How to switch to a completely different industry (management for video production)
I got a great email from someone… his email is in bold and my reply is not in bold:
I’ve been in ___ management for a few years now and that’s what I have on my resume, but it would be nice to turn my hobby and first love of video production, editing and graphics into a source of income.
Super… Great transition! It’s good to know what you want to do and dedicate yourself to it if it can support your lifestyle.
The problem is that NO ONE will simply hire me for this without a competitive resume with many years of experience.
I think video production, editing, and graphics are specialized enough for me to hire three different people for each of them. I’m not sure if the “resume” will get you to the concert, because first you need to get to the right interview. As for the “years of experience”, above you say that this is your passion and first love, so I wonder what other projects you have been doing. Maybe no commercial projects, but if you’ve been doing projects that could be everything, I have to bet it with you…
I wonder if you focus on one or two of the three things you mention instead of all three. For example, bring a graphic that will complement you. If you connect sufficiently and well with these specialists, maybe they will lead you to video projects…?
Replacing your last job is quite difficult, but a career change requiring a range of skills (which you can have without experience) is almost impossible.
We talked about this during Bolles Ask The Expert call. It’s certainly not easy, but you can handle it. How do you position yourself? In general, my simple thoughts are to find out and talk about your “transferable skills”. You may need to download from time off the graphics and video products you have made. BUT, what if you put together a couple of suppliers that you can use and then focus on product/project management of the project, as well as sales and marketing? Get some great commercial projects and that should lead to more.
Watch Dick’s interview again. I don’t remember when we talked about it, but his answer made me uneasy.
The ONLY option I can foresee is to become independent and adopt a very aggressive marketing and networking campaign to get the business off the ground.
The “very aggressive marketing and networking campaign” you would do to kick-start your business is practically the same as you should do when looking for a job.
When looking for a job seven years ago, I had to make a decision. I spend time working on a “job” that someone could take away from me again, or I spend time working on long-term financial independence, what do I do? I decided to shift gears, work as hard as I was when looking for a job, and took a gamble.
What I would recommend to you is to build a portfolio of projects. Make something for yourself or beg and persuade friends in businesses to do things for them. As your portfolio grows, it will be easier for people to know you, think about you, and choose you for their projects.