Need career ideas for techie/creative type transitioning out of banking
October 18, 2018 2:49 PM Subscribe
My husband has worked in the banking industry for 12+ years, mostly as a small business loan underwriter. He's looking for a career change out of banking entirely, into a job where he can be at least somewhat creative, and work around people. He's in need of ideas.
After many years, my husband was bored of underwriting, and he wasn't interested in trying to advance to the natural next role up (credit manager). He's very charismatic and likeable, and many people advised him that his people skills were being wasted in underwriting and he should go into sales. So in the last couple of years he got his broker's license and transitioned to a gig as a commercial loan broker. But it hasn't been a good fit - he doesn't like the sleazier aspects of sales, and is more interested in helping people than selling to him. He's also burned out on banking, and so wants to make an even more drastic change. He needs advice for what kind of job would be a good fit.
Some more background about him:
-He has a bachelor's degree in business admin, but he's also an audodidact - he's a super fast learner and can teach himself pretty much anything he's interested in
-He knows his way around computers. He was an independent IT consultant in college, and figured out how to manage a network with a server for a medical office while on the job.
-He's also a creative type, and leans hard into his hobbies - he plays several instruments, and is also really into cinematography/video editing
-He's an excellent trouble-shooter and is great at fixing stuff, such as cars
-He's really sociable and outgoing, and has great people skills
Because he's interested in so many things, he's having a hard type narrowing down what he'd like in a career. But ideally it would include the following:
-He likes the idea of working with a team of people, trying to pursue a common goal
-He may like a job that involves helping people, or solving problems
-He is NOT interested in sales
-He would like to work in technology
-Ideally he'd like the opportunity to be at least somewhat creative in the job
-He's fine with starting in an entry-level type role, and working his way up
My first instinct is that he should pursue a job in IT, since he's a techie and so good at problem-solving. He's open to that, but would like to know what sort of certifications he could get to make himself more employable. But the recommendations don't have to be limited to IT - any and all ideas are welcome.
After many years, my husband was bored of underwriting, and he wasn't interested in trying to advance to the natural next role up (credit manager). He's very charismatic and likeable, and many people advised him that his people skills were being wasted in underwriting and he should go into sales. So in the last couple of years he got his broker's license and transitioned to a gig as a commercial loan broker. But it hasn't been a good fit - he doesn't like the sleazier aspects of sales, and is more interested in helping people than selling to him. He's also burned out on banking, and so wants to make an even more drastic change. He needs advice for what kind of job would be a good fit.
Some more background about him:
-He has a bachelor's degree in business admin, but he's also an audodidact - he's a super fast learner and can teach himself pretty much anything he's interested in
-He knows his way around computers. He was an independent IT consultant in college, and figured out how to manage a network with a server for a medical office while on the job.
-He's also a creative type, and leans hard into his hobbies - he plays several instruments, and is also really into cinematography/video editing
-He's an excellent trouble-shooter and is great at fixing stuff, such as cars
-He's really sociable and outgoing, and has great people skills
Because he's interested in so many things, he's having a hard type narrowing down what he'd like in a career. But ideally it would include the following:
-He likes the idea of working with a team of people, trying to pursue a common goal
-He may like a job that involves helping people, or solving problems
-He is NOT interested in sales
-He would like to work in technology
-Ideally he'd like the opportunity to be at least somewhat creative in the job
-He's fine with starting in an entry-level type role, and working his way up
My first instinct is that he should pursue a job in IT, since he's a techie and so good at problem-solving. He's open to that, but would like to know what sort of certifications he could get to make himself more employable. But the recommendations don't have to be limited to IT - any and all ideas are welcome.
Yeah, I would also suggest something like CFO or comptroller of a small company. Maybe a startup, but maybe just a ... not-very-big local company. This would use his financial skills, but would definitely incorporate him into a smaller team who share a common set of goals. If the company is small enough, he may even be able to take on several other internal roles, including ones related to technology. For instance, I've encountered several startups who have the CFO handle their patent lawsuits (god knows why, but anyway).
