Navigating Career Shifts: Culinary Sales to Tech Service Design
I had the privilege of photographing David Russo, Service Designer at Intuit Mailchimp. He shared some of his transformational journey.
“In many ways, I’ve lived my life saying yes to things and figuring the details out later. Career number one, I was an actor living in Chicago. During that time, I was working in restaurants to support myself and I realized I enjoyed that more than being an under-employed comedian, so I decided to try my luck at culinary school. When I finished, I joined my wife in Manhattan, where she was in graduate school and I worked in several kitchens around the city – career number two. After a few years, we moved to the Midwest where I continued to cook and teach culinary school.
When we decided to move back to the East Coast, I couldn’t get a teaching job. Even though I had never done sales I gave it a shot and ended up spending 15 years as a sales rep. and manager for a small specialty food importer. Career number three was born. In 2020, I reached a point where I wanted a change. I felt I would miss a window of opportunity if I didn’t do it soon. I enrolled in a short immersion program and shifted my focus to tech. Humbly I stepped into a new career path.
What I found to be the most difficult part of this process was getting employers to understand the value of transferrable skills. Even though I didn’t work in their industry, it didn’t mean I wasn’t highly skilled. Many of the skills I developed built upon others and I drew on those skills to be successful. But I struggled for a while.
Now in career four, I’m in tech services. The manager who hired me saw my talent and gave me a chance, valuing the different perspectives I bring. I work for Intuit, a big tech firm doing service design. I am on a very talented team, most of whom came to their jobs in their twenties and thirties. I came with twenty-plus years of experience in a completely different venue, but I bring value. It was very humbling, especially being hired initially as a junior service designer but I’ve learned a lot. And as my wife would remind me this was my first job in corporate America!
Despite my late start, I lead the NY chapter of the Service Design Network, a global professional organization of service designers. I’m helping organize our global conference. I get asked to sit on panels for new people in the industry. It’s an exciting time.
To career transitioners, my advice is to find that person who will take a chance on you and grab it. It’s going to suck for a while, but it will work out. Don’t be afraid of making radical changes a second or third time.
My headshot experience was great. I have had many headshots from my acting days. I have seldom found a photographer who can get me to tell a story with my eyes without saying a word. But Alissa does that!”