How to approach manager to tell her I have desire to change jobs?

Question

I have been at my company for just over 2 years and it was my first job after graduating university.

I work as an accounting analyst. I have been teaching myself programming and I have had the impulse for several months now that it is what I want to do for my career.

There is (I believe) a non-trivial set of skills in my current role that would transfer over to development. (Logical thinking, pattern recognition, etc. as well as the soft skills such as communication of ideas etc.)

I initially ignored it because I didn't want to rush into it without considering if it is what I want to do. I currently have no professional experience working in a team of developers so I cannot fully say that it is what I will want to do but I have this desire to give it a try.

(Academically speaking I have a strong first class degree from a top uk university in Physics and I took a couple of programming courses in this but that is all in terms of formal education. I have also worked on a few small projects in my spare time and at work but I still feel it is not good enough)

I am quite jaded in my current role and I don't see myself in it long term as there is no real scope for improvement.

In an ideal world, I would like to be given the opportunity to do some sort of trial within the development area of my company so I can see if it is a good fit for me (I strongly believe it would based on prior experiences) but of course I cannot be certain. And also to see if I can perform at a reasonable level and gather new skills for myself.

I have no idea how to approach this with my company and I don't want to jeopardise my current standing within the business (which I see as being decent-good).

I don't really want to leave the company unless it becomes unavoidable, so I would like to explore my options but I have no idea how to approach it.

Here is what I am thinking in terms of pros and cons:

Pros

I think it would be more stimulating than my current role.

I like the opportunity to learn new skills.

Can see myself in this for the long term.

Think I am a good fit for this type of career (personality wise).

Cons

Company is not hiring for any programmers at the moment (although at some point I assume they will have to)

Don't want to risk my current position.

If the company says no we can't/don't want to help you then I am left in a position I don't want to be in and people around me might know/ react to that.

I could be given an option to move and not perform well.

I have little experience so I don't have much to "prove" to the company I would be a good option.

I am looking for feedback on how I could look to approach my situation.

Answer 1

Start by presenting your profile to someone outside the company. You probably have no idea whether you are employable as an entry level developer or not. Your skillset could be anywhere from that of a solid junior developer to a high school kid who knows just for loops and it is difficult to tell the difference without some form of outside feedback.

This process will be a lot easier if you are at a certain level of knowledge and skill. At a decent skill level, you are a potential asset to the software engineering manager. At the for loop skill level, you just seem like one of the many dreamers who wants to code but can't.

A current software engineer will be able to tell you which you are. If you are the latter, then they can tell you what you need to study to get to the former.

To facilitate your employability, go find the technologies used by your company on the LinkedIn pages of your software engineering co-workers or reach out to them directly if you have the courage/low aversion to risk.

Once you are at an employable level, approach the software engineering manager and begin asking them some questions.

Answer 2

With very few exceptions, companies and managers really like people who ask for more responsibility. So don't be shy about asking.

You have a First in physics: you don't have to scrape and beg to be taken seriously in your desire to do technical work. You have valuable habits of mind and systemic understanding, and your degree proves it.

Frame the conversation around asking your manager for advice about your professional development and ambitions. "I have a strong interest in software development, and I wonder if you can suggest any ways I can do some of that work here at Initrode?" That sort of question announces your interest, and enlists your manager in helping you. It's a much better pitch than saying "my current job bores me to tears."

Try to be patient: it may take some time for your company to figure out how to accommodate your professional development. By patient, I mean months, not years.