Move On & Move Up

story and photo by Jessica Curbelo

The possibilities keep you up at night. Questions pile up, each clamoring for attention: Are you happy with your job? Is this what you’re meant to be doing? What if you tried something new?

Would you be able to make the change? Would it set you back? Would money be tight? Would you be happy?

Should you take the leap and change your job?

Making a career change may feel daunting and lonely, but there are more people on the same ride than you might think. A 2016 LinkedIn study estimated that people who graduated between 2006 and 2010 averaged about three jobs in the first five years post-graduation. Various articles on the subject suggest the average person will have up to seven career changes in their lifetime. While the data isn’t always detailed and there is a major difference between simply changing jobs within an industry and jumping into an entirely new industry, the overabundance of articles, self-help books and studies show it’s not an uncommon practice.

In fact, there are plenty of well-known celebrities who have made a career change or two in their lifetime. Let’s not forget Arnold Scharwzenegger took a break from acting to pursue political office. Who could’ve predicted the Hollywood star would set his sights on becoming the governor of California? Jessica Alba, Harrison Ford, Martha Stewart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Oprah Winfrey are only among a few more names people may recognize. It’s easy to forget that all of these people started somewhere else before working in the industry they’re in now. It’s hard to realize that you could do what they did.

You can absolutely, 100% and without a doubt, change your career — if you want to.

Celebrity stories may feel too out of reach, so let’s bring it a little closer to home with Irving Publications. The local magazine company based in Alachua County just celebrated its 10th anniversary and has enjoyed success with its two titles: Giggle Magazine and Wellness 360. But can you guess what the company’s co-founder and sales director, Shane Irving, was doing 10 years ago? Hint: It wasn’t magazines.

If you guessed running McAlister’s Deli restaurants, then that is one lucky guess.

Irving started off as an assistant manager at the Archer Road location back in 1999. By the time he launched Irving Publications in 2008 with his wife, Nicole Irving, he was in charge of seven stores spanning from the Alabama-Florida border down to Tampa. Irving continued working both jobs for about five years before finally leaving McAlister’s Deli to focus on the magazines.

“It’s night and day,” Irving said. “They’re two totally different jobs. One of the biggest things that made me go in one direction versus the other is ownership. If I was given the opportunity to own the restaurants, I probably would still be at the restaurant, but that opportunity wasn’t there for me, so I wanted something of our own, something that we could build and potentially leave to our kids or retire from. I’m an entrepreneur at heart.”

It was a scary move. When they launched Irving Publications, Shane and Nicole Irving had three small sons at home, aged 1, 4 and 5. Giggle Magazine was for parents just like them who needed a little help but couldn’t find good resources in Gainesville. Indeed, an online job board, suggests researching available jobs to figure out what the pay is like, what opportunities exist and what the next steps may be toward jumping into a new industry. If you want to start your own business, look at what already exists in the market.

“It was an overnight success,” he said. “It was exactly what young parents were looking for.” What’s worked, and what hasn’t? What sets your business apart?

But overnight success or not, leaving McAlister’s Deli wasn’t a light decision. It meant leaving behind a steady income and insurance, not knowing if the magazine would be enough to support the family of five. If you’ve jumped the gun, don’t worry. It’s not too late to do some research, and in some cases, going in blind can be helpful.

Ten years later, here’s some advice Irving and others have for people taking the same leap of faith and switching careers: FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT What can you do that would make you happy to get out of bed? It’s one of the first questions all of those articles on career changes ask, and it’s the first step in making a change in your own life.

“We didn’t even realize that there were other magazines in the area. Once we launched our magazine, we come to find out there is probably about 20 magazines at the time, which was crazy,” Irving said. “We always say that being You can absolutely, 100% naive was something that was to our advantage because if we knew how and without a doubt, difficult something was, if we knew how challenging something was, if we knew how much work something change your career was, we would probably be more apprehensive to do the hard thing —if you want to. instead of going the easier route.” ASK FOR HELP AND NETWORK To Irving, it’s not about choosing your friends wisely. It’s about choosing your mentors wisely. “The biggest thing in life and in business is that you don’t go it alone,” he said. “You need to ask for help, and try to talk with as many people about business as you can.”

“You have to be passionate about what you do,” Irving said. “If you think that you’re just going to do something and then change your mind in a couple of years, that could be catastrophic for you. When you have a mortgage, car payments and kids that are hungry, you can’t just be gambling on what you’re doing. You definitely have to be sure about it and be driven toward your goal.”

Making a major career change is a hard adjustment, and there are cons to it just as there are with any decision. It’s the passion that’ll keep you going. Consider everything you love, and brainstorm how you can get involved in those fields despite perceived limitations. Do you love the music industry but can’t make music yourself? You still need agents, social media managers, event planners, etc. Do you love books but don’t think you’re great with grammar or writing? Consider working in acquisitions or marketing or represent authors instead.

Just make sure to do a little research.

RESEARCH THE NEW INDUSTRY

Shane and Nicole Irving didn’t know a thing about magazines when they started. They just had an idea. “What do you do?” Shane Irving asked. “You Google stuff. You start asking people. You start finding resources, and you pull things together.” Take advantage of the networks you have, both in-person and through online resources such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Talk to people who have made career changes too. Ask people about their jobs, and see if it would be a good fit for you. Sometimes, they can even point you toward opportunities you didn’t know existed.

A career change can be scary and uncertain. But there are resources out there to help, and there are plenty of people willing to lend you a hand, offering helpful advice. If you want it, you can do it.

“What I always say is that if you’re driven and passionate and you have the ability to do it, then do it,” Irving said. “What I think now is why didn’t I do it earlier? Why did I wait so long? Fifteen years of me working at that particular business, and then you leave that business, and you really don’t have anything to show for those 15 years. You move on. Right now, I’ve moved on to building a legacy for whatever is down the road, whether it’s for my kids or for something that we’ve created and we’re going to sell. For me, that’s really powerful.” O&B