Switching
Lifehacks and Tips
Today marks exactly six months since I switched careers, transitioning from retail to the IT industry. And because I’m an impressionable and emotional person, I decided to wait these six months before making any premature conclusions about working in a new company and area.
Of course, I can’t say it’s a full-on switch — a radical career change. After all, I’m still in the field of learning and development, just in a different industry.
But it’s impossible to ignore the wild and incredible myths that circulate about IT, which I just had to experience for myself.)))
Let’s start with those myths.
Here’s what people say about IT:
They pay a lot.
What can I say?
I’ve always been satisfied with how my earnings have grown. And honestly, that’s not dependent on the segment you work in. Your income is correlated with whether you’re growing as an expert and professional, not with which industry you’re in. Income should be the result of your growth, not just your sole goal. You’ll earn well anywhere if you’re providing value to the business and growing as a specialist. At least, that’s how it works for me — invest in yourself and your professional growth, respect the labor market, and your income will grow. Maybe for others, things fall into place more easily. For me, it’s been a more prosaic and boring path — study and hard work. But at least it’s reliable.
IT employees are spoiled and have an inflated sense of self-worth.
I’m not sure.
I guess I got lucky — I landed in a very good IT company, where the culture is inherently respectful, considerate, and caring. So, I haven’t noticed any arrogance, snobbery, or other signs of narcissism or pride. I recently met a former colleague, and she asked me: "Olya, do they have different people working there?" No, people are the same; the context is just different.
You need to study specifically to work in IT.
You need to learn constantly, no matter where or who you work for.
Professional stagnation is a soft, fluffy, but terrifying creature that lures you into a cozy cave of comfort and familiar tasks when you’ve been in one company or segment for a long time and haven’t grown much. No, I’m not saying that’s bad. Everyone has their own path and stoicism.But just like you can’t read the label on a bottle while inside it, we can’t always objectively assess our progress in professional and personal development.This morning, I spoke with a colleague from China, who is currently studying for an Executive MBA international program. Ten years ago, he completed a regular MBA. And it’s not because he works in IT. It’s because he wants to be a valuable employee and keep developing.
It’s hard to get into IT and stay there.
As fatalistic as it sounds, everything and always depends on us. I really wanted to get into this mysterious, shiny kingdom, the one people either sneer at or genuinely admire. And only my kind recruiter from the agency knows what it took to get me from my first call to the offer news. To land a great spot, you have to study, work hard, and ideally, never make mistakes, because IT is data- and evidence-driven.
No one needs learning in IT because they just write code and earn well from it.
The desire to learn is the same everywhere. Mostly, we start learning more intensely when we see B.A.N.I.* on the horizon — when changes are coming or there’s an urgent need to master something new. That’s normal.
But I can say this with certainty — I don't have to run after anyone. Each month, I process dozens of learning requests — people come to me with inquiries, and sometimes I have to ask them to reschedule because there’s just not enough capacity.
📌 I’ll wrap up this with three pieces of advice I’d give myself six months ago, just as I crossed the virtual threshold of my first company in the IT sector:
Send imposter syndrome to the garden, put it to sleep, strangle it, lock it in the closet. If you’re here, it’s not by chance.
Cast away doubts, roll up your sleeves, turn your brain on full, and get to work.
After all, Hemingway answered the question, "How do you become a good writer?" with:
“You just sit at the typewriter and bleed.”
Same applies here.
If you want to standout — sit at the laptop and start bleeding your brains out.
By the way, Jordan Peterson writes something similar in his new book Beyond Order: “Imagine who you could be and then aim single-mindedly at that.”
English should have been learned yesterday.
Yes, it was tough to realize that my B2 was a sad and useless wreck. Your upper-intermediate level is practically meaningless! Start mastering English right now because if you want to work in a global company, conduct programs for colleagues from Brazil, the U.S., Canada, Spain, and England — the minimum level required is Advanced. You need to think in English. And that requires a completely different level of learning and communication. I now study 3-4 times a week. By the way, Adrian Sliwocki, a partner at the consulting firm Oliver Wyman, wrote excellently about this in the fall issues of Forbes (October and November 2021). Highly recommend reading it.
Strategic thinking is a must-have for any manager.
Being able to quickly adapt and, using existing resources, offer an appropriate vision, strategy, and development tactics is a skill that’s absolutely necessary today.
Bonus tip:
As soon as you enter a new field or company, besides English, start learning a second important language —
the language spoken by your CEO.
This multilingualism will help you communicate your thoughts quickly and clearly, while assessing arguments rationally and thoughtfully.
In general, if you love what you do, you’ll thrive anywhere.
Because home is wherever we are.
By "home," I mean my professional identity, which is needed and valued in any business field. And it doesn’t matter what role you occupy.
What matters is who you are and what you scale.
December 15, 2021.