Ekta

Age at time of shift

24

Gender

Female

Education level

Postgraduate

Universities attended

Manchester University, Manchester Business School

Shifted from

Cardiac Catheter Lab Manager

Location

Hammersmith Hospital

Salary

£20,000-£30,000

Years in old career

1

Shifted to

Strategy Consultant

Location

Accenture, London

Salary

undisclosed

Years in new career

3

Year of shift

2005

What was your role in your old job?

I was on the NHS Management Fast Track Scheme and as part of this was on a role as a junior manager at a London hospital.

What is/are your new role(s)?

I am a strategy consultant for a global consultancy offering businesses advice on how to solve business problems and become high performers.

Why did you change?

Ultimately I didn't want to go to work every morning. I felt very unsupported, unwanted and unappreciated; unprepared for the tasks that I was asked to do and did not see a future for myself in the NHS.

Are you happy with the change?

Yes! I am glad I moved. Working for a consultancy allows me the flexibility to work on projects that I am interested in and also offers variety in the work I do. There is a support network in place, I feel as though I am learning and that I genuinely add value to organisations.

What do you miss and what don't you miss?

I miss the educational element - whilst with the NHS I was doing a masters in Health Care Management, I also miss my peer group from the academic side.

I don't miss the hospital at all, the people there, the jobs I had to do and that feeling in the morning!

How did you go about making the change?

I firstly realised that it is not right not to want to go to work in the morning and that to be successful I had to do something that I enjoyed and was learning from. I then looked around to understand what it was other people did (mainly by talking to them and through the internet). Ultimately I was looking for the ability to learn and variety - consultancy gives me this. I also have the opportunity to work with some great people.

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

The thought that I was failing by leaving and the fear of not liking consultancy.

What help did you get?

Mmmmm! I got support from my peer group at the NHS and actually also booked a session with a career councilor. None from my employer though.

What have you learnt in the process?

If you are unhappy at work you have to set a deadline for things to improve and then leave. You should never be miserable somewhere where you spend most of your life. Also, you should constantly be able to look back and see that your workplace has made has had a positive affect on you over the last six months and you are a different person for the better as a result. However you should also remember that the average career lasts roughly 45 years so doing something you don’t like for a few months, if there is light at the end of the tunnel, is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. You need to have a long term view on where you want to and be.

What do you wish you'd done differently?

I wish I had interviewed for more consultancy firms so that I had a better choice. I was so keen to move that I took a job with one of the first organisations that offered me a job. I also wish I had told the senior people I worked for how awful the time I had spent in that role had been for me.

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

If you are unhappy leave, but have a plan and don't jump into the first thing. If your CV shows a lack of commitment getting jobs in the future can be very hard