Jennifer Reif

Fingerboard to Keyboard: Transposing One Profession to Another

A professional violinist traded their bow for a keyboard. Discover the surprising parallels between music and code, and how to transpose your own career.

Fingerboard to Keyboard: Transposing One Profession to Another
#1about 7 minutes

A career journey from professional musician to tech

The speaker shares her personal story of transitioning from a music major to a programmer analyst and eventually a developer relations engineer.

#2about 6 minutes

Crafting a compelling narrative for your career change

Learn how to frame your career transition by focusing on your strengths, motivations, and the exciting aspects of the new path.

#3about 4 minutes

How to proactively prepare for a major career change

Upskill in advance, identify gaps you can fill, and build small projects to gain hands-on experience before starting a new role.

#4about 5 minutes

Applying existing skills from a non-tech background

Discover how skills like pattern recognition, performance, and project management from an arts career can be directly applied to technology.

#5about 5 minutes

Strategies for learning and navigating the unknown

Adopt a growth mindset by being honest about what you don't know and using effective learning methods like teaching others to accelerate skill acquisition.

#6about 9 minutes

Applying skills through creation and community contribution

Solidify your learning by creating content, contributing to projects, and sharing your work, while also setting healthy boundaries for sustainability.

#7about 5 minutes

How to pursue opportunities by taking calculated risks

Overcome self-doubt by applying for opportunities and taking calculated risks, such as having a safety net or backup plans in place.

#8about 5 minutes

Building resilience by learning from failure and criticism

Develop professional resilience by treating failures as iterative learning opportunities and handling external criticism with authenticity and tact.

#9about 12 minutes

Q&A on career growth, mentorship, and inclusion

The speaker answers audience questions about staying motivated, finding mentors, balancing multiple passions, and fostering more inclusive environments in the tech industry.

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