Careers Are Not For Life. Lessons Learned Jumping From Tech Entrepreneurship To Real Estate Development
In 2019, I was running a non-profit coding school in the Netherlands; it was our 3rd year since I founded the company in my college dorm room with a good friend. We had raised €500k in funding and were already running a fully sustainable operation with a strong core team & board. We welcomed students from over 40 countries to our Rotterdam campus, and most importantly, our graduates achieved great professional results.
I’m pointing all this out to emphasize why the decision to pivot to a career as a Real Estate Developer and move back to my hometown was a surprise to many. But, looking back, I am convinced it was the correct move for me.
These principles helped me decide and navigate this transition and land happily on the other side.
Switching From Bits to Atoms
The idea of leveraging technology to solve big problems and empower others to do the same has been my North Star for years. I still believe in it today.
This single idea took me on adventures that shaped who I am, starting organizations that helped thousands of people solve real-world problems using technology and ultimately helped me meet some of my best friends today in all sorts of places I never thought I’d see.
But as the years passed, I couldn’t help but feel a growing disconnect between the impact and the means of achieving it. I loved the output, but I was growing tired of the startup scene and the technical part of the work. There was a point where another pitch competition, networking event, or dev conference started feeling like something I’d want to avoid.
I wanted to have a positive impact but with less of the buzz-words and clout ever-present in tech. I increasingly felt the need to touch the output of my work with my hands.
When I started waking up too many days in a row without a true desire to learn and advance in my field, I knew it was time for a change.
Connecting The Dots
On our school’s campus in Rotterdam, I saw how the physical environment can foster strong friendships, lead to a united community, and form a supportive backdrop for the challenges and triumphs in our lives.
Positive impact is not all about hard work, discipline, and mindset — the software if you will, but hardware matters just as much. The messages encoded in design and architecture are directly linked to our happiness or helplessness. We shape the built environment, and then it shapes us. And this work transcends us, so it will continue to shape life long after we are gone.
I decided I wanted to become the person who builds places where people thrive, and communities grow. These are the lessons I took from my career jump:
Lesson #1: Take Your Skills With You
The first thing I realized is that both the technical skills and, more importantly, the ability to tell a story and galvanize support are just as needed in my new career. The ability to sell an idea and connect and coordinate the work of people of all backgrounds is just as necessary in real estate as in my previous career. So really, even in a whole new industry, it’s likely that what helped you succeed in your last job will be just as valuable on your new path. Figure out what those things were and leverage them as you move forward.
Lesson #2: Dip Your Toes Before Jumping
Even when I knew the big-picture of what my future career would look like, I hesitated to jump ships abruptly. In part, because I was responsible for the livelihoods and future employment of people I deeply cared about, but also I had to accept that I might be wrong. So on top of reading all the book recommendations I found about my new career, I connected with people like I aspired to become and listened to their thoughts and advice. I also sat down for long talks with people that knew me well and shared my plan. This helped me see clearly that what I was about to do was right for me, that it made sense outside of my head.
Lesson #3: Take The Courageous Route
I generally believe that when you are undecided about a big life decision, a good principle is to take the route that takes the most courage, and this is almost always the one that requires more effort in the short term. Courage means different things to different people. To me, it didn’t mean to make it as big as possible — that was my natural inclination. I realized that what was more challenging was settling into a place for the long-term, building roots, and stopping chasing every exciting opportunity out there. It was time to return to my hometown and shape the world I grew up in.
Epilogue
Having fully pursued this path for the past two years, I can say I feel I’m in the right place doing the work that I’m meant to do. Planting roots through relationships, deep learning, and aiming for excellence in my work is a gift, and I try to not forget that. I am excited about what the future holds and I’m grateful for the ride. This will likely not be the last career transition in my life, but I work every day as if this is what I’ll do for the rest of my life.
I wish you the same on your path, wherever that may take you.
