money, so I made a decision based on where I would get the highest status and money. Needless to say, I dropped out in 6 months and made two other faulty decisions, but since then, I have always wondered what my life would turn out like if I went to CS, what I felt was my thing.

Sidenote: I ended up in IT anyway, running an IT business for 13 years, just from a different angle. 😀 

As my current business lifecycle was ending, I decided that this was the right time to learn to code. Here are my “why?”:
1. Explore my “what if” - maybe I should have chosen CS.
2. Skill to build something - I have been selling and marketing all my life, so I wanted a skill with which I could build something.
3. Build MVPs - inspired by Indie Hackers on X, I decided that I want to create MVPs of business ideas I have to validate them. And this desire to create was strong enough to get me hyped and motivate me all this way.

CS Bachelor might be the “right way,” but it seemed nonsense to me as I would have to drop everything—too much time to start, I cannot support myself for that long, etc. So, I found people online who have gone down a similar path, got from them information on where and how to start and what I need to get to my goal, and started learning myself.

How is it going?

After 250 hours of pure learning to code, I can say that I have finished the theory part. I have rushed through all the basics and principles of coding to where I wanted to get, but I still cannot code. I went through countless rollercoasters - highs and lows, and I was willing to give up a few times, but I feel that the goal I have set is strong enough to make me want to continue.

I like to compare my current state with learning to Snowboard. Imagine that you have looked through all possible tutorials and tricks-n-tips on YouTube, you have been practicing on trampolines, and you have done physical training, but now you have to go on the mountain and put it all together—on your own. This is me now—on the mountain, trying to get down without falling and getting up the elevator. Some days, I am the guy sitting on the mountain and thinking, wtf am I doing here? Some days, I am the guy you see start to do his turns on the snowboard - not the right way, but still sliding down the mountain with a huge smile.

Today, I am trying to implement what I have learned with the creation of my very first self-made micro-product, which allows people to transfer their personal data between CRMs. (https://www.muuvio.com/)

Observation

Side effects of these pursuits lead to observations. One question I had was, what if the developer had been my career choice? Now I know the answer. I played around a bit with the idea of working full-time as a developer. I spoke to people doing that, and by trying what it is like to develop, I realized that I could, but that is not for me. I am happy with my path, and by adding this skill, I can choose what I want to be today - a developer who knows how to build a business or an entrepreneur who knows how to develop a product.

To finish this off

I just wanted to say and show you that if there is a skill, career you have not pursuited, but have always wished, go for it! Do not overcomplicate or take it too seriously - start lean and see where it gets.

You can quit anytime, but you will regret not trying.