3 tips if you’re considering a career switch, according to the former banker

• Angie Chen left investment banking to become a campaign marketer after feeling burned out.
• She suggested tips for networking and revamping your resume when changing industries.
• Chen found marketing appealing for its creative freedom and data-driven analytical roles.

A year after starting her investment banking job, Angie Chen got her bonus. Then he gave himself two weeks’ notice.

“I used to feel so good about saying I worked in finance, in investment banking, I’m not going to lie,” she told Business Insider.

But Chen said the status of a career in finance wasn’t worth the grueling work. The coveted six-figure starting salary—and potentially millions if you successfully climb the banking ladder—is usually accompanied by long hours. Typical 80- to 100-hour work weeks have led some junior bankers to complain of exhaustion and burnout.

Although she was aware of what a job on Wall Street entailed, Chen said it became less tolerable for her after she graduated from college.

“I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve valued just my free time and independence and just my personal interest and passion a little more than just grinding 24/7 for a corporate company,” she said.

Chen, who has made content about her career in investment banking on TikTok, said her social media presence inspired her to consider entering the marketing industry.

“I loved the creative freedom I had from her,” she said. “As I was thinking about transitioning out of banking, marketing was one of the roles that came up.”

Now a campaign marketer, Chen said she’s received several comments claiming she’s “downgraded” in her career, but they don’t bother her — especially since she believes many assume marketing is a low-paying industry. But the field offers more positions that are more “analytical and data-driven” with higher salaries, she told BI. While the salary for different marketing roles varies, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the average salary for marketing managers in the US is $166,410.

For those considering a career pivot, Chen offered the following pointers.

Discover your advantages and disadvantages

You might not be happy with your current job or company, but Chen said it takes time to understand why.

She suggested making a list of the reasons you don’t like your current role, but also the positive aspects of your company. Chen said it helps you visualize what you want in your next company and narrow down your priorities when looking at different opportunities.

“For some people, it might be the culture and the team, but for others, it might be the money and the prestige,” she said. “For me, the biggest was the exit opportunity, and the second was the pay.”

Ultimately, Chen narrowed down his ideal positions to campaign management, growth marketing, and product management marketing—which he hopes to eventually move into.

“I thought it was a perfect combination of my interest in marketing, my analytical background and my technology coverage,” she said. “It combines everything into one singular role.”

Chen also said he found the culture in marketing less overwhelming than in banking, where he said he struggled to find a senior mentor.

“My current manager is very active with my day-to-day,” she said. “So there’s a lot of opportunity to gain visibility and only showcase where you add value.”

Other experts also advised looking into whether you’re being “pushed” out of your current profession because of something you don’t like, or if you’re being “pulled” to another opportunity. If something pushes you out of your role, consider implementing certain changes, such as switching teams, that can rectify your role.

Network with “warmer contacts”

While cold messaging on LinkedIn is a common strategy, Chen suggested trying to get “warmer contacts,” or contacts suggested by mutual connections.

“Definitely quality contacts over quantity,” she said. “When I’m networking, I don’t like it to be super formal.”

Chen said that because she was quite transparent with her colleagues in banking about her interest in marketing, many of them offered their contacts in that industry.

“Also, I was just lucky because I was sharing my career journey on social media,” she said. “A lot of people have actually reached out to me for advice and to recommend roles or people to talk to.”

She also said people should do their “own homework” and narrow down a few roles they are potentially interested in before contacting them. Chen said during her research, she broke down the different sub-verticals in marketing and eliminated areas she wasn’t interested in.

“And then ask people why they chose this industry, what their long-term goals are, any advice they have,” she said. “And if any of those resonate with you, this could be the field for you.”

Review your resume

Don’t assume your resume is ready just because it worked for you in your current industry.

Chen said that when he presented his resume to marketing professionals, several “had no idea what I was talking about.”

“My CV was very, very difficult financially,” she said. “I had to completely revamp it to just make it less financial jargon and more marketing friendly.”

Chen spoke with many marketing experts to “understand the way they talk” and familiarize himself with industry terms. Based on their feedback, she streamlined her resume by removing any finance-specific trades and nuances and highlighting “transferable skills” that were applicable to both industries.

“Data and analytics were big because that’s where marketing is going as well as customer relationship,” she said. “Also presentation and project management skills.”

Career coaches also advised job seekers to keep their resume specific, but also include specific keywords tailored to their new industry.