Not Every Career Shift Goes According to Plan

“Not Every Degree Translates to Immediate Success.”

Yes, you read that right.

Some months ago, I was scrolling through LinkedIn when I got a notification for a live session, “Career Pivots That Work.” It was mainly for professionals transitioning between fields, but I opted in, and am glad I did! Why?

The speakers shared some great insights, but one statement hooked me in:

“𝘐𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.”

At first, I smiled. But then I paused and reflected deeper.

This wasn’t really about careers. It was about patience and resilience when moving from one Industry to another.

It reminded me of my situation after completing my MBA a few years back.

With my laboratory background plus a fresh MBA, I thought doors would swing open automatically. Ready for management roles, thinking there were positions waiting for me at top healthcare firms in Lagos or Abuja.

Not knowing it would be countless application submissions with little feedback. Even positions where my lab expertise plus business knowledge seemed perfect, after interviews, I got silence.

Some organizations gave me a tour of their facilities, my dreamer mind already pictured myself coming in to work in my power blazers and coffee mugs, sitting in the nice offices they showed me only to be ghosted, no reasons given.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲:

Not every qualification addition automatically elevates your career trajectory. Sometimes, you’ll spend two years balancing work and evening classes, only to find the market doesn’t immediately recognize your new value.
Not every interview will appreciate how your laboratory mindset translates to business strategy. You might articulately explain how quality control principles apply to management, only to face blank stares.
Just because you’ve mastered both technical and business languages doesn’t mean organizations know where to place you.
Not every networking connection leads somewhere. You might meet someone at a Lagos Business School event who seems enthusiastic about your dual expertise, then never hear back. But that doesn’t mean the next connection won’t be transformative.
Not every proposal you submit will get approved. Your data-driven presentation might fall flat with decision-makers who don’t value evidence-based approaches. But that doesn’t mean your methods aren’t valuable.

The truth? Building a bridge from technical expertise to business impact takes time.

Because you don’t immediately land that dream role combining your bench skills with strategic thinking doesn’t mean you’ve made a wrong turn.

The successful lab professionals now thriving in consulting, management, and entrepreneurship across Africa didn’t transition overnight. They faced rejection, refined their narrative, leveraged unexpected opportunities, and persisted.

So if you’re feeling stuck between worlds, frustrated by rejection, or questioning your move beyond the bench, don’t give up.

Success isn’t about immediate recognition, it’s about creatively applying your unique perspective until the right opportunity recognizes your value.

Instead take this season that we are in, the beginning of the second half of the year, to reset and realign your vision. It’s the perfect time, what have you been doing that hasn’t really worked? Change your strategy and decide on new tactics. You are allowed to change direction and still win.