5 Career Lessons I’ll Be Bringing Into 2018

Your well-being comes first: It doesn’t matter how prestigious the company is, how nice that pay check is, if your job and the career path you’re on no longer makes you happy, and actually starts to affect your emotional well-being, then it’s time to go. And I say this as someone who only graduated university in 2016 and experienced this 10 months into my graduate job. Some may argue that as graduates we shouldn’t change job so quickly, and find a way to just tough it out, but I disagree. It will be super stressful and there will be some bad days, but don’t stay somewhere that makes you unhappy. If you like where you work, but maybe not your job, try and see if there is an opportunity to change / adapt your role.

Throw yourself into the deep end, it’s ok to sink for a bit: This is actually something I learnt a few years ago but yes, jump into the deep end!! By this I mean, ask for the hard stuff straight away, the things you don’t know how to do. Sounds scary right? It really is, and you’ll struggle for a while, make loads of mistakes, your confidence and self-belief will be in tatters, but then everything will start to make sense. When this happens, you will honestly feel like you can conquer anything.

Find a Balance: Many of us not only do our day job, but we also have side projects at work, then side hustles in our personal life. It can be draining, but finding a way to balance everything is key, whether that is planning your time more effectively or simply letting go of a few things. That committee you’re on at work, is it necessary? Will it benefit your career? Finding a balance is massively about being selective about what you give your energy to.

Everyone has a different formula, don’t let comparison steal your joy: From observing people move up the career ladder this year and attending / watching various talks etc., I’ve noticed that everyone’s path to getting to THAT place in their career is very different. Yes, learn from the mistakes of others and apply some of the things they did that worked well, but don’t feel the need to replicate. Focus on progressing in a way that’s authentic to you as a person and plays to your strengths and character.

Finally, i’ve come to realise that I don’t have a set plan for my career, and I’m ok with that. What I do know is that I love to learn and whatever I do, I want to be one of the best at it.

René xx