THE WARM UP
Why you’re here
If you’ve landed here, you’re likely curious about making a career change.
Maybe you’ve taken a leap of faith, like quitting your job to create space for something new, or perhaps you feel a quiet nudge - an inkling that it’s time to make a change, even if you’re not yet sure what that might be.
Wherever you are in your journey, valuable insights await you.
What is The Warm Up?
The Warm Up is a series of exercises designed to help you take a closer look at where you are right now and where you’d like to go.
This course draws inspiration from Solai, one of AMS’s co-founders and the ‘S’ in AMS.
Over the last decade, Solai has made some impressive career moves —from actuary to startups to investing. Central to her success was the practice of writing and publishing thought pieces that highlighted her interests and expertise. As well as helping to clarify her ideas, writing gave her visibility, credibility and connection, leading to opportunities such as podcast invitations, journal publications, and an expanded network.
Today Solai is an emerging fund manager and the chair of a not-for-profit. Her journey wasn’t guided wishful thinking -it was built on clarity and the courage to share her ideas.
This course is designed to help you do the same. It’s not about following someone else’s roadmap but creating your own by providing space for honest reflection to identify and pursue career directions that feel right for you.
What makes The Warm Up different?
Most career change exercises require you to have a specific goal and work backwards to achieve it. We’re not going to ask you to do this. After all, it’s not very realistic - many people don’t have a clear sense of what they want - or if they do, the path forward can seem uncertain or overwhelming.
The Warm Up takes a different approach. Instead of starting with a goal, we start with where you are right now. Together we’ll create a map that connects your present circumstances to a possible future.
How The Warm Up works
The Warm Up is divided into three sections that will guide you through a process of discovery including:
The Risk Assessment: Identify and redistribute your resources - time and money - to create the freedom to invest in your future on your own terms.
Mining your Life Experiences: Unearth your strengths, passions, and pivotal moments to clarify what you have to offer.
Becoming the Expert: Develop the habit of writing and publishing thought pieces that showcase your skills and interests
You don’t need to be an expert in any particular field to benefit from this course. Instead, this process will help you see where your existing expertise aligns with your interests and how you can shape a future that brings those opportunities into focus.
Why writing matters
Writing is a central part of this course - not because you need to be a skilled writer, but because writing is one of the most powerful tools for self-reflection. The act of putting your thoughts into words helps you process your experiences, identify patterns and articulate what you want. Throughout the course you’ll be guided to write short pieces that deepen your understanding of yourself. By the time you reach the final section, you’ll begin transforming these reflections into thought pieces that highlight your unique voice, interest and expertise.
The time commitment
Each section includes four exercises, which will take approximately one hour to complete. In Mining your Life Experience, you’ll start writing 500-word pieces to facilitate reflection and practice the habit of writing. By the time you reach the Becoming the Expert section, you’ll progress to shaping these reflections into publishable thought pieces.
Each exercise builds on the one before it. It is important you follow the exercises in sequence.
Getting started
Your first step in creating the map is The Risk Assessment.