I came to the Job Search Jumpstart program after a year of job searching.

Social impact work has always been what lit me up. But when I decided to make a career change, I talked myself out of following that path.

I told myself the field was too specific, that there weren't enough jobs, and that it would be too hard to break in. So I cast a broader net, and after a year it hadn’t yielded much. 

But at the end of 2025, I decided to go all in on what I actually wanted.

And the very next day, this program showed up.

The program gave me dedicated space, guidance, and community at exactly the moment I needed it. The weekly accountability and step-by-step process helped me get my LinkedIn, my resume, and my career story all pointing in the same direction. 

Going through the program also helped me see that I had much more relevant experience in this space than I had given myself credit for, and it helped me understand the different avenues available to me in social impact work.  

But the biggest change I made thanks to this experience was in how I show up, and the actions I take.

Thanks to the push from the Careers for Social Impact team to focus on networking and relationship building, I’ve started putting myself out there in a way I never did before.

In just the last few months I've had over 50 networking conversations, and I’ve stepped up to help organize events for our local Bay Area Careers for Social Impact community. 

I’ve found that people in the social impact space are incredibly generous, and that almost every conversation I’ve had has led to more connections. I’ve landed interviews because of my outreach, and I know that future opportunities will continue to come through the people I’ve connected with.

As a result of my work in the program and my outreach, I've now launched my own communications coaching practice focused on helping women leaders own and communicate their stories, and I’ve signed my first clients.

I’m also offering pro bono communications coaching to social sector organizations through Catchafire, and I recently landed a new full-time role that I’ll be starting soon.

My advice to those navigating career transition is to be patient and to put yourself out there, even if you don’t know where it will lead. Helping and connecting others can only lead to good things, and you never know who will be the person that will help you, or who you’ll get to help.

Case in point: the person who supported me in getting my new role is someone I met at a networking event 15 years ago! 

Know that your direction will probably evolve as you go, and that your next step might look different than you first imagined. And keep holding the balance between getting clear on what you want, and staying open to serendipity and the new ideas and opportunities that will emerge. A “yes and” mindset will go a long way to help you through the uncertainty of this process.

And finally, don't go it alone. I still meet regularly with my accountability partner from the program to swap ideas and validate our experiences. Knowing there's someone else who’s in my corner and in the trenches alongside me has made a huge difference. 

If you're navigating a career transition, find the people who really get what you’re going through. Putting yourself out there can feel hard, but it’s been a total game changer for me.