Building Self-Confidence: How Women Are Preparing for Second and Third Careers

Career change requires self-confidence and making yourself visible

For many women, launching a second or third career can be both empowering and stressful. One critical foundation for this journey is building self-confidence.

While skills and experience matter, self-confidence is what helps women navigate uncertainty, advocate for themselves, and stay resilient through the ups and downs of any career change. Even highly accomplished women often find that entering a new field or returning to work requires intentionally rebuilding belief in their abilities and moving beyond imposter syndrome.

Key areas of self-confidence building that women should focus on include:

Trusting Their Experience

Many women underestimate how transferable their past experiences are. Leadership, problem-solving, empathy, patience, and organization, are skills developed through previous careers, volunteering, caregiving (one area we need to give more credit to), and community roles. Building self-confidence means recognizing that our journey is a strength, not a setback.

Confidence Building Strategy: Reflect on past accomplishments and map out how previous skills apply to new fields to see the full value of your journey.

Developing a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset—the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed allows women to approach career changes with courage and curiosity instead of fear. Mistakes or setbacks should be viewed as opportunities to learn, rather than signs of failure. It is through mistakes that we can quickly learn what actually works.

Confidence Building Strategy: Adopt daily habits like documenting learning moments (and what can be tried next) and reframe challenges as "growth opportunities" to strengthen this mindset over time.

Owning Their Unique Value

Each woman brings a unique blend of experiences, insights, and values to the table. Building self-confidence means embracing what sets you apart and what you can lean into to be seen.

Confidence Building Strategy: Women can write personal value statements, identify their superpowers, and practice articulating their strengths before networking or interviewing (create a 30 second pitch and practice sharing it).

Becoming Comfortable With Visibility

Career pivots often require greater self-promotion, something many women can find very challenging. Confidence grows when we practice speaking up, sharing ideas publicly, and owning our accomplishments without hesitation. Clarifying our purpose can also enable us to find strength when marketing ourselves.

Confidence Building Strategy: Join public speaking groups, participate in or host webinars, or simply post insights on LinkedIn to build comfort with visibility.

Managing Fear of Failure

Fear of failure can paralyze action. Confident women can reframe failure as part of the growth process, allowing them to take strategic risks without being immobilized by "what if" scenarios (and knowing that failure helps us to quickly find what actually does work).

Confidence Building Strategy: Set small goals, celebrate progress, and surround yourself with a supportive community to pursue risks with optimism and to share stories. Know that you are not alone and many women will share your experiences.

How Fellowships Can Help Build Self-Confidence

Fellowships designed for career changers or women leaders can play a powerful role in nurturing self-confidence. Fellowships provide :

• Structured Learning Environments

  Fellowships provide access to skills training, leadership workshops, and mentorship programs, all within a supportive structure that fosters continuous growth.

  
  

• Access to a Supportive Network

  Connecting with a cohort of like-minded women who are also navigating transitions, creates a sense of belonging. Fellows can share struggles, celebrate wins, and inspire each other.

  
  

• Opportunities for Real-World Application

  Many fellowships offer project-based learning, where women can practice new skills, take on leadership roles, and build a portfolio of success stories that further fuel self-confidence.

  
  

• Mentorship and Sponsorship

  Access to mentors who can offer guidance, encouragement, and industry insights helps women envision bigger possibilities for themselves and move forward with greater assurance.

In short, fellowships are more than just career programs, they are confidence accelerators. For women pursuing second or third careers, they offer the tools, community, and opportunities needed to build the kind of self-belief that transforms aspirations into reality (with women helping women).

Watch for the launch of the Engaged Thinking Associates Empowered Women 4 Good Fellowship in Fall of 2025.