It’s been about a decade since I last did a blog post, so it will be nice to exercise some muscles that have lied dormant for some time! Three years ago, I made the decision to transition away from a prominent and lucrative sales role to a potentially more fulfilling career as a software engineer. In this blog post I’m going to reflect on that journey including the challenges, triumphs, and opportunities that such a transition brings. It’s been a process not only about acquiring new skills but also adapting my mindset and existing skill set to a new domain.
Understanding the Why: My Motivation for Change
Sales has always been a part of my life. As an immigrant, sales was more a means of survival than career path. My first sale happened at the age of 8 as I was working in my family’s retail clothing store in Los Angeles. I can still recall the pride and rush of adrenaline that came over me as I closed that first deal. Since then, I’ve sharpened my report building, mirroring, communication and negotiation skills through a bachelor’s degree in psychology. For years I was able to parlay those skills into becoming the top performing salesperson and thrived as a team lead for a Fortune 500 fintech organization. So then why give up this career path that I was naturally good at, and that afforded my family and I a comfortable lifestyle?
In 2018 I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. I recall the sleepless nights I spent in the hospital coming to terms with my mortality and reflecting on my life. The thought that haunted me in those moments was how unsatisfied I was with the accomplishments that I had made, and the disconnect I felt with not being directly involved in creating the technology I was selling. I had always harbored a fascination for technology and the impact it has had on my life. That feeling of dissatisfaction festered within me as returned back to work after being discharged and came to a head when my son was born. I realized then that I wanted to be more than a salesperson, but rather contribute my part in shaping the future through tech innovation.
The Transition: Challenges and Triumphs
The decision to switch to tech was far some seamless. The first hurdle I encountered was my own nagging self-doubt. I already had a bachelor’s degree in psychology that never led to anything. Would pursuing another degree lead to the same result? Would I become as disillusioned with this new career as I was with my current one in sales? Was I too old to restart my career path? Could I handle the workload from school and work while being on my cancer medication?
After many months of encouragement from my wife I took the leap and enrolled in the online post-baccalaureate computer science program at OSU. Learning to balance the requirements from work, school, and being a new father was tough. I dedicated nights and weekends to learning multiple languages and development processes. There have been several times where I’ve been up late into the night staring at lines of code rethinking the decision that I’ve made, but the elation that washed over me when I discovered that I was missing the semicolon on line 152 was incomparably rewarding. I learned that my sales background could be a significant asset. Skills like effective communication, empathizing with client needs, and strategic thinking are highly valuable in software engineering.
Conclusion: A Rewarding Transition
Today, as I sit here reflecting on my journey over the past two years, I can say that the juice was worth the squeeze. Although the transition from sales to tech has been one of the more challenging endeavors I’ve taken, it has also proven to be one of the most rewarding experiences in my professional life. As I’m about to graduate, I’m overcome with a mixed bag of emotions ranging from excitement to fear of the unknown. I hope to pass on to my children the value of combining your passion with persistence to accomplish your goals. I’m proud of myself for my resilience against the hurdles I’ve encountered and the grit I’ve showed to my children. Finally, I’ve learned that the tech world is a vast tapestry that offers a place for people from diverse backgrounds. Including those that take non-traditional routes from sales.
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