September 19, 2023

Choosing a career is often one of the hardest decisions that we face in our search for fulfillment. Whether in school, after graduation, or years into a job, a question about what path you're going to take always comes up. Even if we are uncertain, we all have the ability to decide if a traditional career path or a non-linear career path is right for us.

What is a career? Ultimately, a career is a series of jobs and experiences you've held throughout your lifetime. Ideally, these jobs have aligned with your passion or your interest, but that's not a complete necessity. You should be passionate about your career, but you may not always be passionate about your job.

While a career is a series of jobs, the traditional path is like a ladder. You go from the bottom of the ladder to the top, rising through the ranks and positions steadily over time. As compared to a non-linear path which might be like playing hopscotch, you may move from field to field, but each job provides you with experience and moves you forward in your own direction.

We each have different abilities and risk tolerance, and both routes for crafting your career are great options. It comes down to your personal preferences and goals.

You might face a lot of pressure while following or choosing a career path, and you are not alone in that. This doesn't mean however that you should stick to a path or role that doesn't also provide value to you.

We often get caught up in the Sunk Cost Fallacy, that because we have put time into something, then we must continue to put time into it. That is wrong. You've put time into your career and that's invaluable experience. This doesn't mean you must be on that road forever.

Instead of allowing uncertainty to paint over your choices, look at your options with interest and try these steps.

• Find the interest of your youth.From ages 10-15, many of our interests get formed within these years. By seeking out what you enjoyed in the past, you can both see how it relates to your career or use it to guide you onto a path more fitting for yourself.

• Adopt a growth mindset. Once again moving beyond the Sunk Cost Fallacy, don't limit yourself just based on, "what you've always done" or how much time you've put into something. If you connect the dots of your experiences you can gain more insight into where you might want to go, and at the same time allow yourself room to grow and explore.

• Let curiosity guide you. We enjoy the things are good at and the things we are curious about. By combining a growth mindset, the interests of your youth, and your curiosities of today you can either create your own career path or better define the one you want to follow. This means testing out new ideas, gathering data on yourself, and continually working to improve your vision.

Uncertainty is a fact of our lives and careers that we won't be able to escape. What truly provides us the opportunities to face uncertainty and anxiety about our careers is getting honest with ourselves. Being mindful of what we are truly interested in, and working on a growth mindset will help you not only look to the future but understand where you've come from.

Each career will be unique. Your experiences are your own, and the career you make, whether on the traditional path or the non-linear path, is ultimately determined by how much you know yourself.

September 19, 2023

Choosing a career is often one of the hardest decisions that we face in our search for fulfillment. Whether in school, after graduation, or years into a job, a question about what path you're going to take always comes up. Even if we are uncertain, we all have the ability to decide if a traditional career path or a non-linear career path is right for us.

What is a career? Ultimately, a career is a series of jobs and experiences you've held throughout your lifetime. Ideally, these jobs have aligned with your passion or your interest, but that's not a complete necessity. You should be passionate about your career, but you may not always be passionate about your job.

While a career is a series of jobs, the traditional path is like a ladder. You go from the bottom of the ladder to the top, rising through the ranks and positions steadily over time. As compared to a non-linear path which might be like playing hopscotch, you may move from field to field, but each job provides you with experience and moves you forward in your own direction.

We each have different abilities and risk tolerance, and both routes for crafting your career are great options. It comes down to your personal preferences and goals.

You might face a lot of pressure while following or choosing a career path, and you are not alone in that. This doesn't mean however that you should stick to a path or role that doesn't also provide value to you.

We often get caught up in the Sunk Cost Fallacy, that because we have put time into something, then we must continue to put time into it. That is wrong. You've put time into your career and that's invaluable experience. This doesn't mean you must be on that road forever.

Instead of allowing uncertainty to paint over your choices, look at your options with interest and try these steps.

• Find the interest of your youth.From ages 10-15, many of our interests get formed within these years. By seeking out what you enjoyed in the past, you can both see how it relates to your career or use it to guide you onto a path more fitting for yourself.

• Adopt a growth mindset. Once again moving beyond the Sunk Cost Fallacy, don't limit yourself just based on, "what you've always done" or how much time you've put into something. If you connect the dots of your experiences you can gain more insight into where you might want to go, and at the same time allow yourself room to grow and explore.

