What happens to a girl who grows up dreaming of being an ice-skating star, but isn’t quite good enough to make it?

If that girl is Vera Wang, she pivots.

Today, of course, we know Wang as an iconic designer who rules the runway and outfits lucky brides of a certain status. Her net worth is estimated at $420M, and she also holds the title of youngest-ever editor at Vogue.

But Wang didn’t become a fashion designer until she was around 40 years old.

Point is, it’s never too late for a pivot. At Newcastle Associates, I sometimes work with candidates who have profound change in mind. They’re burnt out on their current path or have a passion they’ve always wanted to pursue.

But they’re comfortably ensconced in their current careers, and not sure how to make a change.

You don’t have to be facing a dead end like Wang was with her ice skating career. It might be that you’re absolutely on track to keep doing what you’re doing forever. But will it make you happy?

If you have a pivot in mind, let’s talk.

Finding enough (and the right) tech talent is the elusive dream of many hiring managers. With unemployment at a 50-year low, candidates have lots of options.

McKinsey, those masters of analysis, suggest that where you live has a lot to do with what your talent pipeline looks like.

For example, technology professionals with AI skills gravitate to the West Coast. But the Capital Region (that’s the Washington DC, area, including Baltimore and Northern Virginia) contains 12% of all information security workers. That’s more than twice as many as the next city down the list.

This is not surprising. Washington, DC, serves as a hub of the defense industry. Still, companies elsewhere looking for information security talent would be wise to extend their search to the Capital Area.

Being creative and looking outside your immediate area is one way to widen the talent pool you’re drawing from. This is where a Recruiter like myself and the others at Newcastle Associates can help

Pssst’… want to hear a job seeking secret?

You don’t have to walk into a job interview with absolutely no idea how it’s going to go.

It’s perfectly acceptable as a job-seeker to ask questions in advance so you feel more prepared for the interview.

On Fast Company, Marc Cenedella recommends that job seekers ask the person who sets up the interview direct questions such as “What 3 things are most important to success in this role?”

Having the success criteria prioritized will help you better prepare you for how to speak about your experience and your goals. It also provides a good check-in for you to evaluate whether this is, in fact, going to be the right fit for YOU.

I often see in my work as Recruiter, candidates can easily get so anxious about making a good first impression that they forget to ask themselves whether they really want the job.

Interviewing preparation and asking the right questions before going onsite can definitely help.

What’s the worst career advice you’ve ever gotten?

For Scott Dinsmore, it was when a friend told him: “Just focus on building your resume.”

Luckily, right around the same time, he heard some better advice from Warren Buffet, paraphrased as: “taking jobs to build up your resume is the same as saving up sex for old age.”

Dinsmore wants to make an impact with his work, starting now, even if he makes mistakes along the way. And he is not alone. At Newcastle Associates, I talk to candidates every day looking for inspiration in their professional lives.

Finding the passion and intention behind what you do is a critical lever in feeling good about getting up in the morning.

But how to get there?

Dinsmore suggests putting some effort into becoming a “self expert.” If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’re never going to find it. Itemize your strengths, your values, your experiences and the way you make decisions.

In this way, you create a “framework for success,” that helps you decide which jobs to pursue and accept.

We all have an ambiguous relationship with fear. To some extent, if you’re not nervous, you’re not paying attention.

Fear about financial security, for instance, can be a big motivator.

But not every type of fear is productive, and some can be downright destructive. The trick is to know the difference.

When I work with candidates, as a Recruiter, I often note a healthy nervousness in those about to undergo a job interview. They’re on their toes, and that keeps them on their game.

But if that nervousness comes from a place of self-doubt—”Am I good enough for this job?” — the fear can become self-sabotage.

Nate Klemp, on Inc., says this latter type of fear is “vague, personal and full of stories that may or may not be true.” Noticing when you’re having the fear is the first step to banishing it.

Instead, focus on the fears with a tangible link to action. If you can remedy it, great! Otherwise, let it go.