Changing Careers: Advice From Those Professionals Who Did

Marina Alonzo/Staff Writer

Changing majors and transitioning from career paths is something college students often think about but also struggle with how they should get started.

On Friday, Jan. 29, the Office of Career and Talent Development hosted their virtual panel series: “Job Search for Career Changers” to discuss how to successfully change from one career to another. 

The panelists included professionals in several fields who all stressed the importance of self marketing and networking when considering major life changes. The panelists included 

 Hayden Trepeck, Jenny Patrizia, Raul Morales, and Tony DelaRosa.

Trepeck works in the area of strategic enterprise and government partnerships, he studied accounting for his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida and has a Master of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University.

He stressed the importance of having good relationships with the people you work with. 

“Take those relationships and build upon them, and I think that through everything that was most important,” Trepeck said.

Jenny Patrizia who is the chief executive officer of Ageless Chic Magazine and has a degree in psychology, has had many careers from being a dietician and nutritionist, to working in a marketing firm. 

“I was eager to learn, I was eager to pay attention, but most importantly I was eager to network,” she said. “It’s not what you know, it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you, who has heard of you.”

Patrizia also said that whatever a student majors in,  it can be used in anything they want to do and that it is important for students to market and create a brand for themselves.

According to Patrizia, trying something and finding out you don’t like it isn’t failure, just a need for redirection. 

Another panelist, Tony DelaRosa works as the director of leadership and development and a DEI specialist at Teach For America. During college, they majored in Japanese with the idea of becoming an interpreter.

During the panel, they recommended looking up the Design Thinking Process to be innovative and possibly create a job that’s best for you, saying ““I think this is the age where you can create your dream job.”

DelaRosa also recommended learning as much as you can about the roles you want, and the employers and companies you want to work for, emphasizing that sometimes mindset change is important to changing careers. 

Raul Morales is a store manager at Kohl’s with a degree in Biology. In his career, he said there’s never a boring day and that he loves what he does. Morales recommended taking inventory of skills and involving others around you for support and encouragement.   

“If you’re struggling with trying to figure out what you love, try to figure out if there’s an area you can move into with the skills that you already possess and find a way to love that,” he said. 

At the end of the panel, the panelists recommended certifications outside of your chosen degree since there are so many resources available.

To learn more about events with the Career and Talent Development Office, follow them on Instagram.