• Let curiosity guide you. We enjoy the things are good at and the things we are curious about. By combining a growth mindset, the interests of your youth, and your curiosities of today you can either create your own career path or better define the one you want to follow. This means testing out new ideas, gathering data on yourself, and continually working to improve your vision.

Uncertainty is a fact of our lives and careers that we won't be able to escape. What truly provides us the opportunities to face uncertainty and anxiety about our careers is getting honest with ourselves. Being mindful of what we are truly interested in, and working on a growth mindset will help you not only look to the future but understand where you've come from.

Each career will be unique. Your experiences are your own, and the career you make, whether on the traditional path or the non-linear path, is ultimately determined by how much you know yourself.

If you’re in the workforce and have finally landed the interview, or you’re a student who is getting ready to enter the workforce and has interviews lined up, these are my tips to help ensure that you have a fantastic interview! 

1. Review your Largest Projects and Successful Results 

If you read my previous post “landing leadership roles in your current job,” you’ll have seen my advice which I called keeping the receipts. The practice of cataloging extra projects you’ve done and the outcomes and results from them. This is the time in which you need to draw from these notes. 

Reviewing these projects and notes is great for refreshing your memory while serving the double purpose of reminding you of all you’ve done. There can sometimes be a feeling of imposter syndrome, where you don’t feel like you’ve actually done enough or anything to warrant the interview. These notes serve to both build your confidence because you have been working on leading already while showing you exactly when, where, and what you did. 

2. Situation, Actions, Outcome

This line up is a commonly used method in leadership and management interviews. They ask you about a situation in which you went above and beyond in some capacity for a co-worker, the team, the department, the customer, the company etc.? What exactly were you actions in the situations to resolve it? Followed with, what was the outcomes and results? 

With this being such a common question format, you’ll see why I highly recommend keeping a record of your projects, accomplishments, and results. This makes it easier to pin point good examples to draw from, while keeping the details fresh in your mind, to answer with ease and confidence.

In knowing this format, practice it. Take time to give an elevator pitch summary of an event (1-2 minutes) and see how well it goes. While understanding you may ramble a little when it comes interview time, but because you’ve practiced you know how to get back on track with answers.  

3. Know Yourself, Personal Strengths and Weaknesses

This is a basic recommendation, however it’s a tried and true practice. You have to get honest and open with yourself when thinking through how you'd like to answer this question. We can often name our weaknesses more easily than we can our strengths and this can make it harder during the interview itself to really sell yourself. This can be an important chance to prepare and get vulnerable with yourself. 

There are fun tips and tricks to help this. For examples understanding that your weaknesses can be your strengths overused. Someone who is fast-paced and delivers speedy results may say their weakness is building good rapport and staying organized, and these can directly relate to each other. Perhaps, you love Harry Potter or Percy Jackson you can use House or Cabin attributes of characters you most relate to such as:

Gryffindor: Confident, Ravenclaw: Analytical, Hufflepuff: Empathic, Slytherin: Creative

or among Percy Jackson: Loyal, Annabeth: Adaptable, Clarisse: Strong-willed, Leo: Creative

What matters most is how well you can be honest with yourself because this is where you give yourself a chance to shine. 

4. Ask Thought Provoking Questions 

Finally, when it's your turn to ask questions ALWAYS have some prepared. This is a golden opportunity to interview the interviewer and get a good understanding of the company. If you want to know about work life balance ask the interviewer, "when was the last time you took PTO or vacation?" or "what is the average work-life balance for an employee here?" If you want to know more about the future potential and current state ask: "what is something you'd wish to see done differently or you'd change right now if you could?"  

Don't miss your chance to ask the hard-hitting questions. Think about what matters to you in work and life, then from their form questions surrounding those topics and ideas. You don't want to go into something, and suddenly be blindsided because you forgot to ask a question that really meant a lot to you. This also shows the interviewer that you are taking time to either research the company as you prepared your questions, or that you are thinking more critically about the match between you and the company. 

In the end, ask questions. 

