7 Well Known Career Changers

In the world of work today, it can sometimes feel like everyone is on track except for you. However, this impression is simply not true. In fact, many people make a career transition at some point in their life, and some of these career changers are pretty prominent in popular culture. Here are seven well known career changers who started their professional lives in different fields than where they ended up:

1. Walt Disney. The creator of the giant entertainment company started his career as a newspaper editor—apparently a really bad one. He was fired because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas,” which just goes to show you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.
2. Julia Child. Probably one of the most epic career changers of all time, Julia Child was actually a spy for the CIA before she ever became famous as a cook. Before that, she worked as a manager for a furniture store. So count her as a career changer twice over: manager, spy, and then cook!
3. Andrea Bocelli. The famous Italian opera singer didn’t embark on his full time musical career until 34 when he auditioned to be the singer on a demo tape for Pavarotti. Before that, he worked as a defense attorney.
4. Lisa Kudrow. Most people will recognize this career changer as the actress who played Phoebe Buffay on Friends. However, the actress started her working life as a biologist, working to research treatments for headaches far before she ventured into acting.
5. Roz Savage. Beginning her professional career as a management consultant, Savage realized eleven years into her professional life that her job was not making her happy. She then chose to go on her first ocean-rowing voyage. Her passion for the ocean and environment have led her to become a renowned speaker, environmentalist, author, and, of course, ocean rower.
6. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Austrian body-builder changed course in the 1970’s when he decided to become an actor. Then he changed direction again when, in 2003, he was elected as governor of California.
7. Harrison Ford. Before he was Han Solo, Indiana Jones, or Rick Deckard, Ford actually turned away from acting to be a carpenter to support his family. He might have stayed there, had George Lucas not called him about a project he was calling “Star Wars.”

There are many, many other career changers out there. Not all of them became Harrison Fords or Julia Childs, but they all discovered a path that was more appropriate for the life they wanted to have. And many of these career changers decided to modify their course later in life. So if you’re thinking of making a career shift, just remember that you’re not alone.

Career Solutions Group specializes in helping job seekers and career changers find the right path towards their career goals. If you’d like more information, email us at info@careersolutionsgroup.net. We offer free initial consultations, and have helped hundreds of career changers make successful transitions.

By: Julia Pillard, Career Solutions Group