{"id":430,"date":"2006-02-14T15:43:22","date_gmt":"2006-02-14T10:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madmanweb.com\/2006\/02\/14\/tips_on_making\/"},"modified":"2006-02-14T15:43:22","modified_gmt":"2006-02-14T10:13:22","slug":"tips_on_making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/2006\/02\/tips_on_making\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips on making a radical career shift"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today’s issue of Economic Times has a cover story on people who made drastic career shifts in their “High Flier” supplement. I’m one of the people featured in the story (how I wish I could actually find the darn article on their web site) because I moved from technology and started a far-eastern restaurant<\/a>. The writer of the story had sent me a long<\/em> list of questions a few weeks back, and I had written a mini-essay in response. Much of what I wrote didn’t make it to the piece (ah, the size constraints of print media) but when I read it back, I thought that it would be good to post the whole thing here to help others who might be considering a career change like mine. So here goes…<\/p>\n

1) What are the main reasons that provoked you to make a career transition
\nfrom being a software engineer to a hotelier?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have been passionate about cooking since I was 13. I chose to go with IT as a
\ncareer, but by my mid-twenties, I had decided that in another 10 years, I would
\nhave my own restaurant. So it was more about moving the plans forward by a few
\nyears. I chose to do this because I was 27, single, and thought I could take
\nmore risks now than if I were, say 35. Also, the IT industry was going through
\nits bust phase a few years ago, and companies were doing crazy things, including
\nlaying off lots of people. I decided that it was the right time to move.<\/p>\n

2) What emotions did you go through while making a major career leap?
\nWeren?t you a little skeptical of abandoning the career you did for so many
\nyears for something very new?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It definitely wasn’t an easy decision to make, and I’m not the impulsive type at
\nall. But several of my friends said I should give it a shot. Once I started
\nconsidering it seriously, I thought about it for a whole month to make sure it
\nwasn’t just a passing fad. After I made a firm decision, I experienced anxiety
\nand apprehension about a whole new future, but there was also some exhilaration
\nabout doing something I was so passionate about.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3) Did you go through the following emotions while you were considering a
\nshift from software:<\/strong><\/p>\n

— “I’m sure there’s something else I’d like to do. I’m just not
\nsure what it is.” If yes, how did you cope with it?
\n<\/em>
\nNot really. I am a down-to-earth fellow, and I prefer to deal with things I
\nknow, than worry about some ideal career that hasn’t occurred to me yet. That
\nmillion-dollar idea may strike me one day still, but I’m not going to put
\neverything else on hold waiting for it. I prefer to instead keep my eyes open
\nfor opportunities in the future instead.<\/p>\n

— “I know what I want to do, but I don’t know how to make money doing
\nit.” Too many of us want a certain career but hold back because we don’t
\nthink we can make a living at it. Did you think the same as well?<\/em><\/p>\n

Well… many of us have lists of things we’d like to do if that pesky matter of
\nearning a living weren’t an issue. I would have liked to do several things, like
\nbeing a cartoon voiceover artist (not much scope in India for English cartoon
\nvoiceover work), start a no-nonsense advertising agency (not practical), start a
\nproduct-based software company (couldn’t think of any product ideas at the
\ntime)… a few more. But I ruled them out one by one. Idealism and optimism are
\nwonderful things, but they must be tempered with pragmatism.<\/p>\n

— “I dislike the job I have, but I’m not ready to give it up.? If
\nyes, how did you cope with it?
\n<\/em>
\nNo. I liked what I was doing. I still miss it sometimes.<\/p>\n

4) What were the major obstacles (consequential or inconsequential) you were
\nconfronted with when you decided to shift from one career track to the other?
\n<\/strong>
\nThe biggest obstacle was my lack of experience in the restaurant business. I
\nonly knew that I had a good product, and that was because I had confidence in my
\nown cooking abilities. Beyond that, there was a world of things to learn about
\nrunning a restaurant itself. But even before that, I was confronted with the
\narduous task of designing and actually setting up a new restaurant in an empty
\ncommercial space. It certainly wasn’t easy, and two years later, I find myself
\nstill learning things. Dealing with various government agencies, bureaucracy,
\ncorruption, and the tons of paperwork was another learning experience.<\/p>\n

I think one\u00a0 of the best decisions I made was to hire an experienced and
\nknowledgeable person as my manager. I firmly believe that one must do the things
\none is best at, and leave specialised duties to the specialists.<\/p>\n