Interviews will always be nerve-wracking. However, if you are focused and take the time to prepare you will put yourself in a stronger position to not only do better but to go into this opportunity with more confidence and understanding. So keep everything simple, and prepare best you can. 

Do you know that loud kid in your class who always volunteers to lead something or is engaged when the professor asks something? Ever wonder if that comes easily to them or if they are really pushing themselves to step outside of their comfort zone and do that? Well the answer just might be both. 

If you want to eventually be a leader in the future, or even just improve your communication and confidence while you are students in university you have a unique chance. A low-stakes environment, where participation is encouraged and often rewarded. Here is simple ways you can start working to improve your leadership abilities and confidence.

1. Keep Everything Simple, Ask Questions in Class 

In any class, any major,  one of the biggest things is often participation. It can be hard having just a silent class, where no one really offers up anything beyond what the professor says. This is where the simplest practice can also be the hardest. Ask a question. Something you can take comfort in, is someone else probably has the same question as you, they just haven’t asked either. 

It can be unnerving and cause anxiety to ask questions, however the more you do it the easier it becomes. Asking questions both keeps you engaged, and shows the professors and classmates you are trying to stay engaged. Add bonus is while it gets easier with time, you can also be seen as a thought leader in the class. I can’t count the number of times, the teacher would have to stop me from asking questions so that the less engaged students would get a chance to speak up as well. 

Don’t overwhelm yourself, keep everything simple, and make it a goal to ask on average one question per class as needed. 

2. Volunteer to be a Project Leader of Event Organizer 

Taking the practices a step further, volunteer to be a leader. There are plenty of projects, assignments, and events, that someone is needed to lead and report from. What’s important to remember here is that not every project will be the right fit, nor will you be the best suited to be a leader for every project. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you understand where you shine best, and which projects and situations you’ll be able to lead with more confidence. 

With classrooms being more low stakes, I recommend you take this opportunity to step out of your comfort zone the best you can. Even looking ahead in the syllabus and seeing that projects are coming up, can be a huge asset for you. Planning ahead will help you prepare and get ready as needed. 

3. Become a Resource for Other Students

Now you might have a class where group projects aren’t necessarily coming up, or are very minimal with selected leaders. The next option I recommend is to become a resource, or go to for your classmates. This can mean a lot of things some examples: knowing where to get the textbook for free, knowing simple ways to describe problems and make them easy to understand, be able to follow the “explain it like I’m five” and describe a subject to anyone. 

Pairing this with the idea of asking questions and becoming a thought leader, you become a leader within the classroom over time. Building trust within your classmates, and confidence within yourself helps improve your ability to communicate and step outside your comfort zones. 

4. Practice Being a Good Follower

The best leaders also know how to step back and be the best followers. As I mentioned earlier there are times and situations where your strengths and weaknesses aren’t suited to lead at that moment. That’s okay. We aren’t capable of leading in everything. What matters is if you can use your skills and be an effective, impactful, and good follower to whoever is leading. 

By showing you have the ability to support others, and to do so with the intention you again build trust, while at the same time get to witness another student’s style of leading and managing people. The greater exposure you have to these experiences will help ensure that you are drawing for not only your class materials but also the experiences that you’ll go through. 

Be prepared to be a good follower, what that entails will change with the projects and leaders. Simple recommendations, ask questions about what they need and what you can do, be prepared to offer up other solutions as needed, and support what you can while working closely with other members to ensure solid communication. 

Taking the lead in class can still make you nervous, and that’s okay. As I said earlier the best thing you can do is keep everything simple but do a small practice. Asking questions is a great start to working on your confidence and leadership. The best leaders are eternal students, who all once started out as students (thanks Harry Potter), so how are you going to start? 

I think it’s important to add this disclaimer that not every employee wants to promote into a management or leadership role. Sometimes they don’t feel ready, maybe the role they are in meets all their needs and is fulfilling, or perhaps it’s just a stepping stone to bridge them over to their next goal. However, if you want to promote and work your way up to leadership there are a few important things you need to do first. 

1. TALK TO YOUR BOSS

Why is this one in bold? Well simple, this is the best thing you can possibly do. If you take nothing else away from this post, it’s this idea that I want you to remember. Each company is different and there are different ways to be chosen and identified for promotions and opportunities. 

