‘Just Go For It’: 8 Women Share The Story Of Their Dramatic Career Changes

Entering the workforce (or being a few years into it) during a pandemic, cost of living and rental crises means that many of us are clinging to our jobs for dear life.

Who can think about a career break or change when so many Australians are living paycheque to paycheque?

On the flip side, in a post-girl boss world filled with global turmoil, many women have discovered what's truly important to them and what they want their lives to look like.

Whether it's the result of being made redundant in hard economic times or simply taking a leap of faith in their twenties, Refinery29 Australia asked seven women why they decided to make a dramatic career change. Warning, this may want to make you hand in your resignation ASAP.

I previously worked in traditional healthcare and was going into medicine for a few years before studying at the Endeavour College of Natural Health and switching over to Naturopathy. 

Clinical Naturopath and EFT Tapping Practitioner. I own my own business, Amelia Botanica.

The stress and strain that I was experiencing. I found myself feeling exhausted and run down all of the time without resolve. I also found what I was learning wasn’t resonating with me as much as I thought it would.

Medical science was so fascinating, but due to my own health issues, modern healthcare just didn’t have the support that I needed as an individual. It also didn’t provide me with any relief from my hormonal and gut issues. I knew what worked for my body and wanted to share that with others.

I love the freedom of running my own business from anywhere in the world. It allows me to also continue to work on my healing journey and resetting my body to be the best practitioner that I can be.

I also love the fact that I keep adding on new and exciting layers to my practice like the EFT Tapping or meditation courses. Being a Naturopath allows you to support so many people and make drastic changes. It's the best feeling in the world.

It's the best thing I have ever done for myself. I completely put my own needs first and found such passion and love for supporting people in making huge health moves. It can be scary but it's honestly the most rewarding and exciting adventure you will ever go on.

After graduating from law/ international relations and conducting work experience, it was a no-brainer that I would transition into the legal field.

Shortly after graduating, I realised that I was burnt out, unsatisfied and unfulfilled in my work life. I shifted gears, focusing on customer retention, acquisition and marketing in the corporate world. I worked in this sphere for about seven years before taking the plunge and starting my own business in beauty.

I'm a beautician and the owner of Fluffy.

As I got deeper into my twenties, I became considerably less fulfilled, and generally unhappier in my day-to-day.

What really solidified the need for change, was the realisation that I was going to be spending a significant amount of my life at work, and the choice of work and environment would have a direct impact on my quality of life.

I couldn't continue on a career path that made me this unhappy. I needed to find something that brought more passion, purpose and motivation to my life.

I always had a deep fascination with the beauty field and knew it was where I needed to be. I was in the incredibly fortunate position to not only be able to pinpoint the career that would be ideal for me, but also to be able to pivot and bring it to fruition.

I'm surrounded by what I love every single day. I get to experience the perfect mix of creativity, business, and people. And while my stress levels and workload are most likely higher than when I was working in a corporate environment, I am significantly happier overall and feel more fulfilled than I ever thought possible.

Dramatic career changes can feel exceptionally daunting. My biggest advice would be to have a huge brain dump of all of the questions and possibilities you have. The pros and cons, the impact this change would have on your life, the impacts to your finances and the impact to your overall mental health and happiness.

When everything is out on paper, it can really help in pinpointing tangible and viable changes. Once you have the nitty gritty in front of you, you can couple that with your internal dialogue.

Trust your gut. If you are considering a change, it's most likely for a good reason. Your skillset, networks and experience will still be there, so if you don't like where your career change takes you, you can always pivot again or head on back. The beauty of building careers in this age is that they tend to flow in a more diverse way, so use it to your advantage.

I was in radio and events for five years.

I work in hospitality and am the owner/ operator of a bar/ restaurant.

The lifestyle and hustle mentality. I wasn't prepared to work for years full-time to climb the ladder. I pivoted completely and have found myself working part-time in hospitality instead, at a place I can call my own.

I make my own hours, I am surrounded by good people who are passionate about the industry, and I still have the energy, time and space each week to enjoy my twenties and explore who I am outside of my career.

Sit in silence and listen to where you're being drawn to. Ask yourself 'If I don't make this change, what's the alternative?' And answer honestly.

Do you stay in a job you don't wholeheartedly love because it's easy? Or do you embrace the discomfort of the unknown, have some hard conversations (with yourself and others) and explore what you're being drawn to? Take the leap. You'll learn more about yourself than you ever imagined.

