Bridge Role

A bridge role is a position in your target field that explicitly values the expertise you built in your old one — letting you change careers without resetting salary or seniority. It is the safest entry mechanism in a career change: you are paid for what you know while you grow into what you don't.

Classic examples: a controller becoming a finance business partner for engineering teams, a teacher moving into corporate learning and development, a journalist entering content strategy. In each case the new employer buys proven skills, and the career changer buys time to build domain knowledge.

Finding your bridge starts with a transferable-skills inventory: list what makes you senior, mark what is portable, then search for roles in the new field where exactly those strengths are scarce.