The case for making multiple career pivots

Is moving to a new field or industry a fresh start, an ending, or just a shift in perspective?

By Eliot Haworth 

I was talking recently to an old friend who I grew up with in London. His mum and my mum were school friends, and now we’re friends. It’s one of those sweet connections that only becomes more valuable with age. He grew up a gifted basketball player, and when it came time to go to university more than a decade ago, he moved to the United States to pursue a scholarship at the same university that produced Michael Jordan, among many other stars. The plan was laid out: school, then a career in the NBA. We joked about him letting me come and live with him when he owned a huge mansion.

My friend is now an artist. At some point in the States, he confronted the reality of no longer being the best on his team. He sensed his limitations. He also realised he was having more fun doing other things. He made a significant switch at a key point in his personal development and for a while it seemed a bit wobbly. He’d put so much into his athletic career. He’d pinned his hopes and dreams on it. Stopping felt weird and scary, but now he’s flying. When we were standing outside an exhibition he’d just co-curated, someone recognised him and stopped to get a photo. I felt proud.