I used to be a high school teacher. I only did it for two and a half years after graduating from university (I was at uni for eight years).

I'm a writer.

Teaching was a really bad environment for me and my mental health was suffering. I also have always wanted to be a journalist since I was a kid.

I'm doing what I love. Every day I just get to write and it makes me so happy.

Just go for it. It can be scary to leave the security of a previous career, but being happy is the thing that matters most.

I was a fashion buyer and planner for six years.

I'm the creator of the supper club, Club Sup.

I worked for a major Japanese retailer through the pandemic. I felt increasingly like my creativity was dying and I wasn’t being fulfilled in my role. I looked at my superiors and I couldn’t imagine being them and that was my answer. If you didn’t want to climb up, why are you climbing?

That I get to make people's lives better for a living. I love that my business is not a product, it’s a service and we can do so much with it. I love that I'm the master of my income and time now.

That if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Juggle both the start-up and your current job for as long as humanly possible. Then, when you get to a point where you can pay yourself 80% of your wage, leave.

I was a radiographer for four-and-a-half years.

I'm the Managing Editor at Refinery29 Australia.

I originally got into radiography as a bit of an accident. I knew I wanted to do a job in the health field and I wanted to help people. But, after starting to actually work in the industry, I realised that I wasn't emotionally cut out for it and it started taking a toll on my mental health almost immediately. I knew I had to change.

I love that all my days are different, and even when I feel stressed during busy periods or the pressure to do well, I try to remind myself that they are merely inconveniences, and don't feel as heartbreaking as the things that stressed me out in my past career.

I also love that the skills I now have are more transferrable, which makes me feel like I have endless options for the future.

Do research about the job you think you'd like to do one day (read: stalk people on LinkedIn) and then work backwards to see how you can make it happen. For me, that meant doing night classes at uni, while working weird hours in a hospital and interning for a media company. It was hard, but so worth it.

I worked as a barista for an “exclusive” members-only club for nine years.

I'm a freelance fashion stylist.

I really loved the role and the staff were pure joy but my God, the customers were horrendous. I worked at a members-only facility which meant not just anyone “from the street” could walk in.

We were constantly reminded of this by the paying members who would say things like "I pay to be here, therefore I actually pay your wages." Untrue, but whatever.

The general age bracket of the customers was older, so as you can imagine, they looked down their noses at us.

I was good at my job and I really did enjoy it but the love for the job was worn thin by customers who wouldn’t look you in the eye, would ignore your existence, and not say thank you. I had enough of feeling like dirt on their shoes.

It took one sandwich for me to say "Nah, I've had enough of this." I’d gone up to a table to take an order, as a woman had called me over (mind you, she was on the phone and come hither-ed me with her finger). She didn’t look at me, mumbled her order, and continued her phone call. I’d put in her order but misunderstood what she wanted.

She stormed up to me, shoved a sandwich in my face and screamed "I said chicken! Not chilli!" At this point, all I could do was laugh.

That night, I sat on my bed and wrote a list of all the things I love spending time doing and tried to piece together a career from that.

I returned to study and graduated with a high distinction in Fashion Marketing. I’m now employed by beautiful creative teams and get to work with some of Australia’s best. 

I get to work (nearly) normal hours. I meet new people every day and everyone is just so happy to be in their role. The pay is incredible. There’s no one making me feel like less of a person and I’m following my heart by doing something that gives me pure joy.

Life is too short. Being comfortable in a job will sometimes work against you. Challenge yourself, and no matter what failures or hardships lie ahead, you’ll always be a step closer to something new and exciting.

In my previous role I was the Global Product Manager at Ripcurl and spent 27 years in the surf industry.

I'm the founder of Gentle Habits.

I started a side business called This Is Incense, while I was working in my Product Manager role at Ripcurl. What started as a hobby on weekends soon saw me packing orders until midnight. I was working 12-hour days.

I saw the potential in the numbers, took a pay cut and started building the Gentle Habits brand.

Being able to have the flexibility in my work hours to spend with my family and, ultimately, to create mindful products that can help people.

I love our customers and the direct feedback we get is what makes all the stress and hard work worthwhile. Having a small business, you work more hours not less. It's harder to switch off like a traditional job on the weekends and holidays but your work can be done at any time during the day. I now get to drop and pick up my son from school which I never did previously.

Do your numbers, have a plan, get a mentor to help guide you through the change and go for it! You never want to wake up wondering 'What if?'.