THERE is always one or a few things that we are very passionate about, and we spend most of our time studying and practicing. But at some point, the passion dies down, and you wish to take a new path.

Nicole Zaide, 27, has a passion for photography and video editing that began with her college-era street photography interest.

Zaide would travel around Manila with some friends after class or during school breaks to shoot photos, usually of people in the streets. She also began making money with her skills at that time as a freelance events photographer, which lasted two years. 

She began her professional career as a photo and video editor for a local magazine in 2018 and became a freelance assistant photographer after 10 months. She focused again on video editing in 2019, which she still does in her current job at a digital marketing content agency.

Having been stuck with video editing for five years, Zaide told republicasia that she now feels that it’s time for her to get out of her comfort zone. But she admitted that venturing into unfamiliar territory scares her. 

Switching careers

It was in 2022 that the idea of switching careers crossed her mind. She was heartbroken at that time.

Zaide said she initially planned to go overseas to be a photographer but wasn’t able to do so as her focus back then was on her relationship with her partner. Their parting, she said, became her inspiration to transform into a better version of herself.

She wanted to acquire another skill set in addition to her photography and video editing skills.

“Ano pa ba ‘yung pwede kong i-explore habang bata pa tayo? Kung saan ako magfi-fit na career. ‘Yun ‘yung nasa isip ko ha. Ayoko ma-stuck in [a] certain situation, na hindi habang buhay magvi-video editor ka,” she said. 

Her friend, Greis Fernando, came at the right moment. Fernando, who’s currently working as a graphic designer in Dubai, introduced social media management and marketing to Zaide, as these are two of the most in demand freelancing jobs.

“She’s guiding me na, ‘Ito sis, ganito ‘yung mga need mong gawin.’ Ine-explain niya isa-isa. Then sabi ko ita-take seriously ko ‘to,” Zaide said, referring to digital marketing.

Zaide has been taking free online courses that will propel her down the new path she’s planning to take. Taking the first few steps, however, was terrifying for Zaide.

Challenges of career change 

Oftentimes, this new and unfamiliar track leads to self doubt and uncertainty. Of course, it is not always easy to restart, considering the amount of effort and years they invested to be where they are now. 

In Zaide’s case, self doubt creeps in most of the time. Her mind would be filled with questions such as whether or not she could pull it off, if she would be successful, what her strategies would be, and how much she could earn if she went abroad.

But she said that if she let these thoughts consume her, her plan to move forward would be hindered.

“Laging nakakatakot pero lagi ko ring sinasabi [na] kung hindi mo haharapin at tatakbuhan mo lang ‘yung isang opportunity na alam mong mapapabuti ka, walang mangyayari,” she said. 

“Nandoon ako sa point in life na mahirap ‘to sa umpisa, pero ‘pag nakasanayan, uulit-ulitin mo na ‘yung mga nangyayari,” she added.

Digital marketing specialist Shan “Shanty” Sebastian, 28, also felt discouraged when he ventured into the corporate world after seven years in the seminary.

To be a priest was actually Sebastian’s dream, but a family emergency took him to another place. He was forced to ask for dismissal from the seminary when his mom got a mild stroke, causing her to retire early.

Sebastian shared with republicasia that as the oldest child in the family, he felt the need to help them shoulder their living expenses in place of his mom, saying that it would be selfish for him if he continued to be in the seminary knowing that his family was struggling.

Sebastian said he was confident that it would be easy for him to land a corporate job, given his credentials and outstanding performance in the seminary. However, the outside world gave him a different reality.

Armed with his skills in tri-media, particularly in video editing and layout, he gained from the seminary, Sebastian tried his luck in big media organizations, but to no avail.

“For three months, nahirapan ako maghanap. Parang wala akong ma-land na trabaho. I even applied to call centers na kasi sabi ko kahit ayoko ng call center, I tried applying na kasi parang hopeless case ako, na sabi ko wala akong ma-applyan,” he said.

“Sabi ko, ‘Hala parang hindi pala ako magaling kasi hindi ako natatanggap.’ And then dumating yung point na send na lang ako nang send ng whatever proposal,” he added. 

Sebastian eventually landed a job as a medical representative in the pharmaceutical industry, where he stayed for five years. 

He resigned in 2022 to do freelance jobs such as digital marketing strategist, where he helps developers and project founders market their projects. He is also a copywriter and podcast producer. 

