# 196: Finding Your Passion Through Change With Elena Agaragimova
In today's episode I have a very interesting interview with my guest, Elena, about her inspiring career change transition.Elena started her career in higher education, which she found to be slow-paced, so she then shifted to corporate learning, working with the younger generation.In 2019, Elena explains while she was based in Dubai she co-founded a company call Bessern with a business partner. Bessern focuses on performance well-being in organisations. She was also involved in various other projects, such as building up talent pipelines for small companies.Elena shares that in the beginning of her career transition, she didn't really have a strategy, "Having an idea about what you want to do is a starting point, it doesn't have to be all mapped out, but consider what you like, what you don't like and what things give you energy." Elena talks about being mindful of not making an 'emotional' decision. We often want to make a change when we're in a state of emotional burnout but this isn't the best place to be making a decision from. Be self-aware and honest with yourself, ask yourself "what am I running away from and what I am running towards?"Elena has always had a side hustle and over the years corporate learning and development has been one of them. "I have always been experimenting, I always had a 9-5, but I was creating opportunities for myself, by doing random projects and paid or unpaid work".Towards the end of 2019 she started to get a lot of clients of her own, which meant she would have to take time off work and use her vacation time to do sessions. She started thinking maybe this was the time to do this full time, as she was feeling overwhelmed with her work. What you will learn:Identifying roles you are interested in: If you have an idea you are interested in, be open to it. Experiment with it, find platforms and networks that can support your journey.The importance of networking: Source opportunities, either paid or voluntary, to build confidence in areas which you think your confidence or experience is lacking.Creating opportunities for yourself: Experiment with your idea, try different ways to achieve your goal. Fully putting yourself out there increases your chance of opportunities.Connect with Elena Agaragimova on LinkedIn or BessernOther episodes you may enjoy:Episode174: How My Career Changed For The Better After Covid-19 Lock DownEpisode 175: What Common Career Mistake Lawyers Make That Keeps Them Feeling StuckTHIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE CAREER CHANGE MAKER PROGRAMIf you are looking for support with changing career direction, book a suitability call >> https://www.careerchangemakers.com/ccmprogramThis episode is sponsored by BlinkistWant more knowledge in less time? Blinkist is a professional book summary service that allows you to understand the key insights from the world's best non-fiction books in 15 minutes or less.Perfect for curious people who love to learn, busy people who don’t have time to read, and even people who aren’t into reading. Click here to discover