From Lab Coats to Logins
How Aliya Humphris Found Her Fit
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What were you doing before the pivot (your role and industry)? What are you doing now?
My story is a little interesting because I have had two career pivots in a relatively short span (about 3 years). I was on track to earn my degree in forensic science with a specialization in forensic examination when I decided to leave for an early entrance Doctor of Pharmacy program. I completed two years of my doctorate while working as a student pharmacist in a retail setting before ultimately deciding to pivot again. I am now a Workday and VNDLY Consultant, while also actively pursuing my MSAI at Purdue University with a focus on AI Management and Policy.
What first made you realize the industry you were in wasn’t for you?
For me, it came down to really questioning who I was as a person and what I wanted out of life. I was in a unique position when I made a lot of my early career decisions because I was grade accelerated and started my undergraduate degree when I was 15. I was limited in the hands-on career exploration opportunities I had before beginning my formal college education and subsequent career path.
I have always wanted to be able to grow in my career rather than stay in the same position for years, and I just couldn’t see either of the roles I pivoted from aligning with those desires. This was one of my biggest signs that I wasn’t in the right place; it helped to make my decisions a lot easier and helped me to recognize when I had finally reached a place where I truly felt happy.
Did your body or mind start to send signals before you knew something had to change?
From a forensics standpoint, this was probably where mental health had played the largest role in helping me realize I wasn’t in the right place. I became disinterested and stopped going to classes for the most part. I was contemplating dropping out of school and never returning around this point, and if it wasn’t for my community constantly talking me off of ledges, I probably would have.
When I left pharmacy, it was a pretty similar experience to what drove me to leave forensics. I dreaded going to work, and comments from frustrated patients started feeling like personal attacks. There were points where I genuinely almost walked out and didn’t come back. I stayed on for a short time after one particularly rough customer interaction, but it was one of my final straws that eventually led to my final point of burnout.
How did burnout show up for you, and how did you finally name it?
Ironically, burnout was something discussed frequently when I was in pharmacy school. For me, it was a feeling like nothing was ever good enough, no matter how much I studied or practiced. I couldn’t understand why I was still struggling, constantly being overwhelmed and agitated, drained, and wanting to crawl into a dark cave somewhere to become something out of some local folklore. I was missing out on things like spending time with my family and friends. I started recognizing that I had subconsciously trained my body into this constant state of fight-or-flight, just to keep going every day. I was stuck in a vicious cycle that I knew I needed to break.
What made you choose the new field or role you’re in now? Was it a calling, a curiosity, or a survival move?
My move into the Workday Ecosystem was a path I had considered when I originally decided to leave the forensics program. My father has been in the ecosystem for most of my life, so I was kind of familiar with it when I was first exploring a transition. I had always been more science-oriented, so I opted to try the Pharmacy route first. However, I always kept the idea of pursuing Workday in the back of my mind.
I sat down with my dad and had a deep conversation with him about the work. I began researching ways to transition from my doctorate to an undergraduate degree because, with all the transitions, I still had not completed one. I found a way to utilize all my previously earned credits from my forensics degree and completed my undergraduate in about a year and a half after leaving pharmacy school.
What fears did you have about starting over?
I was anxiety-ridden about making the decisions both times because the most overwhelming fear I had was, “What if you’re just giving up?” I was plagued by these thoughts of being a failure, or that I was giving up too easily, or that the people who told me that I wasn’t going to make it in the field were right. I also had a lot of fear over how much time and money I had already put into the path I was on and what it meant to essentially start over from square one.
What part of your identity felt most shaken by leaving your previous role or industry?
My entire career path up to that point had been spent in healthcare, so leaving the field entirely (not just pharmacy) was a huge step for me. I had been working in healthcare from the time I was legally old enough to have a job and had done most things from administrative to clinical. Everything I had done up unto that point was designed around a career in the healthcare space, including all of my college coursework, so the change stripped me down to the foundation of who I was and what I wanted out of life.
