Changing Careers Should Be Part of Your Plan
When young people attend college or technical school they think they are learning the skills that will help them navigate through their professional lives. But truth be told the average college graduate has 2 and sometimes 3 long professional careers. You might start out as an accountant or financial analyst and move into software development or project management. A clinical researcher may turn to corporate consulting or product engineering after 15-20 years. And when some industries collapse from obsolescence their workers may seek retraining or set out on their own to found new businesses.
Career changes don’t always occur in the middle ranks, however. Some business executives who hit the top of their corporate ladders early in life find themselves in need of new choices after a few years. They may set out to start new companies or launch new initiatives. Ted Waitt, founder of Gateway Computers, for example, eventually left his company and established a capital investment firm and a philanthropic foundation. Waitt is no longer involved in the computer business.
Some entertainers have also changed careers. Sonny Bono became a mayor and later was elected to Congress after having made a fortune as a singer/songwriter, then a television entertainer/actor. Ronald Reagan left film-making to enter politics, rising to become Governor of California and eventually President of the United States. Arnold Schwarzenegger also left film-making to serve as Governor of California for two terms.
One man who changed careers after having served as President of a large company (AMR Travel Services) was Nicholas Bredimus. Bredimus’ career spanned 25 years in the airline and travel industry with an emphasis on IT services. He branched out on his own to found a software firm that provided ticketing technology to airlines. In the course of his second career Nicholas Bredimus occasionally found himself sharing his insights into the airline industry with the news media.
On more than one occasion, concerning airline scheduling and ticketing practices as well as revenue management, Nicholas Bredimus was asked to provide commentary and feedback about the airline industry’s practices.
