Why a Crazy Career Change Might Be Just What You Need

Maybe you quit your job in finance to start your own business. Or, you’ve decided to leave the quiet corporate scene for something a little more “extreme.”

Tamara Toussaint made a crazy career change.

She parted ways with a law firm – and her diversity coordinator job – when she decided to join her mom’s business, Ultimate Image Coach.

Now she’s a social media marketing expert and image consultant.

Passionate about increasing diversity in the legal profession, Toussaint didn’t feel she could implement the kind of change she wanted. “I realized that I could have a stronger impact if I worked to strengthen individuals,” Toussaint says.

Don’t think you have the guts to leave your cushy corner office?

Don’t let that stop you. Toussaint isn’t a risk-taker, either.

“I’m extremely risk-adverse, hence going to law school – one of the safest professions at the time. But it really takes a bad situation to realize that the craziest thing is to stay in something that is not for you.”

Loving your job, reducing stress and being your best self are benefits that make it worth taking a risk.

Toussaint experienced this: “I’ve been saying since 2009 that I wanted to get my spinning certification and never did. Six weeks after parting with my firm, I finally got my certification!”

Thinking about it?

Toussaint says, “If not now, then when? When you find something you love, you can work 11 hours straight and it feels like one hour.”

Bonus PINK Link: Are people discouraging you from a crazy career change? Learn to ignore the naysayers!

Would you ever make a crazy career change? What would it be?

By Sarah Grace Alexander

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” Katharine Hepburn