From managing events to championing the environment
Having outgrown her career in events management, Maddie took a leap of faith and landed an eco-friendly job she loves.
What sparked your career change?
Two things.
Ten years into my career in events management (my dream job since I was fifteen), I was unfulfilled and super stressed.
Every day I struggled to see what I was working towards. I'd changed a lot in those ten years and events management no longer resonated with me.
Then there was my growing awareness of just how far-gone climate change is and my yearning to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
Finally, this values mismatch pushed me to switch. I couldn't reconcile investing my skills and energy in events that only lasted one day, with my need to help address our environmental emergencies.
What work were you doing previously?
I was a corporate events manager. I kept switching companies (3) and roles (4) to find a place that made sense. But I just wasn't finding myself anywhere!
Although I kept my job during the pandemic in 2020, I was rapidly falling out of love with it.
What are you doing now?
I'm working in an entry-level role for a business that helps other companies become more energy efficient. I'm also working on a side project to start my own eco-fashion business.
Why did you change?
I couldn't find satisfactory answers to the questions rolling around in my head.
As a real-time and particularly as a virtual events manager - Who was I benefiting? Did I believe in what I was offering? Which aspects of my day-to-day work life were positively impacting me personally or professionally? Was my role sitting well with my values and my identity? Do I feel like I am good at this? Do I even care about events?
I was always disappointed with the answers, so I knew I needed to change.
What process did you go through to decide to change?
I had a long and tearful talk with my family about how unhappy I was. We all thought it was a good time for me to change careers. I'm so thankful for my family's support which helped me keep going during the transition.
I started thinking about potential careers and came up with a few ideas.
However, everything felt a little out of reach. It seemed as if I'd need a whole new degree or significantly more experience.
I knew what I liked doing - processes and improvement and project management. I wanted to transition to a fulfilling career in an industry that needed some of my current skills. But I wasn't sure if that career even existed.
Most importantly, I wanted to make a difference for the environment.
Then, hello crisis of confidence and a whole lot of fear. Because…
'Who the heck was going to pay me to help save the planet?’ Aren't environment jobs really hard to get, and wouldn't I need a Master of Environmental Science?'
I don't want to study again, at least not yet! Maybe I HAVE to study again if I want to make a career change into ANYTHING?’
How did you go about making the shift?
I wanted to change. But I wasn't sure which opportunities were available or where and how to find them.
If I was going to change careers, I wanted to do it right. I didn't find myself wanting another change a few years down the track.
What help did you get?
My family helped me to research a couple of career change coaches.
I was drawn to Jo's focus on supporting people to transition into careers that help others or the environment. Jo listened, and she told me that it sounded like I was making the right choice. Feeling empowered after our initial chat, I gave my notice later that day.
Jo was the biggest help and guide throughout my career change. The exploratory exercises helped me identify my skills and what I most enjoy doing. The specific shift projects and networking exercises helped me test new paths to find out what could work for me and what wouldn't.
She helped me stay open to possibility and opportunity and to follow what I wanted, not what I thought I 'should' want. Jo made sure I was pursuing happiness + realism and not the other way around.
She also pushed me. And as a result, I made a successful career change in a relatively short time.
What was the hardest part of changing careers?
At first, I had a lot of tricky questions. I wondered if I'd made the right decision to leave events management. My head was telling me that it was better to be unhappily employed than unemployed.
I got over this with encouragement from family, friends, and Jo.
I also found the end of the process difficult. I'd come to a fork in the road where I needed to choose between two different careers. Jo helped me work out which boxes I needed to tick to make a confident decision. I chose the career that ticked all my boxes, so I knew I made the right choice.
In the end, I made it to where I wanted to be.
What have you learned in the process?
Professionally, I realised that I bring loads of transferrable skills and a great attitude to any workplace. I learned that having a successful career doesn't mean being a total stress head who sacrifices her work-life balance.
In my new role, I've discovered the joy of using my strengths every day and feeling like I'm achieving things that are bigger than me.
In and outside of work, I've got back in touch with my creative side and realised how important that is to me.
I also learned that strangers aren't as scary as you think they are!
There were also a couple of unexpected benefits.
I'm open to doing new and crazy things that I wouldn't have dreamed of doing a year ago. I'm having better and deeper conversations with new people and strengthening existing relationships.
To find a new career, I had to re-evaluate what was important in my life. Jo makes sure you consider this before you take the leap. Re-evaluating what I wanted at work has helped me figure out what I want from every other area of my life.
Friends have noticed a huge change in how much happier I am compared to a year ago. If I'm having a positive impact on the people I care about most, I've definitely done something right. 😊
Are you happy with the change?
I landed myself in a job where I couldn't be happier. I'm satisfying my core values. I love my colleagues and our small organisation. While I'm still a newbie, I'm bringing my strengths to the role, including creativity and a love of process. I know I'm in the right place. I'm achieving everything I hoped for at the start of the career change. I'm making a difference to the environment, and I'm happy.
What do you miss and what don't you miss?
I don't miss anything about my old role, which means that the new role is so right for me!
What do you enjoy most about your new career?
I love working with all the like-minded people who are there because they know they're helping the environment. There's a really positive feeling in our office and zero internal politics. Nobody complains about how stressed they are or how much work they're carrying. It's a great work environment. Plus, we get to wear JEANS to the office every day! <3
What do you wish you'd done differently?
I leapt out of my industry to fully focus on changing careers as quickly as possible. In hindsight, I wish I'd taken things a bit slower. It might have been easier to start with a more open headspace if I'd set myself up to make the change.
Jo helped me through these tough moments when I was questioning my decision-making.
On the other hand, quitting my job gave me loads of time to network as hard as I could. Ultimately, this is what got me my lovely new role.
What 3 tips would you give others in the same situation?
Don't do it alone. Bring as many people as you can along for the journey. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without all my networks (friends, family, and LinkedIn)
LinkedIn is a GODSEND. Connect with as many people as you can – you'll be surprised by how many strangers want to help you when you're genuinely curious about what they do.
You're going to have ups and downs. Just keep DOING. Doing is almost always better than thinking when you're changing careers.
Good luck, my possums. You'll be great. Maddie
By Jo Green, Career Change Coach
I know that when you find what you love, heart and soul, your life changes. I work every day with people who are reshaping their current careers, starting new enterprises or searching for a new direction. Basically I help people who don’t like their job to figure out what to do instead!
As a Careershifters and Firework Advanced Certified Coach and experienced career changer myself, I can help you figure out what fulfilling work looks like for you.
