why did you pick that career

I would start by saying that it feels like my career has chosen me! I've been in the wide world of tech, both website and software based, for over 10 years, and as this field advances at the speed of light it can often feel hard to keep up - this is why I feel like the field I'm in dictates where my next move should be.

It all started with my father teaching me how to program at the early age of 6. I did NOT love it at the time and appreciate that I was given the opportunity to 'try on' a few careers for size before naturally coming back to tech. Whenever I left a job that wasn't a perfect fit, I'd think about what specifically didn't work out, and how would I like that to be different in my next job. This helps you narrow down which career feels 'right'.

Over the course of my 10+ years in tech I tried on a few different types of jobs for size. I began as a secretary and decided to go to night school to learn how to build websites (hand-coding HTML, CSS and JS), and rode that wave for about 5 years. During that time I took more and more advanced programming classes - and while I could do it - I found I didn't love it. I spent too much time alone with a computer screen, and missed collaborative interactions with other colleagues. From there, I decided to try my hand at web and print design, thinking that combining my creative desires with my tech background would be the perfect answer. This approach was close, but no cigar, as tech company budgets for graphic design have been dwindling and I didn't think it would be a smart choice for the long haul. My final approach has been in Product Management - I get to collaborate daily with multiple types of roles (engineers, developers, designers, UX researchers, c-level executives, and our customers) which keeps every day fresh and exciting.

Hi there,

I am a HR professional and specifically a recruiter. I LOVE my job. I love advocating for people and their career passions, I love working with the business and creating strategies to take the company to the next level. When I was a HR Manager I had to fire a lot of people, I quickly discovered that I did NOT enjoy firing people and wanted to be on the other side of the fence giving people jobs. Even when I tell a candidate they aren't getting a position I try to offer them something they can work on that will make them a stronger candidate in the future.

I make sure I only work for companies I really believe in. I always say that recruiting is half HR and half sales and if I don't believe in the company I'm working for then I'm going to be a far less effective recruiter. Also, I need to be able to sleep at night knowing that if I'm convincing someone to come to my company vs another company I am truly offering them a great opportunity.

I chose to go into sales right out of college for a few reasons:

1. I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do long term, but knew and was advised that being in sales provides you with the environment that forces you to be fully responsible for your own success. I majored in Political Science and English, so was thinking I would later go to law school. I wanted the job experience before I made that decisions
2. Being in sales meant to me that I would have to work really hard, be humble, and figure out the best way to close deals. Once you get hooked on closing deals, you get better and better a building relationships, which can help you in many other fields. I'm also very curious, so learning more about what people do, and how my product (whatever that product may have been) could help them reach their business goals.
3. I finished college in 2007, which was right before our great recession. I knew that the world was changing, and that I wanted to be ready to take on positions that I was interested in that maybe didn't exist yet. The advice I was given early in my sales career was: if you're consistent, and show that you're great at your job, other positions will open up, and you'll simply be the obvious choice.

I give you these stories to say that people who know for sure what they want to do with their careers are very few. Where you start your career can change completely as you make mistakes, lose or change jobs, get burnt out, etc. Find something that challenges you, that excites you, but also have in mind where you at least think you want to go next (as opposed to where you want to end up.. because they may never happen as your interests will change!)

I'm a technical recruiting professional, which means I look for talented technical professionals for openings at my company. I'm usually looking for software engineers and the reason I chose to recruit in the tech industry is because I think what they do is impressive and not something I'm not skilled at. But, the main reason I chose this career is because I love finding out what's important to candidates and job seekers, and then helping them get connected with an opportunity that excites them. It's a great feeling to listen to someone's passion and career interests and play a role in getting them into a position that is exactly where they want to be.

Hey,

In the beginning i was not really sure of my career choice. The change that i had is to work during my studies. That help me a lot to discovered the world of work and to choose witch type of career best suits me.

I encourage you to do the same if it is possible !