Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How a Career Gap Led to a Role in Academic Advising
Transcript
- Lucas: Maria spent seven years as a stay-at-home parent after leaving her job as a marketing manager at a mid-sized software company. When she decided to return, she didn't go back to marketing. She became an academic advisor at a community college. Luna: That is a genuine pivot. What made her think, 'I can do that job' without a background in education? Lucas: She told me it started with her own kids' school experience. She was volunteering in the college counseling office at their high school, helping students fill out financial aid forms. A counselor there said, 'You're really good at this. Have you considered academic advising?' Luna: So the seed was planted through volunteer work. That's a common thread we hear — that gap years often include informal experience people don't put on a resume. Lucas: Exactly. Maria didn't have a formal degree in education or counseling. She had a bachelor's in communications and seven years of marketing experience. But when she looked at the job description for an academic advisor at a community college, she realized about 70 percent of the responsibilities were things she'd done before, just with different labels. Luna: Okay, I want to hear that mapping. What was the overlap? Lucas: Sure. The job required advising students on course selection — that's essentially guiding a client through a product catalog, which she did as a marketing manager when she helped customers choose software packages. It required explaining financial aid policies — she had managed budgets and had to explain spending limits to stakeholders. It required connecting students to campus resources — she had coordinated with external vendors and internal teams. Even the data tracking part: she had run campaign analytics; the college wanted someone to track student retention metrics. Luna: So the core competencies were the same. It's just the context changed. That's a really practical reframe. Lucas: And that's the mindset we want listeners to take away. You don't need to match job titles. You need to match the underlying skills. Maria didn't just guess — she printed the job description and literally wrote in the margins, 'This equals X from my marketing role.' Luna: I love that. Concrete. What did her actual application look like? Did she lead with the gap or tuck it away? Lucas: She led with it. Her cover letter opened with, 'After a seven-year career break to focus on my family, I am eager to apply my marketing expertise to student success.' She framed the gap as intentional and then immediately pivoted to what she could do. She also listed her volunteer experience as a separate section called 'Community Engagement.' That's where she put the college counseling work. Luna: That's smart. It signals to the hiring manager that she stayed active and relevant. Let me ask you this — did she face any pushback in interviews about not having a counseling degree? Lucas: A little. One interviewer said, 'Most of our advisors have master's in education or social work.' Maria's response was, 'I understand that. What I bring is a different perspective: I've spent years helping customers make complex decisions under budget constraints. Your students face similar decisions. I can help them navigate that process.' She didn't apologize for her background. Luna: That's a powerful reframe. And the community college ended up hiring her. What was the turning point in their decision? Lucas: She says it was the part of the interview where they asked her to walk through a hypothetical scenario: a first-generation student is overwhelmed by course registration and financial aid. Maria walked through step-by-step how she'd break it down — just like she used to handle a confused customer. The hiring manager later told her, 'You showed us that advising is really about listening and translating complexity. That's exactly what we need.' Luna: And that's a skill that doesn't require a specific degree. It's built through experience. Lucas: Right. One thing she did in the interview that I think is worth highlighting: she brought a one-page 'skills translation sheet' — a simple table with three columns. Column one: 'Required in job description.' Column two: 'My equivalent experience.' Column three: 'Example from my career.' She handed it to the panel. Luna: That is genius. It makes it impossible for them to miss the connection. Lucas: Exactly. And it shows initiative — which is a quality every hiring manager wants. Luna: You know, this episode is a great example of why we keep this show ad-free. We want you to get practical, specific advice without any commercial interruption. If you've found value in episodes like this one, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep us independent. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small gesture that makes a big difference for us. And it means we never have to tailor content to a sponsor. So, back to Maria — after she got the job, what surprised her most about the transition? Lucas: She told me the hardest part wasn't learning the policies or the software. It was adjusting to a different pace. In marketing, everything was urgent — campaign deadlines, quarterly launches. In academic advising, the timeline is a full semester. She had to unlearn the constant sense of emergency. Luna: That's a cultural shift that a lot of returners don't anticipate. You're not just learning a new role — you're learning a new rhythm. Lucas: Exactly. But she says that slower pace has actually made her a better advisor. She has time to listen, to follow up, to build relationships. And she feels less burned out at the end of the day. Luna: That's a great quality of life upgrade. Any final piece of advice from Maria for someone considering a similar pivot? Lucas: She said: 'Don't wait until you feel 100 percent qualified. You won't. Apply anyway. The worst that happens is they say no. But if you don't apply, you've already said no to yourself.' Luna: That's a solid note to end on. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. And to our listeners — if you're thinking about a return, pick one job description this week and do the skills translation exercise. See what you find.