In 2023 I Completed My First Full Year as a Well-Paid Technical Writer: Three Lessons On Pivoting as a Gen-X er

When I quit pursuing veterinary medicine in 2020 already over the age of 40, I pivoted into technical writing.

I knew I wanted to "get into tech", but I wasn't "techie". The pivoting experience felt like a maze—mentally and emotionally.

3 years later, I just got the officer title of Assistant Vice President, after one full year of leveraging my skills. The journey was tough, and it's just the beginning.

Here’s what those difficult years taught me about pivoting:

Lesson 1: Leverage Skills You Already Have

I used to be a serial investor in personal development courses, aiming to learn new skills.

Despite not seeing the investment pay off in the real world.

The only difference between then and now is I focus on sharpening existing skills to maximize value, rather than focusing on learning new skills.

Lesson 2: Pivot Often if Necessary

For the first couple of years, I accepted contract roles earning $21/hr, then $26/hr, then $34/hr and so on.

Since then, I’ve more than doubled my salary. But can I tell you something? Those first two years mean a lot to me. They solidified and reinforced my belief that what I accomplished was real.

I learned early on that mini-pivots within my filed were necessary to improve my chances of demonstrating my value to more organizations, to in turn be rewarded with greater pay.

Lesson 3: Release Beliefs That Don't Serve You

I used to be very insecure about not being the veterinarian that I dedicated two decades of my life toward pursuing.

I didn't believe that I could ever experience the quality of life I wanted because of it. It took me a long time to stop my insecurities from holding me back.

A big part of success is going in a different direction.

Remember: If it were easy, everyone would do it.