Latest / Career Coaching with Fexingo: Professional Coaches, Career Counselors, and Guidance for Workers / How to Turn a Side Project Into a Career Pivot
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've been tinkering on something nights and weekends — a little dashboard, a newsletter, a freelance project — and you start thinking... could this actually be my next career? Luna: It's a question a lot of listeners probably wrestle with. When does a side project stop being a hobby and start being a legitimate pivot? Lucas: Exactly. And I think the single best example I've seen recently is a woman named Priya — she was a marketing manager at a mid-size CPG company. She built a data analytics tool on the side to track campaign performance more granularly than what her team had. Just for her own use at first. Luna: Right. And that tool ended up being her ticket into a senior analytics role at a tech firm. How did she make that leap? Lucas: She didn't just polish the tool and send her resume. She started documenting her process on a blog. She shared one specific insight: that her tool caught a 15 percent lift in ROI from a campaign that standard dashboards missed. That post got shared in a few analytics Slack groups. Luna: So she built proof of work — not just a claim, but a public artifact that hiring managers could see. That's powerful. Lucas: It's the difference between saying 'I know data' and showing 'here's a concrete problem I solved.' And Priya's story is useful because she didn't quit her job or burn out. She spent maybe four hours a week on it for six months. Luna: That's a manageable investment. I think a lot of people overestimate what it takes to test a new direction. Lucas: Yeah, they think they need a full business plan or a finished product. But really you just need one credible signal that someone besides you finds the work valuable. A comment, a share, an email asking 'how did you do that?' Luna: That's where the conversation gets practical. How do you decide when to actually pivot? Lucas: I look for three signals. First, external validation — someone offers to pay you or hire you for this skill. Second, internal pull — you find yourself choosing the side project over your main job even when you're tired. Third, a clear skill gap — your current role can't teach you what you need next. Luna: And if those three line up, you've got a strong case for making a move. Lucas: Absolutely. And by the way — if this kind of practical career advice has helped you think through a move or a decision, you're exactly the reason we keep the show free and ad-free. A couple of dollars a month at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo genuinely helps us keep going. No pressure, just if you've gotten something out of it. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. And listeners have told us those small contributions add up. Lucas: Okay, back to the pivot. So let's say you have those three signals. What's the actual step-by-step to position your side project as career currency? Luna: I think the resume is the obvious place. But most people list it under 'Interests' or 'Personal Projects' at the bottom. That's a mistake. Lucas: Completely. Priya listed her tool under 'Professional Experience' — but she framed it as a consulting gig. She wrote 'Developed proprietary campaign analytics tool for internal use, improving ROI measurement accuracy by 15%.' That's a bullet point, not a hobby. Luna: So she treated it as real work. And in interviews, she brought the tool on her laptop and walked through it. Lucas: Exactly. She said 'I can show you how it works' rather than 'I can tell you about it.' That switch is huge. It makes you a practitioner, not a storyteller. Luna: And what about the timing? When do you go from side project to full-time? Lucas: The conservative move is to wait until you have a job offer in hand. But you can also do what I call a 'soft pivot' — take a contract role, a freelance project, or even a part-time gig that lets you build the skill deeper before jumping. Luna: That reduces risk. I've seen people try to pivot cold and it's stressful. They end up going back because they didn't have enough runway. Lucas: Right. Priya actually did a three-month contract with a startup before she accepted the full-time role. She wanted to confirm that she liked the work day-to-day, not just the idea of it. Luna: That's smart. Because the fantasy of a new career and the reality can be different. The contract gave her a test drive. Lucas: And it made her more confident in negotiations. She knew her tool had real value, so she asked for a salary that reflected that — and got it. Luna: That's a good note. Often people undervalue themselves when pivoting because they feel like a beginner. But you're not a beginner in the side project. Lucas: You've got more experience than you think. The key is to frame it in terms of impact, not hours. Nobody cares that you spent 100 hours on it. They care that it saved someone 20 hours a week. Luna: So if a listener is sitting on a side project right now, what's one thing they should do this week? Lucas: Document one specific result. Even if it's small. 'I built a script that automated X and saved Y hours.' Or 'I wrote a guide that got Z readers.' Put that on LinkedIn. See what happens. Luna: And if nobody responds? Does that mean the idea is dead? Lucas: Not necessarily. It might mean you haven't found the right audience. Or the format is off. Or it's genuinely not a viable pivot. But you learn that early, with low cost. Luna: That's the beauty of the side project as a test. It gives you data before you make a big bet. Lucas: Exactly. And if the data says go, you've already built the thing that will get you hired. Luna: Alright, I'm going to go look at my own side project with fresh eyes. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Happy building. And if you've got a pivot story, we'd love to hear it.