Sebastian started freelancing as a video editor and graphic design artist in 2020, at the height of the pandemic.

He joined a community that supported him when he transitioned to freelancing. The community has paid and free memberships for those who want to join. For the paid membership, members can access different courses and workshops and have mentors who will teach them how to build their profile from scratch. Their free membership, meanwhile, can be accessed through Facebook, where members have the chance to learn from freelancing experts as they share their stories and answer questions through Ask Me Anything (AMA).

Sebastian said he is now one of the mentors in the community.

“There [are] a lot of things to learn sa digital marketing. Ako, I enrolled in different courses. I paid for mentors, coaches na magtuturo sa’kin on how I would be able to find clients, fulfill my client tasks or deliverables ko, paano ba ko magma-marketing digitally, how will I put myself out there and build my own business. Since self-employed ako, business pa rin siya,” Sebastian said.

There are still challenges in shifting to the digital marketing industry, even though he is already equipped with the mentorship he paid for. Since he is self-employed, the challenge now for Sebastian is to sustain himself.

“You need to work for yourself,” he said, adding, “You don’t have any accountability to anyone but to your clients.”

No regrets

Despite the challenges, Sebastian said he was happy with the decision he made. He noticed how it brought positive changes to his life. 

Freelancing, he said, gave him the opportunity to spend more time with his family, become a better version of himself by having diverse skill sets, have a higher earning potential, and experience personal growth and development.

“Ngayong nasa freelancing ka, you’re in the digital marketing industry, and you’re working from home, you get more time to build yourself, kasi mas marami kang taong nakikilala [sa] iba’t-ibang industry. May mga ka-teammates ka na nakaka-collaborat[e] mo with other projects,” Sebastian said.

His current work also gave him the opportunity to pursue one of his passions, which is to mentor and help others.

How to manage challenges

Obstacles will always come our way, regardless of the path we’re taking or how familiar we are with it. How we would deal with it depends on us, and certified life and career coach Aurora Suarez has a few tips to share.

“Embrace [your] status as a beginner” will always be her advice for people undergoing job transitions.

Suarez shared with republicasia that she would remind her clients that it is okay to ask questions in their new jobs, particularly in their first few months. Asking questions would help them become familiar with the things they do not yet know about the company.

During this learning process, Suarez said it is important for them to be patient with themselves and not put too much pressure on themselves just to prove themselves. 

Failures are an inevitable part of this transition, but Suarez said that these would actually help them grow and learn. So remember to take just one step at a time.

It is also advisable to let the people around them know that they are new to work and that they might need a little help from them. This is also where they can check what their bosses and clients expect from them.

She also encouraged them to share their insights that could be helpful in fulfilling their tasks. 

“You can also remember that there’s value in your fresh eyes. You might see opportunities that people who have been working there for so long might not be able to spot,” Suarez said.

How to prepare for career change

Since it is a new career path that they will take, people have to consider that not everything they learned from their past jobs will be applied to their new jobs.

Adjusting their mindset is the first preparation step that Suarez would recommend.

“Put on your learner hat and enjoy the process of discovering new things and letting this experience fire up the forgotten portions of your brain,” she said.

Some individuals might also experience impostor syndrome along the way. Impostor syndrome is when a person feels that they do not deserve their success or achievement, despite working hard for it.

In case they doubt themselves, Suarez said listing down their past wins—such as overcoming difficulties, figuring out how to make something work, and succeeding in doing something new to them—can be of help.

Lastly, the life and career coach said that they should assess their new career path against the one that they veered away from.

“Ask: Is this still better than what I had left behind? Getting to yes might take a while (because of the learning curve), but give yourself a few months and then do another check-in,” she said.

If you are planning to switch careers, you might want to ask yourself first about the driving force behind doing so.

There could be two possible reasons for job transitions, Suarez said. First, perhaps they are trying to avoid challenges or their coworkers. Second, they simply want to expand their horizons.

If it’s the first one, Suarez reminded them that these challenges exist for us to face and not run away from. Sure, it will be hard, but this is where we learn.

“If you haven’t done anything to address these challenges yet, they will follow you wherever you go,” she said.

If the career change is for professional growth, Suarez said they should feel confident about their decision. They have to believe that they are doing the right thing.

“If you are scared, there’s a quote that I read on Instagram (and I am paraphrasing): How do you know that where you are is better than where you’re going?” Suarez shared, leaving the question for people to ponder on.