5) On a very technical note, what checklist should one follow before making a
\ndrastic decision to change career paths?
\n<\/strong>
\nIt depends on whether you plan to be an entrepreneur or get a salaried job in
\nanother industry. The latter option is a lot safer because you don’t have to
\ndeal with so much change all at the same time. But a few essential things to
\nponder are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Do you truly want to switch? Perhaps you’re simply not in the right
    \nposition, the right company, or both. If so, shifting to a new job in a new
    \ncompany might be a less risky option.<\/li>\n
  2. Are you sure you’re fit for the new profession? Doing something just
    \nbecause everyone else is doing it is not a good idea, not only because you
    \nmay not succeed, but also because you may be late to cash in on a fad. Being
    \ngood at a business requires that you either know your trade very well, or
    \nhave the ability to spot a business opportunity and then hire the best
    \npeople to run it for you. Some people are great at getting work done, but
    \nit’s not for everyone. Do your homework diligently. Make a proper business
    \nplan with numbers and chart out the most pessimistic scenario.<\/li>\n
  3. Are you willing to take the risk? A new business will not start making
    \nmoney for a while. Can you handle not having a stable source of income? Do
    \nyou have a wife, kids, or family to feed? Do you have a backup plan if your
    \nventure fails? (And some ventures always will. It’s the circle of life.) If
    \nyou’re not starting your own business and getting a job in a new industry,
    \nyou might have to take a pay cut because you’re not joining on the same
    \nlevel. Are you ready for that? Will the reward be worth it?<\/li>\n
  4. Do you have spare money to keep you going in the bad times? You should
    \nhave at least six months of salary available for living expenses, preferably
    \nten.<\/li>\n
  5. Do you see yourself doing this for the next twenty years? If that thought
    \nmakes you pause for more than 30 seconds, consider whether it’s really a
    \ngood long-term decision.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    6) After so many years, what is that one thing you miss about being in
    \nsoftware? Do you have any regrets?
    \n<\/strong>
    \nI was quite passionate about my former career too, and I do miss it on days when
    \nI’m feeling low or business has not been good. But life is full of trade-offs.
    \nThere is no way I would have been able to manage two careers simultaneously, and
    \nI had to make a choice. I made it. I guess the biggest thing I miss about
    \nsoftware is having peers to talk to, socialise, and exchange views with. In my
    \ncurrent job, I’m the big boss, and the people I manage are mostly of a different
    \nbackground than my own. I don’t have any colleagues with whom I can go out and
    \nenjoy a weekend. Heck, my job doesn’t allow me the luxury of weekends. When
    \nother people are out enjoying themselves, we in the restaurant business are
    \nworking the hardest. My day off is on a Monday, when everyone else is starting
    \ntheir work week. I also miss having a regular paycheck every month. Like I said
    \nearlier, life is full of compromises.<\/p>\n

    7) After the career shift, how did you evolve not just as a successful
    \nprofessional but also as a human being?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I have learned a few skills that I might otherwise not otherwise have picked
    \nup. I work in a business with a very low tolerance for errors, and where the
    \nword “deadline” means “in the next 5 minutes”, not in the
    \nnext five weeks. It has taught me some unbelievable project management skills.
    \nWork in a busy restaurant on a weekend, and you will truly learn what it means
    \nto make resource management decisions in seconds without using an Excel
    \nspreadsheet. You will learn how to best allocate resources when you have ten
    \ntasks and only enough manpower to complete two in the next ten minutes.<\/p>\n

    Apart from that, I now feel the responsibility of being responsible for the
    \nlivelihood of 28 people, most of whom aren’t that rich. They depend on me to
    \nhelp feed their families, and that is an enormous responsibility. I follow the
    \nmanagement principle of “speak softly and carry a big stick” – tough
    \nbut fair.<\/p>\n

    Lastly, I have picked up a completely new set of people skills. As a fine dining
    \nrestaurant owner, I face thousands of people in a month, and they come with
    \nvarying temperaments and moods. I have to be polite and courteous to everyone
    \nwho walks through my door, even when they get upset, and even if technically
    \nit’s not our fault at all. Making sure everyone leaves happier when they walk
    \nout the door is a tough task, but it’s a challenge, and when they do, it is very
    \nrewarding.<\/p>\n

    I get the chance to put a smile on people’s faces, and it makes it all
    \nworthwhile.<\/p>\n

    8) What advice will you give to people who want to chase their dreams of
    \npursuing their dream career but are little skeptical to do so?
    \n<\/strong>
    \nI would advise them to persist with their skepticism. Yes, seriously. It is good
    \nto dream, but not to day-dream. You need hope, but not delusion. That said, you
    \nshould realise that to boldly go where no one has gone before (please pardon my
    \nStar Trek geek cliche) does indeed require a leap of faith and a hope for a
    \nmarket that may not even exist yet (certainly true in my case.) Just be sure
    \nthat your decision is an informed one and based on solid research, not solely on
    \nan impulsive moment. We have to deal with the constraints of the world we live
    \nin, and one of those is earning a livelihood.<\/p>\n

    9) To sum it up, how would you describe your journey from one career path
    \nto the other?
    \n<\/strong>
    \nDisruptive, painful, anxiety-laden, thrilling, scary, and yet oh so satisfying
    \ntoo. It’s a cocktail of emotions. If you’re not ready for the tumultuous nature
    \nof the career shift roller coaster, you shouldn’t go along for the ride.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Today’s issue of Economic Times has a cover story on people who made drastic career shifts in their “High Flier” supplement. I’m one of the people featured in the story (how I wish I could actually find the darn article on their web site) because I moved from technology and started a far-eastern restaurant. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madmanweb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}