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Advice / Career Paths / Exploring Careers

9 Career Change Stories That'll Inspire You to Take the Leap

woman working courtesy Compassionate Eye Foundation/Ezra Bailey/Getty Images

When you’re considering changing careers, it’s helpful (not to mention inspiring) to see how others navigated those scary first steps, before starting down that path yourself.

These stories give you potential roadmaps to follow—successes and failures included—so that you can see possible routes for your own future.

From the nitty-gritty, like financial planning, to the bigger picture, such as adopting the mindset required to make such a gigantic move, these stories promise to provide the insight and motivation you need now.


You’re never too old to switch paths—this former Macy’s store manager took an entry-level job in publishing to start her writing career.


You never know when you’ll catch a break: A chance encounter led this fast-food worker to an entirely new industry.


From managing numbers, to working with people, this is the true story of a young woman who went from working at JPMorgan Chase to The Muse.


When this former teacher realized that coding equaled problem-solving, she was hooked and figured out how to make her new career a reality.


Another teacher-to-tech career change, this person’s route led him to business school, and then onto a thriving marketing career.


This is the story of two career changes: paralegal to communications, and them from communications to engineering—because sometimes it takes time to figure out what you’re meant to be doing.

Here’s the story behind a golf-tournament director turned account manager; very often the non-linear path is the most rewarding.


Quitting isn’t your only option when it comes to finding a role you love: Transferring to a position in a different department is totally possible.


Leaving a doctorate program to move in with her parents proved to be a hard, but worthwhile decision when this woman sought to forge a new path as a marketing assistant.