The best career advice I was never given
The on-the-ground intel I wish I'd known when I was at the top...and the bottom.
I was supposed to be going to Windsor Castle to meet the King tomorrow. Sadly a series of personal events that I’ll tell you all about some other time has meant I’ve had to postpone it for now. But it will happen at some point. At least I hope so because I’ve bought the hat and everything.
Anyway, the point is I was supposed to be going to accept an MBE. For those unfamiliar with the UK’s weird and ancient rituals this is all part of something called the ‘honours system’, where basically the royal family give out gold star stickers for work well done. I’m very small fry in comparison to the many others who will be there on the day but still, I am chuffed to bits.
My award is for ‘services to the magazine industry’ a world where I spent over 25 years of my career. (I’m now Head of Writer Partnerships for this very platform in the UK and Europe- a career change which surprised no one more than me. You can read about that here.) And so it has given me a moment to stop and think about careers- what they are, but also how they shape us into the people we become. Because when you think about it, careers are so much more than a collection of jobs with a wage. A career- whether that’s stacking shelves at Asda or working for the UN (and both have their value) is essentially a massive amalgamation of really important things. There’s all the people you’ve met, the places you’ve worked, the emotions you’ve had on the job, the set backs you’ve faced, the advice you’ve taken (or not) as well as the thousands of moments between every one of those things that has gone into forming a big old chunk of who you are.
And so what I'm trying to say is that careers are really important. Not as important as children, or a loved one, say. But up there. And so the way I see it, it helps to put some thought into them.
So here is some advice I so badly wish I’d been given; not just when I was starting out but mid way through, when I got to the top and when I started all over again at 42. I’m not saying I’m any sort of expert when it comes to careers by the way, but I have failed and I have had success. I’ve had good leaders and I’ve had bad ones and I’ve taken copious notes from both.
Also I’d love to hear YOUR experiences in the private chat or in the comments below. Remember all comments are paywalled so you can be safe in the knowledge you won’t be trolled or seized upon by some no-name virtual psychopath. This is YOUR space- not a town hall where everyone chimes in but a lovely, warm coffee shop where everyone gets to chat.
Right…ready?
Don’t find a mentor
I know this is going to be unpopular. I know every ‘girl boss’ on earth says ‘get a mentor’. I know pretty much every Gen Z-er thinks they can’t possibly be successful unless they have someone cheerleading in their corner. They are wrong. Mentors are always bad ideas.