“I wanted to deliberately upgrade my skill set and broaden my profile.” 

What work were you doing previously?    

I worked in the humanitarian sector, primarily in Yemen, Iraq, and Gaza, within a Weapon Contamination Unit.

My role focused on addressing the impact of explosive weapons used in armed conflict and supporting efforts to make affected areas safe again so communities could return and rebuild.

This involved documenting damage, mapping hazardous areas, coordinating assessments, and helping ensure that clearance operations could move forward.

I wasn’t the technical specialist defusing bombs. Instead, I worked on enabling the technical work to happen – making sure projects could be approved, funded, coordinated, and implemented in complex political and operational environments.

The work required adaptability, diplomacy, contextual awareness, and the ability to move things forward even when conditions were constantly shifting.

It’s difficult to fully capture what working in active or post-conflict settings really looks like. But the experience builds a uniquely transferable skill set – strategic coordination, stakeholder management, rapid decision-making, and resilience – developed in some of the most complex environments in the world.

What are you doing now?    

I currently work at a start-up incubator, where I support the CEO in a Chief of Staff capacity.

Even though I shifted industries, I realized that generalist roles exist everywhere: positions where your value lies in connecting dots, supporting operations, and enabling others to perform at their best.

As Chief of Staff, I don’t manage a team directly or own a specific budget line. Instead, my role cuts across functions. I’m involved in day-to-day operations, strategic discussions, and cross-team coordination.

I get exposure to different business streams, observe decision-making processes up close, and help translate strategy into execution.

One of my main motivations for making this move was to strengthen my core skill set and learn from strong operators in a new environment. In my previous roles, I was given significant responsibility early on and often had to make high-stakes decisions quickly.

Now, I value the opportunity to step into a learning phase again – observing experienced leaders, understanding how they navigate complexity, manage growth, and make structured decisions at scale.

This role has sharpened my listening skills, my ability to anticipate needs, and my understanding of how large operations function from the inside. It’s less about being the one driving every outcome, and more about creating clarity, alignment, and momentum behind the scenes.

In many ways, it feels like a continuation of my previous career: still operating in complexity, still coordinating across stakeholders, but now focused on building and scaling rather than stabilizing and rebuilding.

Why did you change?

I wanted to deliberately upgrade my skill set and broaden my profile.

After years in the humanitarian sector, I felt it was important to position myself as someone who is versatile – someone who can move across sectors, adapt to different environments, and remain relevant in a rapidly changing world.

I didn’t want to be seen as confined to one field, but rather as a professional who can operate in complexity, regardless of context.

The pace of technological advancement, shifting economic models, and new ways of working are reshaping industries globally. I wanted to be closer to those changes – to understand them from the inside rather than observe them from a distance.

Innovation is a fascinating space. In the start-up world especially, you’re constantly exposed to new ideas, emerging technologies, ambitious founders, and bold experimentation.

It’s fast-moving, energetic, and future-oriented. There’s a sense of momentum and possibility that feels very different from crisis-driven environments.

Being surrounded by people building new products, testing new models, and challenging assumptions pushes you intellectually. It forces you to think differently. And that diversity of thought – being around technologists, operators, investors, and founders – is something I value deeply.

Ultimately, the shift wasn’t about leaving something behind. It was about expanding my perspective, strengthening my adaptability, and placing myself at the intersection of change.

How did you choose your new career?

I chose my new career because I felt ready for a shift toward something more forward-looking and growth-oriented.

After years working in conflict-affected environments, I wanted to immerse myself in a space that focuses on building – on new ideas, new technologies, and new possibilities.

I was drawn to an environment where innovation moves quickly, where experimentation is encouraged, and where the future is something you actively shape.

That’s what fascinated me about the start-up world. New companies are constantly being created. New technologies are emerging. New trends are forming in real time. It’s a space driven by creativity, ambition, and momentum.

