Career Reinvention Spotlight Series
Inspiring Success Stories & Expert Advice for a Bold Leap
Making a career change can feel daunting, but countless people have taken the leap and found success on the other side. Whether driven by a desire for more meaningful work, a need for fresh challenges, or simply the courage to follow a long-standing passion, these individuals have redefined their professional paths. In this series, we’ll explore inspiring stories of people who embraced the unknown, overcame their fears, and transitioned into new careers. Their journeys show that, with the right mindset and determination you can secure the work that truly fulfills you.
Chris Mathey - Government Community Relations Liaison to Business Owner
Chris Mathey is the Founder and President of Mathey Energy Solutions – a role he would not have envisaged himself in twenty years earlier. Chris cut his teeth in government and politics from an early age, working every summer through high school for a local congressman. Inspired by the work, he double majored at Clemson in Politics and Psychology, with the dream being to work on Capitol Hill and maybe one day run for office. As a newly minted graduate, Chris landed his dream job on Capitol Hill working for a congressman on policy formation for the energy sector. Chris still looks back on that time, fondly describing his first job as ‘the best job ever’. His enthusiasm and talent for the work did not go unnoticed and he was asked to be a Campaign Manager during election season.
After having worked for the government for eight years, Chris understood that the traditional route to becoming a lobbyist was to gain work experience on Capitol Hill and then go on to law school, however, Chris was developing a keen interest in the business side of the work and wanted to pursue an MBA. He therefore moved into the commercial sector and his new employer paid for him to complete his MBA part-time. During his tenure there, Chris completed his MBA and also developed a market-based energy policy that was focused on finding equitable ways to ensure access to clean energy in a way that balanced the power needs of industry.
Since then, Chris has held a variety of roles from sales and business development, to project management and, in the last couple of years, he worked for smaller companies where he’s maintained his focus on clean energy. It was at this point in his career that Chris began to consider going out on his own and starting his own business. A turning point in his decision making was a piece of advice from a trusted confidant that told Chris to ‘Bet on yourself.’ He was advised that jobs in the commercial sector would still be there if it didn’t work out, but that he had what it took to be successful. Chris reached out to his network and was able to secure a six month contract from a client for his own business, so he took the plunge! That one client has now expanded to six, and Chris has big plans for the future. He’s passionate about helping people transition to clean energy, and is strategic about the companies he works for in pursuit of this endeavor.
“Don’t be afraid to bet on yourself”
When asked about how he made the change to self employment happen, he talks of his “tipping point”, where he felt he had the breadth and depth of experience required, as well as the connections required to turn it into a reality. He thinks the real keys to his success however are his energy, integrity and interpersonal skills. He explains that he “won’t fake it”, and only wants to work in an environment where he can add value. Chris describes himself as easy to get along with, a good communicator, and public speaker with his enthusiasm for work clearly contagious as he regularly accepts invitations to speak at conferences and share his ideas. His unique blend of experience and education combined with his professional network allows him to connect the right people together and to build consensus. Chris spends time to truly understand other people’s perspectives and would describe himself as a pragmatist. This philosophy propels Chris to advance his solutions for a socially responsible energy policy.
His advice for anybody looking to make a big change in their career, is the same advice that he was given, “Don’t be afraid to bet on yourself”. Once you truly believe you can do it, it’s all about putting the hard work in to make it happen, leveraging your network along the way.
Common Themes
There are several common themes across our interviewees' approaches to their career change. The most instructive and insightful of those themes are summarized here:
Be open to change - Many people will contemplate changing careers, but will hesitate due to fear of uncertainty, financial constraints, or settling for what they have. The openness to change is one of the things that separates those that have successfully achieved a career change and those still contemplating it. Tune into and follow your curiosity, passions and interests and take the opportunities that allow you to further them. All of our interviewees talked of the likelihood that the type of job you are in now will still be available if your move doesn’t work out. Exploration into a new area will be a small blip in a long career if it doesn’t work out, but it could also be the start of a more fulfilling career (and life!).
Build the stepping stones - The transitions that our interviewees have made were not made overnight. Each role was a stepping stone towards their career goals. For example, Emma’s move to Head of Growth was a move towards HR and People Ops focused work. Brian’s move to the more technical implementation side of software sales was a step towards professional sales. Chris moved out of government and into the commercial sector as a stepping stone towards running his own business. Sometimes these moves are by design and are strategic, and sometimes they happen more organically. Either way, you can clearly see how they shaped their routes to their desired outcomes.
Leverage your networks and professional relationships - All of our subjects talked about the people and professionals who changed the trajectory of their careers. For Chris, it was the confidant who advised him to “bet on himself.” A solid reputation amongst his network resulted in real business opportunities and contracts for services when he went out by himself. For Emma, it was the leader that saw her potential and took a chance on her, giving her an opportunity to transition into People Ops. For Brian it was his original manager at Computer Associates. He was the first professional sales person Brian had worked for and his transformational mentorship paved a way forward for a career in sales.
Put the work in - As with most things in life, a career change can not be successfully accomplished without putting in the hard work. To earn a professional network that you can count on requires relationship building, confidence, professionalism and integrity. To be given the opportunity to try new things also requires trust, credibility and respect. These are all hard won through time, effort and talent. Our interviewees achieved their own breakthroughs with hard work and dedication, and putting good work in even in roles they knew weren’t their forever roles.
Successful career changes often stem from a combination of self-reflection, proactive networking, hard work and flexibility. Our interviewees have not only taken advantage of opportunities but have also sought out challenging and stretching experiences to further their careers. They have persevered, believed in themselves and had the courage to step out of their comfort zone and open themselves up for growth in a new and fulfilling career path. What’s more, I’m pretty sure they are not done yet! Learning is a lifelong process, after all.