If the company is small enough, he may be able to quickly achieve some schedule flexibility so that he has time outside of work for passion projects such as music. And/or, if he really wants to work at an organization dedicated to helping people, choose a non-profit instead of a startup.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 4:24 PM on October 18, 2018
If the company is small enough, he may be able to quickly achieve some schedule flexibility so that he has time outside of work for passion projects such as music. And/or, if he really wants to work at an organization dedicated to helping people, choose a non-profit instead of a startup.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 4:24 PM on October 18, 2018
He says he's not interested in sales, but hear me out. I'm constitutionally anti-sales-and-marketing myself, but I work closely with a lot of sales types and I'm coming around to the idea that when the product is genuinely a good one and the deal is genuinely good for the customer, it can be pretty OK.
He sounds like a lot of the Solar Design Specialists (i.e. salespeople) at my mid-sized regional solar company. They employ a mix of technical (designing systems), financial (helping people navigate incentives and financing), and social (selling it) skills in their work. A lot of them came from big national companies where they say things are much less fun.
They divide their time between the office and the road, so they get to hang out with their coworkers but aren't stuck in a cube all day every day. They largely set their own schedules. From what I can tell, they seem to do well enough financially.
From the outside, I'd say commercial sales looks like the most fun. They get a bigger budget for schmoozing, and they sell more dollars' worth of work which presumably translates to larger commissions.
Solar helps people and it's good for the planet. Selling solar can be thought of as part of the civilizational project to get off of fossil fuels and put a stop to climate change. It also democratizes power generation, which I think is pretty transformative. And on an individual level, many of my company's customers (not all; we get rich folks too) could clearly use some relief from their utility bills, and we can help them get that.
Just, you know, putting it out there.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:28 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
He sounds like a lot of the Solar Design Specialists (i.e. salespeople) at my mid-sized regional solar company. They employ a mix of technical (designing systems), financial (helping people navigate incentives and financing), and social (selling it) skills in their work. A lot of them came from big national companies where they say things are much less fun.
They divide their time between the office and the road, so they get to hang out with their coworkers but aren't stuck in a cube all day every day. They largely set their own schedules. From what I can tell, they seem to do well enough financially.
From the outside, I'd say commercial sales looks like the most fun. They get a bigger budget for schmoozing, and they sell more dollars' worth of work which presumably translates to larger commissions.
Solar helps people and it's good for the planet. Selling solar can be thought of as part of the civilizational project to get off of fossil fuels and put a stop to climate change. It also democratizes power generation, which I think is pretty transformative. And on an individual level, many of my company's customers (not all; we get rich folks too) could clearly use some relief from their utility bills, and we can help them get that.
Just, you know, putting it out there.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:28 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
If he wants to go seriously down the IT path and take some time to retrain, he might be interested in solutions engineering/architecture. It’s a client-facing engineering role where you help clients figure out how to make the most of the technology being sold or integrate your product into their systems.
It still has a sales component, but I’ve known a lot of extroverted engineers who like to travel who have really enjoyed that sort of work and would never have been interested in a “pure sales” job.
posted by asphericalcow at 6:42 PM on October 18, 2018
It still has a sales component, but I’ve known a lot of extroverted engineers who like to travel who have really enjoyed that sort of work and would never have been interested in a “pure sales” job.
posted by asphericalcow at 6:42 PM on October 18, 2018
This will only apply in large cities with insurance HQ, but there are often training manager positions for insurance companies. May need some instructional design or education courses but is often a second career and subject matter knowledge in insurance while not required could help him get in the door as a new person in the field.
posted by typecloud at 7:31 AM on October 19, 2018
posted by typecloud at 7:31 AM on October 19, 2018
Note: reads insurance, also applies for banks/finance and loans, eg compliance training
posted by typecloud at 7:36 AM on October 19, 2018
posted by typecloud at 7:36 AM on October 19, 2018
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posted by politikitty at 3:42 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]