Career Switch Podcast: Expert advice for your career change · Lixandra Urresta

44: The power of networking for POC & First Gens

·36 min·2 clips

Dani says she turned conversations into jobs and earned 11 promotions in 11 years through networking.

Alexandra Uresta frames the episode as a conversation that feels personal to her as a woman of color and first generation. She explains that this space matters because culture and background can shape the beliefs people bring into career change. The interview then turns to what networking looks like when someone is trying to break into a new role or industry. Danni Tan starts by asking people to look closely at the jobs they want. She recommends reading current job descriptions instead of guessing what a role requires. From there, she says to compare those responsibilities with your current experience. The point is to see what overlaps and what does not. Missing pieces are expected, and that is fine. Next, she urges listeners to identify people who already hold the role they want. Those people can give a clearer picture of what matters day to day. She suggests reaching out with a simple request for a short conversation. The goal is to learn about their experience and how they think about the gaps. Danni describes this as collecting information from real people rather than relying only on online searches. She also notes that some gaps can be filled with a class, such as a program from General Assembly. The episode keeps coming back to the same idea: career change feels more manageable when it is broken into small, concrete steps. It also leaves room for the emotional side of the process, especially for listeners who want to feel seen in the advice they hear. By the end, the conversation returns to the show’s larger purpose: encourage action, even if the first move is just one message or one conversation. The closing also points listeners toward the show notes, website, and social channels for resources and follow-up.

As heard by us

Networking is framed as a practical research tool, not a vague career slogan.

The episode treats career change as something concrete: learn the missing pieces, ask the right people, and map the gap between where someone is and where they want to be.

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Why you'd press play

Use a few real conversations to map the gap between your current role and the one you want.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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