Meet Anita

What was your last career change?  

The last position I held before joining Information Technology was with a consulting company based in Montreal. In the last several years, I worked in the Software Quality Assurance field and assumed intermediate, senior, as well as lead QA roles.

What made it successful?

My curiosity to learn and ask questions based on my own research made it successful. Also, my determination and attitude of never giving up and my firm belief that there are positive people around to help and guide me.  

What was the biggest challenge in adapting to your new role?

Every new role has been challenging. New challenges include working with very little to no training, sometimes dealing with people with different personalities and working with new technologies.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career change?

To someone considering a career change, I would advise them to take the following steps:

  • Think about the job titles that they would like to transition to, research about the job duties and responsibilities.
  • Make a list of the skills required to excel in that role.
  • Make a list of current skills and compare with the skills that are mentioned in the new role to see if there are any existing transferable skills that can be brought to the new role.
  • Network with other experienced professionals in that new field to learn from their experience and how they started off.
  • Do some market research on websites like Glassdoor to get a sense of the market trends pertaining to salaries, and top companies to work for and the benefits.

How can colleagues help someone transition into their new responsibilities?

Help by being patient and guiding step by step during the onboarding. Have a structured training plan with detailed topics outlined for each day along with some mini tasks to do. Track their status in a structured manner and clarify their doubts along the way.

If you were a chocolate bar, which one would you be?

I would be Hershey’s Kisses, the dark chocolate kind.

What ingredient should never be found on a pizza?

Pepperoni!  

What three items would you bring if you were shipped to a deserted island?

Water, food (ready to eat food packets) and a photo of my parents.