Semicolon before “therefore” to join two clauses?

I'm really struggling with semicolons and I know I need an independent clause after the semicolon but I feel like that makes the whole sentence a little jerky.

Would this be correct?

• My prior knowledge of this sector was limited; therefore, I was surprised to learn about the different strategies business used to outcompete different firms.

I know I need to get rid of therefore to make it independent but I feel like the vibe of the sentence would change?

Solution 1:

Therefore can be used in an independent clause, so your sentence structure is fine as it is. As you said, a semicolon can join essentially any two independent clauses into one sentence.