Take James Altucher, a columnist at MainStreet’s sister site TheStreet.com, and founder of other sister site, Stockpickr (TSCM) His career began through using his computer science background in the entertainment industry where his company Reset.com built websites for such companies as HBO (TWX) Miramax, and Bad Boy Entertainment (WMG). After selling Reset.com, he became a day trader and traded for hedge funds. But, when he and his partner were approached to sell his hedge fund company, Altucher took a step back to reevaluate. “We folded back my Internet roots and our finance experiences together instead and formed Stockpickr.com,” says Altucher. “That’s how you rise to the top in both disciplines. The key is to integrate multiple disciplines. We took my Internet skills and combined every investment approach we ever used to create the ultimate social network for finance.”
If you have the chance to prepare a bit, make the change when you have some savings to dip into, says Hallie Crawford a career coach and founder of Authentically Speaking in Atlanta, Ga. “Try to make the change when you already have a solid transition plan. The plan could include savings, or you could try freelance writing within your expertise,” says Crawford. Once of Crawford’s clients, a director of human resources was able to cut back her workload to part time hours with one day a week off so she could dabble in a freelance writing career. When things didn’t work out so well, she ultimately found another HR job that allowed her to write more. “She had to be flexible and see her dream job a little differently that she first imagined” says Crawford. You could also find a completely different part time job that just pays the bills but allows you the freedom to pursue the new job on the side.
