I left a profession I loved, then rejoined it. I don't regret the detour

The writer gained much from trying a different field, which gave him fresh perspectives and exposed him to the tech world.

- Kenneth Cheng

In early 2022, I found myself at a career crossroads. I was six years into my first job after graduation with a relatively small mainstream media outlet, where I had cut my teeth as a young journalist.

By then a middle manager with editing responsibilities and colleagues-turned-friends whose company I enjoyed, I had plenty to be grateful for. Yet I was also itching to try something new, having seen a number of co-workers leave for new jobs in the years prior.

Some had joined other newsrooms or made strides into adjacent professions such as public relations and content production. Others had ventured bravely into entirely different fields, such as heritage, data science and social services.

When I received an offer to join a regional tech company to relaunch and manage a food news website in March 2022, I barely hesitated.

To be sure, there were many lingering doubts: Having been in the news media for more than six years, would I survive (and even thrive) in a new environment? Would I get along with my new boss and colleagues? What if it did not work out?

These fears, as I discovered, were overblown.

The new role taught me so much about building a product as well as managerial nous skills I would likely not have picked up so early on in my career, had I stayed in my previous job.

I was exposed to the business aspects of getting a website off the ground and keeping it going. These ran the gamut from hiring and assembling a team to strategy, budgeting, marketing and partnerships.

My boss also turned out to be among the best I have worked with. An excellent listener and a competent manager, she taught me the importance of having scheduled one-to-one chats with the people I managed something that was not practised in the newsroom.

Top of the list of items she wanted to discuss at these chats? "How are you?" her Google calendar invitation read.