Bridging the Gap: Pharma to Design - Leverage Past Experience
/I am making a move from the Pharmaceutical industry to the design/digital design world: Wow, how different could two disciplines be? At first thought, very. And my first thought is a correct and valid assumption in that I am planning to work in a radically different field. With this being said, it was smart and strategic for me to consider the aspects of my past work that I enjoyed and excelled at and to leverage this experience.
There are a couple ways I look at leveraging my experience and skills:
- I enjoy working on projects with teams and solving problems and I have years of experience doing so. Why would I waste these efforts, especially if I enjoy these types of roles? I have worked hard to get the experience and the skills I have now and I do not want to waste that effort and I shouldn’t have to.
- It’s strategic: I made a connection (Project Management) between my past work experience and the field I want to work in. I look at this as a good “in,” a way for me to enter the design field, contribute immediately and have the opportunity to learn and expose myself to new knowledge.
Why would I waste these efforts, especially if I enjoy these types of roles? I have worked hard to get the experience and the skills I have now and I do not want to waste that effort and I shouldn’t have to.
…But only identifying my strengths will not get me to my next exciting career. Although valuable, I have taken my experience from the pharmaceutical industry…I need to supplement that experience with specific “hard knowledge” and actual experience in the discipline I plan to work in.