Before this transition, I had very little exposure to this sector. But precisely because it was unfamiliar, it felt energizing. I wanted to learn a completely new skill set, understand how innovation ecosystems function, and be closer to technological and societal shifts that are shaping the next decade.

In many ways, it felt like moving from rebuilding what was broken to helping build what’s next.

I also felt that the start-up world was diverse and allowed for my previous experiences to fit in.

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

I miss the travel and the incredibly tight-knit communities that form in humanitarian settings. 

When you work in intense, high-pressure environments, bonds are built quickly and deeply. There’s something unique about sharing challenging moments with a small team – that sense of purpose, urgency, and collective resilience is hard to replicate.

What I don’t miss, however, is the recurring sense of lack of clarity that can come with working in conflict-affected settings. The lack of control, the unpredictability, and the political constraints can sometimes create a feeling of stagnation, even when you’re working incredibly hard.

Progress often depends on factors completely outside your influence. In my current role, I experience a different kind of momentum. The structures are clearer.

The levers of decision-making are more accessible. When there’s a problem, you can usually identify where to intervene and move it forward. The feedback loop is shorter.

There’s something very satisfying about working toward tangible milestones and being able to “tick off” achievements regularly. The tasks may be smaller in scope, but they are concrete and measurable. That daily sense of progress feels energizing.

How did you go about making the shift?

I took a leaving package from my previous employer, which gave me a few months of financial runway. 

For me, having that buffer was important. Career transitions take time, and I knew I needed the space to explore without panicking or rushing into the wrong opportunity.

The shift wasn’t immediate,  it took about six months of on-and-off searching. More than just applying for roles, it was a period of reconnecting. I reached out to former colleagues, friends, family friends, previous managers, and attended networking events. 

I had many conversations simply to understand new industries, test my assumptions, and learn how my experience could translate.

What helped most was endurance. Transitions can feel uncertain, especially when you’re moving into a sector that’s new to you. Staying consistent, being open, and trusting the process made all the difference.

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

The hardest part was not internalising the low response rate.

When you transition into a new field, especially one where you don’t yet have an established track record, you have to get comfortable starting from zero again. That means reaching out to people, asking for conversations, and putting yourself in situations where you might not hear back.

At times, it felt very similar to the period right after university, when I was desperately looking for internships and asking anyone I knew for introductions, including older siblings of friends. That same humility is required again.

The reality is: people are extremely busy. In my current role, I see firsthand that my boss receives more than 20 LinkedIn messages a day. Everyone is chasing limited opportunities. Everyone is trying to get visibility.

And it’s always easier for decision-makers to go with someone they already know or who comes through a trusted connection. That’s why relationships matter so much. Most opportunities move through networks. People know people. Conversations lead to other conversations.

But building those connections takes persistence. You have to knock on many doors before one opens. The transition tested my resilience more than my capability. It required patience, humility, and the ability to separate my self-worth from the silence in my inbox.

What resources would you recommend to others?

There are incredibly powerful AI tools available today that can genuinely support career transitions. 

Platforms like Boardy (on LinkedIn), for example, act as intelligent connectors and you can speak with them, ask for inspiration, request introductions, and even receive structured guidance.

I found tools like this extremely helpful in understanding what’s actually out there and how different industries are structured.

You can also use AI more broadly and strategically. With tools like ChatGPT, you can share your background, the cities you’re targeting, your interests, and the kind of impact you want to have and receive tailored suggestions on companies, industries, or even entirely new career paths you may not have considered. 

You can describe your previous experience and ask how it might translate into different sectors. In many ways, technology is lowering the barrier to exploration. Access to information, networks, and strategic thinking is no longer limited to who you already know.

We’re in an era where traditional career playbooks are being rewritten. Industries are evolving quickly, roles are being redefined, and new ones are emerging altogether.

If you’re willing to engage with these new tools and ride the wave of change, you suddenly have far more possibilities to position yourself within an ever-changing job market.

The key is to stay curious and you now have technology that can absolutely support you very intentionally.

What lessons could you take from Maya's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.