10 Influential, Historical Figures Who Changed Their Careers
Changing our careers isn't a detour. It's a recalibration.
We have noticed that there is an increasing openness on a societal level towards change, whether that is change in one's attitudes, identity, aesthetics, home base, or career. As more people embrace a more optimistic mindset towards entrepreneurial endeavors, we start to see more people pivot their direction in life. We start to realize that success requires us to experiment, take risks many times over, and continue to find our way until we reach our goals, no matter our life stage.
Here are 10 historical and influential figures who have set the example that changing our careers is not only acceptable, but can lead us to deeper levels of fulfillment and achievement.
1. Benjamin Franklin
initial career: printer & writer
career change: scientist, inventor, statesman
2. Mahatma Gandhi
initial career: lawyer
career change: political & spiritual leader
3. Ronald Reagan
initial career: Hollywood actor
career change: governor, POTUS
4. Julia Child
initial career: Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the CIA during WWII)
career change: governor, POTUS
5. John D Rockefeller
initial career: bookkeeper
career change: oil industry magnate & philanthropist
6. T.S. Eliot
initial career: banker
career change: poet, playwright
7. Walt Disney
initial career: ambulance driver
career change: animation
8. Samuel Morse
initial career: painter
career change: telegraph inventor & morse code
9. Pope Francis
initial career: chemical technician, nightclub bouncer
career change: pope
10. J.K. Rowling
initial career: researcher & bilingual secretary
career change: author of Harry Potter series