Advertisement

‘I'm a real-life Fatima – but pivoting from dance to cyber made me miserable’

Julia Pond - Angela Dennis
Julia Pond - Angela Dennis

Throughout my childhood, dancing was the only thing I ever wanted to do. I spent my time watching musicals like A Chorus Line and dreaming of being on Broadway (I lived in the US as a kid). From the age of five, I trained four days a week in ballet, jazz, and contemporary; then as a young adult, I studied dance formally at the Boston Conservatory in 1996, often practising for 12 hours a day. The four-year course was intense, but it was my passion and I put all my effort into it.

Years later, I changed path and threw myself into a new pursuit. The area? Tech – or, as our Government might put it, “cyber”. Yes, I’m a pre-Fatima Fatima.

When I first saw the advert, attributed to HM Government, that depicts a ballet dancer tying her shoelace and reads “Fatima's next job could be in cyber (she just doesn't know it yet). Rethink. Reskill. Reboot," I was naturally disappointed.

The much-maligned Government advert
The much-maligned Government advert

The pandemic has seen people in creative industries forced out of fields they have trained tirelessly for, and the resurgence of that advert (which originally came out in 2019) seemed to disregard those efforts at a time when encouragement is needed. As someone who has done just that – moved from a dance career into the tech industry – I know first-hand that being stripped of what you love can be exhausting.

After finishing my dance course in 2000, I went freelance as a dancer in New York for five years, before moving to Italy to live at The Art Monastery Project, teaching around the country and collaborating with musicians. I had a very creative, almost Bohemian existence where I got to experiment with who I was as an artist – but I was living hand-to-mouth in a traditional starving artist kind of way, stressing about where my rent was going to come from.

In 2010, I moved to the UK, where my transition from dancer to tech-head began. I continued working freelance as a performer, and started working remotely, part-time, as an editorial assistant for a startup called Gogobot; an app which used AI to make real time personal travel recommendations based on weather, time of day and travel style. This was also the year I met Alex, who I married in 2012 and had a child with two years later.

It was such a relief to have a steady income. As years passed, I almost inadvertently climbed the ladder until I was VP of Content at the company (which had rebranded to Trip.com) – and then, after Trip.com was bought out by Skyscanner in 2017, stayed on with the title Head of Editorial Content.

But at the same time, my dance career was slipping through my fingers. I became steadily more demoralised by endless meetings and a business model that depended on people buying flights, which wasn't something I was keen on supporting because of the climate crisis. There was a dissonance between who I was as a person and what I was doing with eight hours of my day.

I started using my money to buy frivolous things to make up for my unhappiness. It wasn’t until one day, while standing in Planet Organic purchasing a £30 face serum on my lunch break, I realised that having a nice job just to pay for these items wasn’t bringing me any long term joy. So, I decided to do my own “Rethink, Reskill, Reboot” – via a Master of Fine Arts Degree (MFA).

Julia doing what she loves – dancing - Sammi Fang
Julia doing what she loves – dancing - Sammi Fang

At the time, I was the higher earner in my family so quitting my job was a really scary decision, and we had a child to look after. I also felt as if making money and seeming successful made me appear more acceptable to society, and leaving for something much more uncertain would appear reckless. Nevertheless, with considerable thought and the support of my husband, I left my job in 2019.

I am now doing an MFA in Creative Practice (Dance Professional Pathway) offered by both Trinity Laban and Independent Dance, which allows me to develop my practice in a stimulating environment. I also founded a bespoke yoga and movement company called Your Own Yoga, designing home practices tailored to an individual’s needs. I may not earn as much – and I acknowledge that I am fortunate enough to have someone else to rely on for support – but I’m happier than the decade-or-so I spent at a tech company.

My life is a testament to the fact that we need to be seeing what we can do to keep artists making arts and not encouraging highly trained professionals to learn to code. There are plenty of  people who may find fulfillment in being given opportunities in tech – but, as a dancer, I did not.

As told to Precious Adesina

For more on Julia's work visit her website or Your Own Yoga

Have you had a drastic career change? Share your story in the comments section below.