Talking to your boss or lead or whatever they are called in your company, is the first and most important step. This signals to the higher up that not only are you interested, but you are also taking the initiative to ask and figure out what you need to do. Rather than taking a shot in the dark and doing what you think would be helpful, you can get a direct answer and sometimes even a direct roadmap of what to do. 

2. Keep a record of your work and accomplishments 

I call this one keeping the receipts. Once you’ve made it known that you want to lead and do more, opportunities will likely begin to be presented bit by bit. It may take some time, but when they do get presented you should be prepared to document the process. 

I don’t mean document like writing a nice 2000-word essay on what you did. You can, if it’s for a class, but generally not my recommendation. This means, taking note of what is the project or assignment, writing down the details, whether it’s a solo or team project, the problem, potential solutions, etc., following with what you’ve done, and the outcomes. Simply put, record the situation, action, and outcomes. 

This becomes a catalog and proof that you can draw from when you are stating your case for an interview or even during the interview itself. Proof, confirmation from others, and positive results are all items that will work in your favor. 

3. Increase Your Abilities by Becoming Cross-Functional 

They say knowledge is power, and that is still very true. Think of it like this, if you are looking to build up a good list of projects that you have done, you’ll have more chances to do more projects if you know how to do more than your own task. If you can begin assisting and learning in other departments or branches of your company you are increasing your knowledge and value to the company or organization. 

Along with being cross-functional, your perspective will grow as well. Seeing how each department impacts the other and how the pieces all work together gives you more insight into higher-up decision-making and thought processes. There is great value in a leader who is able to step outside of their own perspective and see the needs and opportunities of other areas, 

4. Build Strong Partnerships and Connections

The best part about working to become cross-functional is you actually need to partner with the other team members and co-workers to do just that. If you can’t actively talk to and work with others you’ll have a hard time leading or even being a good leader candidate. Communication and teamwork is vital to modern-day leadership and management more so than in the past. 

This is really just networking. Networking doesn’t need to be some abstract and scary thing. It’s all about relationship building and creating a positive connection. When you have strong and positive connections, and these coworkers are able to vouch for and endorse you because of all the work you’ve put in for them the better it is for everyone involved. 

5. Get to Know Your Leads and be Their Go-To

This is my sneaky tip of the day! Though it’s not necessarily sneaky. Just like building relationships and connections with your co-workers and team members is important so is the ability to work with and communicate easily with not just your lead or boss, but all the others in higher-up roles too. 

Becoming an expert in your field is great, just as becoming well-versed in everything else is powerful too. This is something to be noticed by others, and it is also something that all leaders see great value in. Just as the saying goes: 

“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” 

By being able to create a strong relationship with your leads, and showcasing your abilities you can become their go-to. By doing this you once again provide value beyond expected, while leaving a positive impact on everyone. 

The opportunity to try for a leadership role is a matter of who you know and what you know. It’s important to have a balance of both sides of this spectrum, especially if you are trying for your first leadership role. Strike your balance, but remember if you do nothing else, talk to your bosses. Take the initiative, let them know what you want to do, and ask them how you can start working towards it. This is the most important step. 

Okay, be honest with me here: are you nervous about what it’ll look like to get a job after university? If you answered yes, well I gotta tell you, thank goodness it’s not just me! If you answered no, well then lucky you (not that I am jealous or anything of how I felt during my university years). Once you get into university it’s usually a big decision about majors, jobs, career paths, etc. While it’s all overwhelming, there are plenty of resources and events that I recommend. 

1. Junior is the Most Looked at Year

Junior year, the second last year of your university career, unless you choose to go onto grad school. Now, in general, this is also the year with the most opportunities for majors, internships, and gaining experience. For business majors like myself, this when many opportunities finally open for programs, internships, and management trainee offerings. 

I do want to stress though, that no matter your major this is also a key year for all of you in school to really browse around what is offered. You have another year of school ahead, however, you have time on your side to test out a field, position, or career. 

Companies and organizations like looking at Junior year because they want to be able to see your aptitude, as well as scout for talent early. If you are a senior don’t get discouraged because there are similar programs, however, they aren’t always directed towards college students since at that point you will be competing with other workers. 

