10 months ago, I took an impromptu decision to quit my glamorous job as a Global HR Partner to take up a role in a consulting company. A mixed role as a Social Media Expert, Business Manager and HR Consultant. Little did I know that It would be life changing!
I was very fortunate to have built my career at HP. I was given tremendous opportunities to learn & grow as an individual and a professional. At the time of leaving I was HR Business Partner supporting a 7,000+ Global organization and a key player in the global HR team. I am proud of my contributions which created business impact in areas such as Talent Acquisition, Talent Management and Employee engagement. Many people would consider my last job at HP a dream job.
As good and cool as the role was, I couldn’t ignore a very real emotion: I had a fun and creative role itch I needed to scratch.
But could I handle the risk? Did I have what it takes to walk the unproven path and succeed? Well! I wouldn’t know until I tried. So I took it up. (After all I am the kind who believes in unicorns!)
Here are 5 major changes I experienced after I transitioned from my corporate job to a startup.
01. Ownership & Freedom
You need to rely on your superpowers. You can’t hide behind others, agencies or huge budgets. Success comes down to one element: You!
I have the freedom to create, to experiment and am not constrained by global rules and policies, it’s amazing how you can combine your passion with work.Like how I use my travel pics for creating social media posts at upgrade! Design social media posts for the company, explore various tools used for posting and analytics on social media. Check out these posts on linkedin.com/upgradehr https://www.facebook.com/upgradehr/
Since I create everything from scratch, the ownership and the satisfaction of having created something all by myself is something that fuels me.
02. Shorter Commute, but I still reach home late. Coz there is so much I want to do!
When you work at a big company things move slower. Even the best ideas need corporate alignment and internal reviews with stakeholders before moving ahead. This can be tiring and you feel stifled.
Working at a startup allowed me to try on different hats, even that weird one that I thought I would never like, but found that I did. Looking back on the past few months that I’ve worked at Upgrade, the sheer variety of tasks that I’ve been exposed to – from setting up & managing a high performing team, client handling to mentoring interns – and the impact it has had on building a business from zero base is satisfying.
03. Committed to Success
Forget endless meetings. Get things done and start making impact from day 1. Every moment counts. Every day, hour and minute is material to the success of the business. You don’t have time for endless meetings. There is no time for piles of emails where stakeholders weigh in with their two cents. If you are at a startup with a really great culture you are there to do your job, do it well and do it fast. (unless you own a time turner machine!)
04. Follow my passion
No matter how rewarding your full-time job may be, there’s one thing that’s even more meaningful than great pay and solid benefits: working on your passion.
I’ve been able to travel extensively with family and friends, close to a dozen trips this past year to quench my thirst to explore new locations and food.
My distress therapy is creative art. Whether its painting or craft – the joy of creating something new and colorful from scratch is unmatchable. The shorter commute time and no conference (global late night) calls gives me time for art every week and I was able to set up my etsy account finally!
05. Networking opportunity
Networking is something many of us fear, but it’s invaluable for making contacts and creating opportunities in the world of work. My networking at work previously was limited within the organization or limited to few HR conferences/trainings I was funded to attend.At Upgrade I also manage client accounts for Talent/HR Consulting/Social Media business – which allows me to meet different HR and business leaders giving me an opportunity to represent Upgrade and establish credibility.
As I look back on the last 300 days, can I say with confidence that the risk and move from corporate life to startup world was the right thing for me to do. Yes!
Follow us on linkedin.com/upgradehr for more on such topics and our views on some of the employment trends!
What are your thoughts on career change and following your passion? Do share your opinion or story with us.