Over the last decade, my career has progressed from student to recruiter to test-coordinator to business analyst to senior business analyst to contractor and blogger.
While my career has gone from strength to strength, along the way I’ve made a bunch of mistakes. With the start of a new year/new decade, I know a lot of my readers want to make that big career change so I thought I would share my 10 career mistakes, with hope, you can take something away from it.
- Chasing money
When I first started working I never paid attention to the industry, the company or even the role. I was purely focused on the salary, I would switch roles for the slightest increase, I stayed in companies that I hated. I thought I was doing the right thing, but honestly I wasn’t, money should’t be the only factor you consider when picking a career. The industry, role and management all hold just as much if not more importance. We’re becoming a generation that leaves companies after 2-3 years – I’m not saying it is right or wrong. But there is much to be said about building your career in the right company. Don’t get me wrong, money is important but not the only factor you should focus on. If you’re in the process of looking for a new role, focus on the company, potential for growth, and management. Get those three right and the money will eventually come.
- Taking the first opportunity.
I said this in a previous post when I graduated I was broke and wanted to get to work right away. I literally applied for every graduate role available. And took the first role offered to me. This was a gift and a curse; fortunately it provided skills I needed to excel, such as dealing with senior stakeholders, the art of negotiation and the importance of persistence, but it was definitely not the role and industry I wanted to be in. Take time to find out exactly what you want to do and focus on that. So many people are in positions they don’t want to be in because they took the first opportunity given and now they feel stuck.
To anyone that feels stuck trust me that never the case, I was on a career path that I didn’t want to be on, I picked up the skills during my free time, found mentors and kept knocking on doors until I got what I wanted. It wasn’t easy, but it’s not supposed to be.
- Wasting Time
We have some much time after work and on the weekends to enhance our skills, or build businesses and network but what was I doing? Wasting time! Neflix had me, chilling with friends had me, my bed had me.
I found once I applied myself to study on the weekends and lunch I began to notice things changing. I still struggle from time to time but I’m trying to diligently apply myself on the weekends. If we want more we have to demand more from ourselves.
- Getting Comfortable
I’ve been guilty of getting too comfortable in some position. I got used to the day to day work, and became dependent on the money coming through. Although it doesn’t seem like a bad thing, comfort and stagnation are best friends. You rarely grow from a place of comfort. As much as we may think we hate change, we have to understand the potential growth that comes from change. The best thing about contracting is the fact that I am constantly learning and constantly being challenged. You don’t have to leave your company to do this, find ways to challenge yourself or set personal projects to keep things exciting.
- Not seeking proper advice
“A wise man seeks proper council”, unfortunately despite having the right mentors and advisers around me at times, I have made some terrible decisions. I was told to wait until I found the right role, I decided to go against that advice and took the first opportunity available to me. I was advised to stay at a role a bit longer to harness my skills but I was offered a £20,000 increase with another organisation, needless to say, I took the opportunity but again my advisers were right I still had a bit to learn, I suffered in the short term but it worked out in the long run, maybe I would have suffered less if I listened to them, who knows. But now I would definitely advise you to listen to your mentors/advisers: we think every situation is unique, but to them, it’s just a rerun.
- Letting Fear Hold Me Back
I’ve always wanted to contract and could have much earlier in my career, but I was scared of failing. I also had people telling me that I was not ready yet. What I’ve realised is that people will place their own limitations on you if you let them. I took that jump into contracting and haven’t regretted it, even if it did go wrong I would just find another role. There is nothing to be scared of, we just tell ourselves scary stories. Don’t let fear stop you, you have got this!
Disclaimer: Put in the necessary work!
- Upping my lifestyle with every pay rise
One of the best pieces of advice I was given when I started working was to live off the same salary and invest the difference. But the moment I got an increase I made irresponsible financial decisions e.g. I went and got a Mercedes, the moment I got another raise I got a Rolex, and that pattern continued until I realised how much money I was wasting. Now I try to live off of what I was getting at my last permanent role and invest/save the difference. Try and find a balance between enjoying the now and planning for the future.
A future post about finances and budgeting is definitely coming.
- Not learning more skills.
Learning doesn’t stop when you finish school, it continues throughout your entire life. Those that do not commit to a mindset of lifelong learning will rarely get to where they want to be. I was very comfortable working within my skill set and neglected the importance of learning new skills. I’m now committed to becoming the best business analyst possible, but also learning skills outside of my domain to increase the opportunities available to me. Set some time each week and focus on an area you would life to develop, pick something you’re genuinely interested and just learn.
- Wanting everything too quickly.
In my mind I was supposed to be a millionaire by 25, but honestly I’m happy it didn’t happen. I know had I received everything too early I wouldn’t have appreciated it. The mindset now is to ignore the end results and focus on the process, If you commit to the routine, the results will come as a byproduct.
- Having an emergency fund
It’s scary how many people live paycheck to paycheck, and it takes real discipline to break this habit. For a long period, I was what you called a ‘fake saver’, I would transfer money to a savings account each month, but would dip into it each month. But working in recruitment changed my attitude towards saving. The turnover in recruitment was high. I didn’t want to be in a position where I was let go and couldn’t pay my bills. I remember there was one guy that started the same time as me, he brought a widescreen tv randomly out of the blue, he said spending kept him motivated, we had been there for about 2 weeks and seen a few people get fired. I asked him if he was worried, he said no and was fired later that day. Witnessing that only intensified my saving. Once you have a safety net you feel more in control of your destiny. You can be more strategic about the roles you take, you can take the time to start that business. And you’re better prepared if trouble comes your way. They say the average person is just one paycheck away from being broke. We need to start taking steps to break this statistic.
I hope you can take something away from this, we shouldn’t take our careers lightly, as it can be a way to create the life we want and many people will be affected by the decisions we make.
We should all try and take our careers seriously, I didn’t for a long time. I was simply too relaxed. If you’re unhappy with your career or how its progressing change! We are not bound to anything but the limitations we place on our mind.
And start working on it today, they say the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is today. Be persistent, and consistent.
You’re the architect, of your life.