This is why looking early is important. You have time on your side, and still have access to all the resources your school offers while weighing your options. 

2. There are A LOT of Programs and Internships Out There

Not all opportunities are created equal or are the same. This is crucial for you to remember. If you are looking for a paid internship be critical to a degree, if you want just the experience to pad your resume or to test something out then you may not need to be as harsh. 

Now, this isn’t a promotion or sponsorship but an example, Enterprise, Starbucks, Sherwin Williams, are examples of companies that are active in university recruitment. They have management trainee programs that will give you experience and a taste of the field and job. Other programs are commission-based only internships which, while sales is a great skill to have, may not be what you are looking for if you want a more steady summer or yearly income and gain work experience. 

In deciding what type of program you want, talk to others who have gone through it. Partner with professors or career counselors to see what other similar options are out there. The biggest thing you can do is, take the initiative to ask questions and gather information on which is best for you. 

3. Some Programs ARE open to Sophomores

Again, not all programs are created equal. Some offer opportunities for young students in their Sophomore year.  This is a big chance to really take advantage of time. You can do a summer internship program where you are improving your chances of landing later roles or internships to improve your experience. 

In my opinion, it’s a good opportunity. However, there is again weighing the pros and cons of these offerings. I am still partial to taking early years to just enjoy the college experience. Joining clubs, playing sports, going to events, and building a community and network. It’s important that you always weigh what is most important to you as an individual. 

4. Don’t Feel Bad about Leaving a Program or Internship

There is nothing wrong with finding that a certain program, field, or internship isn’t for you. During my junior year, I actually did this myself. I had an internship, pay based on commission only, and it was a good offering. However, it wasn’t what I wanted, or what was most important to me. 

I chose to leave the internship only a couple of weeks in. Even though I had sunk in time, money, and effort to this program, I didn’t believe it would be in my best interest to push through. 

I instead, partnered with my career counselor and was able to create a self-study, that aligned with my own passions, and was going to really provide a positive impact on myself. Know what’s important to you. This will save you time, headache, and regret. Every experience either good or bad is a lesson if you truly look to learn and take away something from it. 

Ask yourself what do you want? I encourage you to go to career fairs as early as possible. Explore what options are out there. It never hurts to try, and you can always say no to opportunities. Genuinely ask yourself, where do I want to go? Is this a good short-term (1-3 years) option? Have I talked with others about the choices? With so many programs and options out there, it’s okay to take your time too. Do what’s best for you, and in keeping everything simple what makes you happiest.

I feel a little bad giving my two weeks notice as a condolences card. I blame the internet for the inspiration, however, I have the internet to thank for helping me see why I needed to quit my job. 

Coming to the workforce and joining retail at that, as a rather young college graduate, I had this idea of what workplace leadership would be. This hope and idea was that the leaders would foster camaraderie, they would help develop team members as individuals and as workers, and they would work with us and not against us. I will happily say that this was the case for some, however...

Not all leaders are built the same. 

Some leaders struggle to remember the ways front-line employees work. They forget that bad execution may rest on the team, however bad planning rest with them. After a few too many botched plans, a few too many 12, 13, 14 hours days, and a few too many lies and half-truths, I quit my job. 

Now this bothers me, being the first time I ever quit a job. One thing I cannot stress enough is submitting the proper notice is largely the right way to go. In this instance, after a change in store leadership, it was impossible not to want to go out with a bang. A new store director that alienated leadership and team members alike was setting the store on a downward spiral. 

As leaders, we are tasked with carrying out orders, but I still believe in developing the team through mindful and creative means. Originally this role as an executive leader seemed like I would have the chance. I did for a couple of months. However new leadership, new changes, and not all of the good, along with plenty of constraints due to the pandemic and supply chain, was the perfect storm to make this opportunity turn sour. 

Yet, when one door closes, another one opens up. 

Mindful and creative leadership is needed now more than ever. Across fields and professions, companies and organizations are moving to focus on leadership and fostering good quality leaders. The days of simply following the rules and expecting the same results seem to be disappearing in the rearview mirror. 

So, my condolences. I quit my job and dying the opportunity to pursue something new and meaningful. And I'm quite excited to see where it all goes.