With experience comes the opportunity to reflect on what helped you on your journey and the lessons you learnt along the way.
At Content Guru, we have a very successful graduate scheme, which has seen 76 join the company so far this year, and it is a great feeling to be able to take the knowledge you’ve learnt and pass it on to that next generation.
Based on my experiences, there are three key takeaways that I would have given to my younger self and, more importantly, that I give to our graduates at the start of their careers.
Follow your passion and your strengths
Not everybody has the chance to fulfil their dreams, but anybody can discover what they enjoy and what they are good at and use this to shape their future. There was a time when I wanted to be a fighter pilot and at one point I was even interested in becoming a banker, but technology was always something I had a passion for and where I knew I had some level of ability.
I grew up around computers and started writing games in BASIC when I was 10 years old, so it is no surprise my whole career has been in tech!
Don’t be afraid to fail
As a business management graduate I can attest to the notion that the biggest lessons you learn in business are on-the-job. You might not call every decision correctly, but you must learn from every mistake. Taking risks whilst you are young is certainly advice I would pass on. When you are at the start of your career it is the perfect time to gamble, as you don’t have too many commitments and there is still time to switch to other options in the event that you do fail. Taking big risks will be much harder once you have a mortgage and children to take into account.
When venturing into business, strategic thinking comes later; determination and commitment come first. You don’t need to have a fully-concrete plan before you start, and there is a good argument to say that you shouldn’t over-plan in any case. If your basic idea seems sound then just do it. Self-motivation and resilience will shield you from the adversity and setbacks that inevitably come with being an entrepreneur. There are plenty of risks you can take in both business and technology and, if you make the right call, it will boost your self-confidence and build your experience.
‘Don’t be so comfortable in your job that you miss bigger opportunities’
Have the right attitude
With hindsight, I have realised that having the right attitude and surrounding yourself with those who share this is key. Determination, commitment and empathy should be a given, but these qualities aren’t always guaranteed in others, so choose carefully. Once you get to the stage where you are building your team and working with business partners, you should try to ensure they share your work ethic and ambition. Working with like-minded people and partners has allowed us to build and scale our business and this simple practice continues to play a big role in our success.
It can be hard, if not impossible, to envisage which direction your career will take, especially when you are new to an industry or to the whole world of work. Ensuring that, at the start of your journey, you are passionate about what you are going to do is important. If not, you won’t enjoy your work and opportunities will feel like obligations.
It is vital to make sure that whatever role you have chosen at a young age is filling you full of energy to push on. However I would encourage all my colleagues to keep exploring and assessing what they enjoy, because it’s never too late to find something that matches your passions.