What I did before comms found me - a career switch story

Written by Jayme Markus, IABC Victoria Board Member.

Almost nobody in this profession ended up where they thought they would. Jayme started his career as a superannuation advisor, and now he’s the National Communications Manager for MS Australia.

The path into communication is rarely a straight line, and the market right now has a lot of people rethinking theirs. If you're mid-pivot, it helps to see other people have done it and landed well. Here are Jayme’s insights from his career switch

The before

What was your job as a superannuation advisor, in the way you'd explain it at a barbecue?

I helped people set up their super properly for what they wanted in retirement, including how their money was invested, how much they were putting in, and what insurance they had.

What did you think communication people actually did, back when you were on the other side of the fence?

Unlike some professions, communications is fairly well labelled on the tin. I thought communicators wrote content, managed social media, produced publications and organised events. What I didn't appreciate was everything happening behind the scenes. Stakeholder management, approvals, strategy and coordination can often take far longer than the actual writing.

Was there a moment you can point to where you thought "I want to be doing that instead"?

I've always enjoyed writing, and it had been in the back of my mind to do more in the space for a long time. But the moment it really clicked for me that I wanted to work in comms was when I was putting together an advice report for a client and thought, “You know what, I really enjoy shaping the words and images and putting the advice document together more than the numbers side. I think it's time to explore that now.”

The switch

How did you make the move? Did you study, sidestep internally, or just apply and hope?

I started studying my degree online part-time while working full-time in superannuation. Eventually, as it became increasingly clear that communications was what I wanted to do, I reduced my work hours and studied full-time for a short period to finish the degree faster. During that time, I also wrote for a few online sports blogs, which gave me a chance to practise writing for an actual audience about something I already loved.

Seeing my work published regularly was a huge part of building my confidence and improving my writing.

What was the first comms role you landed, and how did you convince someone to take a punt on you?

I had moved to Canberra temporarily and was convinced my first role would be in a large communications team in a government organisation. Instead, it was a real baptism of fire when I became the sole communications officer at a for-purpose organisation.

The organisation's funding relied heavily on the fundraising material I produced, and I had never done that type of work before. I remember reading books, taking courses and learning as quickly as I could. Ironically, I could measure my improvement in the numbers as the donations came in.

My portfolio of university writing, along with the sports blogs and articles I wrote, helped convince them I had the skills they were looking for, even though I was still very early in my communications career.

How long did it take before you stopped feeling like you’d snuck in the back door?

Probably a few years. Around that time I started seeing how individual communications tasks connected to an organisation's broader strategy, which helped me think about the work differently. I had also built up enough experience that a lot of the day-to-day work started to feel second nature.

Transferable skills

What skill from super turned out to be more useful in comms than you expected?

Explaining complex information in a way people can actually understand. Super has a lot of confusing terms and products, and it also crosses into areas like tax, insurance and investments. Making sure someone who might rarely check their account could understand what was happening was a challenge, and a great skill to bring into communications.

Financial services is full of people who have to explain complicated things to nervous audiences. How much of that carried over?

A lot. Because much of my job was over the phone or face-to-face, I got real-time feedback. I could see what landed, what confused people and when I needed to explain something differently.

That experience has stayed front and centre in how I approach communications now. For me, one of the core principles of good communication is making sure the message is received and understood.

What did you have to unlearn?

I had to unlearn the idea that I needed to know everything myself. In super, I was often the subject matter expert. In communications, I’ve learned that my job is often to draw the right information out of the experts and translate it for the audience.

Is there something you understand about audiences that people who came up through comms tend to miss?

Spending so much time directly interacting with the audience helped embed in me that they don’t live your work every day like you do. Your communications need to respect that and make the information accessible to them.

It also taught me to keep putting myself in the audience’s position and asking: what do they actually want to know, what’s in it for them and how do they want to receive that information?

The honest bit

What was the hardest part, and did anything about it surprise you?

The hardest part was taking the first step. I thought about changing careers for years, waiting for the perfect moment. Eventually I realised there wasn't going to be one. What finally got me moving was taking the first step and enrolling in my first communications unit.

Did you take a step back in title or pay to move across? Was it worth it?

I did take a step back in title and pay, but it was more than worth it for me. Communications really is my passion, and I enjoyed the work so much that earning less didn’t feel like a slog.

When it’s work you genuinely want to be doing, the extra learning and taking on new responsibilities can also feel really fulfilling. I think that helped me develop and progress much faster.

What did you lose in the switch that you still miss?

I miss some of the wonderful colleagues I worked with. The super industry is full of smart, generous people and I'm grateful for everything I learned from them.

Final advice

What would you say to someone reading this who's mid-pivot right now and quietly panicking?

If you're doing something you truly want to do, back yourself and give it time. Changing careers can make you feel like you're starting again, but you're not. You bring all the experience, judgement and skills from your previous career with you. And every day, you’re one step closer to it all feeling like second nature.

What's the one thing you'd tell them not to bother worrying about?

Feeling like an imposter. You’re probably more ready than you think, and the confidence catches up with the experience.

Finish this sentence: the path into communication is rarely a straight line, but...

...the detours can be among the most valuable parts of the journey because they often give you skills and perspectives you might not get from the traditional comms path.