From Law Enforcement to Tech Sales Engineer: How A Mid-Career Change Translated 24 Years Behind the Badge into a $35K Pay Increase

Happen To Your Career - Meaningful Work, Career Change, Career Design, & Job Search · May 28, 2026 · 22m

After twenty-four years in law enforcement as a Captain, Tavis made a mid-career change into tech that translated his public sector experience into a $35K pay increase. The story of how he made the jump from a long-tenure law enforcement role into a Sales Engineer position is the kind of executive career change most people in his position assume isn't possible.

He had to work through the fear that his background would be a strike against him, the doubt about whether his transferable skills would carry into the private sector, and the years of quietly considering the move before he actually…