Path to a Career Change (PART 3)

For the newcomers, here is the Part 1 and Part 2

Hey everyone, this is Hande, again. In this part, I'll be wrapping the path of my career change. Thank you for sticking with me all the way!

Moving to Sweden, One Hopeful Interview 

I moved to Stockholm in July. There was always an idea in my mind that what if I can find a job as a civil engineer. This could change my thoughts and maybe I’ll like to be a civil engineer. Maybe when I start to work, I’ll like my career and maybe the problem was about studying all along.

You can see, the issue is when you spend so many years on something, you still want to do something that  makes it worth it at the end, desperately sometimes. So, with all of my thoughts in my head, I started to seek a junior civil engineer position in Stockholm. After all, I wouldn’t be at peace with myself if I hadn't tried.

Without speaking the local language, there was not much of a chance to even get an interview on civil engineer roles. After applying a lot of possible job openings with spontaneous applications there was one consulting company which called me suddenly. The call immediately increased my hopes of course and I went to the interview very willingly. 

Interview went really well. The recruiter gave me the idea that the job is mine. He spoke so positively that I started to plan what I will do when I get my first paycheck etc. Even when we talked after the interview, he was still saying that the interview was very good and positive.

After waiting approximately two weeks, I called the recruiter and had the most common answer in the business world: “We continue with a more experienced and Swedish speaker candidate but thank you.” 

Of course, if you are living in a foreign country, you need to be able to speak their language but I believe speaking at a full professional proficiency level takes a long time. I’m sure it takes even longer for someone who's not so willing to work in her profession. 

It is disappointing when you are rejected for a job opening I know but there were many other companies that I have never ever heard of which I applied for. It was a good experience for me and even having a chance for an interview made me feel great. 

I understood that with this little interview experience that I need to do something different than civil engineering but if I never tried there would always be a question starting with what if. My conscience is clear. I always wanted to work abroad, especially Europe but it was impossible with the current title of mine. 

Starting a New Career: Digital Marketing Specialist

At the beginning, there wasn’t any specific profession in my mind. One thing I cared about in my future profession is that it should be language proof which means that it should be independent from location as possible as it can be for me to be able to work in different countries.

During the pandemic, almost every business sector struggled with the quarantine and limitations and with the decrease in human interaction, everything became even more online. I realised that I wanted to do something related with online presences and technology. 

While I was searching for the possible future career candidates, I saw the digital marketing field. I liked to give a shot by starting free courses on Google Digital Garage first. When I saw that I was enjoying the courses, I decided to become a digital marketing specialist. 

I like this profession a lot because to me it is a combination of technology, data analytics and creativity. There is a room for every aspect that I like.

I’m planning to talk about my learning experiences and the courses I took in another blog post definitely because this one is way longer than I expected. 

Many Thanks to My Family and My Husband

I want to thank my family for always having faith in me and their unlimited patience while I was studying. Whenever the school was unbearable they were there to support me with no question asked.

I want to thank my husband. He was with me in every application and rejection mail. He was the one big motivation fuel for me to graduate and stood by me all along the way. I don’t know what I would do without him. I love you darling. 

I couldn’t have done this without my loved ones' infinite love and support. I’m very aware that I’m incredibly lucky. 

Finally Finishing

I tried to explain my experiences. I hope this article is somehow useful for somebody. I wasn’t planning to write this long to be honest. Thank you for reading all the way. I hope to see you in another, preferably shorter, blogpost. 

Stay safe!