What systems or cultures did you have to unlearn to protect your mental health?
I battled a lot of feelings that I was a disappointment to the people who had supported me in my journey thus far. I was worried that I was always going to be a failure in their eyes, so getting myself to a point where I could say “Now is the time to walk away” was huge for me. There was always this sort of silent pressure to ‘never give up.’ Coming to a point where I knew I needed to leave the industry felt like that, like I was giving up. I had to remind myself that things have to change to make room for new growth. I had to consciously work at viewing these changes I was choosing as new beginnings, to go farther than I had before.
What supports—people, tools, practices—helped you get back on your feet emotionally and professionally?
Both times I made this industry pivot, my parents were my rocks and voice of rationality. I’ve always been at a different place in my professional life than others my age. Trying to cope with things like this, with few people to relate to, can feel extremely isolating. Having my parents be such strong supporters of me and knowing how to help me understand my emotions and experiences is the reason I am where I am today. Had it not been for them, I probably would have dropped out and been in an entirely different situation.
I also had some wonderful mentors along the way. The fact that these people took the time to understand me and share their own experiences made things feel much less isolating. There were, of course, a lot of people who didn’t understand why I was doing it, which created this mounting pressure to just stay where I was, so I am grateful to those who did support me.
How did it feel to land somewhere better after it all, and what does “better” mean to you now?
It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of me. Mentally, things felt a lot clearer, and physically, I felt renewed and had a lot of my energy back. I no longer have that constant sense of dread about showing up for work, and instead, I have genuine feelings of enjoyment and fulfillment in it.
I have a strong support network at my current company, and I feel like I have been set up to succeed. I get to work with a lot of different companies and industries, so every day is something a little different, and it helps to combat feelings of being “stuck.”
Now, I feel like I can give an actual answer to where I see myself in the next 5-10 years, and it's where I am today. Actively being able to see myself in this industry several years into the future is something that I can say for the first time in my career, so it helped me validate that I made the right decision.
What’s one boundary or value you refuse to compromise in this new chapter?
I was in some toxic work environments for most of my early career, so holding to my values and goals is something I won’t compromise on. I also won’t allow a role to compromise my mental health – if I reach a point where I am feeling genuinely sick over the environment I am in, I will take myself out of that environment. The grass is greener where you water it, but I’m not going to allow someone or something to throw poisonous chemicals in my garden.
What would you say to someone who’s where you were—burnt out, broken down, and scared to leave?
First, “It can’t rain all the time” – this is taken from the 1994 film The Crow, and I have had this tattooed on me since I was 17. Ironically, I got this because The Crow is my favorite film, but after the past few years, it now serves as a daily reminder that no matter how much it feels like it is constantly pouring, it can’t rain all the time.
Second, I would say to “Be like Icarus.” I know this probably sounds questionable, given the story is often told as a warning of hubris, but there is a simple fact that most people overlook – Icarus laughed as he fell. This detail is something that I also have as a tattoo, paired with the line “For the greatest tragedy of them all is never to feel the burning light,” from Oscar Wilde. Changing my perspective on this myth in particular helped me to shift my perspective. We tend to get caught up in “what happens if I fall?” or “what happens if it doesn’t work out?” to the point that we never actually end up making the jump. Grasping the sun for even a moment is better than never having touched it at all. So to you, I say, “Be like Icarus,” because the only way that you will fail is to never try to fly.
Finally, celebrate your wins. We often forget to take time to be proud of ourselves for what we have accomplished, or we write off accomplishments because they “don’t feel that important.” Be there for yourself. The only person who is going to be with you for your entire life is you, so take some time to appreciate who you are. You have gotten yourself through 100% of your hardest days, and you should be proud of yourself for that. And if you’re not, it’s okay, I’m proud of you.
Want to follow Aliya’s next chapter? Find her on LinkedIn
