At the age of 35, I gave up my high-paying job and started over! Industry mentors can help you avoid 90% of the detours

A few days ago, I received a particularly moving letter from a reader that deeply shook me. The letter was from a friend named Li Ming, who made a decision that everyone thought was "crazy" at the age of 35, during his "golden career years" - he gave up a management position with an annual salary of 500,000 yuan to start over.

Today, I want to share his story with everyone. Because in this era full of uncertainty, perhaps each of us needs such courage. More importantly, his experience reveals a truth: it's never too late to start over, the key is to stop ineffective efforts and use the right methods to open a new chapter.

The Decision That No One Understood

Li Ming wrote in his letter: "When I told my family and friends that I was going to quit this job I had for 8 years with an annual salary of 500,000 yuan, everyone thought I was crazy."

As a middle manager at a traditional manufacturing company, Li Ming's life looked perfect: stable income, good social status, and a warm little family. But he told me that a voice in his heart was getting stronger and stronger: "I don't want to live my whole life like this."

The turning point that prompted him to make this decision was a chance industry exchange meeting. There, he met an expert in the digital marketing field and heard completely different career stories and possibilities. "At that moment I realized that I had been living by inertia, not really living," Li Ming wrote honestly in his letter.

The First Step in Career Transition: The Struggle to Find a Mentor

After deciding to transition, Li Ming knew that career transformation is not a solo battle, but requires proper career guidance. The first thing he did was to find a mentor in the digital marketing field.

However, this first step almost exhausted all his energy. He tried all the traditional methods he could think of:

Attending industry conferences: Investing considerable ticket and time costs, yet often unable to have in-depth conversations with real industry leaders due to unequal positions.

Joining social groups: Sending messages widely in various LinkedIn groups and professional forums, but most of them sank without a trace, with no response.

Getting introductions through friends: Through friends' introductions, he met several practitioners, but either their industry experience didn't match, or they had little willingness to mentor newcomers.

"That period was really frustrating," Li Ming recalled, "I spent a full 3 months, met quite a few people, but always felt it wasn't the right match. The time, energy, and social costs were enormous, making me once doubt whether my decision was wrong."

The Turning Point: Discovering the "Shortcut" to Connect with Mentors

Just when Li Ming was lost in confusion, he heard a successfully transitioned senior mention the XXAI platform at an online sharing session. This platform's industry mentor consultation tool connects professionals who need guidance with senior industry mentors from various fields.

With a try-it-out attitude, Li Ming logged onto the XXAI platform. He was pleasantly surprised to find that through professional guidance and resource integration, Li Ming only took one day to clearly understand his transition plan and achieve both personal and professional growth, which was the key step that later helped him successfully transition.

Although he had guidance from an industry mentor, Li Ming began his career transition journey. But reality was more difficult than imagined. From the anxiety of learning new skills at 35, to the life pressure of a cliff-like drop in income, to age discrimination encountered during interviews, every step was full of challenges.

But his mentor told him an important concept: "Your advantage is not learning fast, but learning deep and applying steadily."

This sentence gave him tremendous confidence.

The True Value of Industry Mentors: Far More Than Skill Transfer

During Li Ming's most difficult moments, the role of industry mentors went far beyond skills themselves.

Psychological support: "Whenever I wanted to give up, my mentor could always use his experience to tell me: difficulties are temporary, growth is permanent."

Network expansion: Through his mentor's recommendations, Li Ming tried several key project opportunities, and these practical experiences became the most powerful proof on his resume.

Industry insights: "My mentor showed me the development trends of this industry for the next 3-5 years. This forward-looking perspective is something I could never get from self-study."

Personalized path: Based on his background, the mentor developed a clear 12-month transition plan for him, from foundation strengthening to job search preparation, every step was clear and specific.

(These personalized learning paths can also be developed through XXAI with your mentor.)

The Gains: Not Just a New Job, But a New Life

Li Ming successfully transitioned to become a digital marketing strategist. Although his salary hasn't fully recovered, he wrote in his letter: "I found the long-lost work passion and redefined the meaning of success - doing what you love and are good at is true success."

More importantly, when his child saw his father studying hard for his dreams, the child also became more proactive, and family relationships improved as a result.

Your Transition Journey Doesn't Have to Be a Solo Exploration

Li Ming's story tells us that starting over at 35 is not scary; what's scary is knowing you're unhappy but not daring to change. On the road of career transition, finding the right industry mentor can help us avoid many detours.Li Ming spent 3 months of ineffective exploration before finding direction, but you don't have to repeat his detours. To enable every professional who desires growth to efficiently connect with the right guide.

Here, you can say goodbye to needle-in-a-haystack searching and precisely match with industry mentors who can truly help you.Are you ready to open up new career possibilities?

[Click here to immediately and freely match with your dedicated industry mentor!]