From the bank to the MEM industries: how to make a successful career change

The challenge: How digitalization is changing job requirements in banks

Adelia Gonçalves works as a clerk in a bank. Her work requires precision, organization and structured thinking - exactly what she likes. But with increasing automation, her job is changing dramatically:

🔹 Routine tasks are digitized, many processes now run automatically.
🔹 The remaining jobs rely more on customer contact and negotiating skills.
🔹 New roles require an extroverted appearance and communication skills.

The problem: Adelia is an analytical thinker who is comfortable with structured work. She always carries out her tasks with quality and conscientiousness - but customer contact, stakeholder management and conducting negotiations are not her thing.

Between uncertainty and a fresh start: Adelia's path to a career change begins with career counseling

Adelia therefore turns to a career advisor to help her assess her current situation. They note the following:

😓 Self-doubt: "I love working hard on solutions - but constant discussions and coordination with internal customers stress me out."
🤯 Frustration: "I've always done a good job, but now my job no longer seems to suit my personality."
💡 Motivation: "I want a stable future and to contribute my strengths in an industry that will challenge me in the long term."

Adelia realizes that it ' s not about bending herself for a role that doesn't suit her - it's about finding a job in which she can continue to use her strengths and skills. A change to a new industry is a good way to do this.

3 steps for a successful lateral entry into a new industry

Step 1: Research - What jobs do other sectors have to offer? 

Adelia discovers that the MEM industry (mechanical, electrical and metal industry) offers exactly what she is looking for:

📌 Precise workflows, structured processes and a technical mindset.
📌 Less customer contact - analytical and organizational tasks instead.
📌 Long-term career prospects in a stable industry.

👉 So lution: She opts for a passerelle in industrial processes and technical management to prepare herself specifically for the new industry.

💡 Learning effect: With targeted further training, she can use her existing strengths in a new environment.

Step 2: Networking to successfully switch to the MEM sector

In addition to further training and taking her first professional steps, Adelia focuses on targeted networking:

✅ She creates a Linkedin profile and presents her strengths there with the help of her career advisor

✅ She attends specialist events in the MEM industry to make contacts.

✅ She meets up at regulars' tables with other career changers who have already successfully entered the MEM industry.

💡 Learning effect: The exchange with industry experts gives her confidence and helps her find her way in the new world of work.

Step 3: Take a targeted approach to further training and qualification

Adelia knows that new specialist knowledge alone is not enough - she also needs practical experience.

✅ She registers for retraining in the MEM sector. She discovered the offer via Linkedin
✅ She discusses long-term development goals with her career advisor
✅ She continues to develop other interdisciplinary skills at her own pace

✅ She applies for an internship to gain her first work experience in the industry

💡 Learning effect: She quickly realizes that her ability for precise process handling is also in demand in the MEM industry and that it is easier for her to acquire new interdisciplinary skills, such as presentation skills, analytical skills and thinking in options, than she thought.

Successful in a new job: Adelia takes off in the MEM industry

After further training, her first practical experience and targeted networking, Adelia has made the transition.

🚀 Today, she works as a specialist for quality and measurement controls in a mechanical engineering company
✅ She analyzes and controls workflows, optimizes processes and applies her newly acquired analytical skills.
✅ The MEM industry offers her a stable environment with clear structures.
✅ She finally feels at home in her new industry - and sees clear prospects for the future.

What Adelia has learned from her career change

💡 Career development doesn't mean bending over backwards for a role - it means finding an environment that suits your strengths.
💡 With a Passerelle, you can prepare for an industry change in a targeted and structured way.

Conclusion: How to make a successful career change to another industry

🔹 If your job disappears due to automation, switching to a new industry can be an opportunity.
🔹 Your strengths remain valuable - you just have to bring them into the right environment.
🔹 With the right training and strategy, a lateral move into a stable future is possible.

Your lateral entry into the MEM industries: get started now with a passerelle!

🔎 Do you recognize yourself in Adelia's story? Would you like to use your skills in a new industry?

📌 On our platform, you will find contact with career coaches and career advisors who will provide you with professional support when you move to another industry.

Stop by and shape your professional future with us! 🚀

‍