I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this, as a soon-to-be graduate on the job hunt I often wonder where my career will take me . . .
What sector will I work in? Which industries would I enjoy? B2B or B2C? Am I best suited to agency or in-house? Will I be happy? The list is endless!
Last night (Wednesday 2nd May), during the #raisinghteprofile Twitter chat, Jane Wilson, CEO of the CIPR, laid these fears to rest.
One of my favourite tweets of the night was this . . .
. . . and this really struck a chord with me.
Maybe it’s because I’m a little older than your average graduate, (25 if you’re wondering – and before any of my classmates rumble me as the granny of the group!) but I’ll admit, I do feel a little pressure.
It seems society expects a lot of young people; ace university, walk straight into a job, stay on that path and work your way up the career ladder. But, reassuringly, as Jane said in her Five Quick-Fire Questions, her career in PR was born out of accident rather than by design.
Jane also advised during the Twitter chat, not to rush into further qualifications or corner yourself into a particular area of the profession. Rather, allow yourself the time to gain experience, figure out what you enjoy and then plan how you are going to get there. After all, doing the things that interest you can be a bigger incentive than money to get out of bed on a Monday morning!
I think the take away message from all of this is it’s okay to get out there and explore; get as much experience as possible and enjoy different things. Like Jane said, life’s too short to shoehorn yourself into a role that doesn’t fulfil you. Let your career progress naturally and while you’re working your way up the career ladder, enjoy the ride!
Once again, my sincere thanks to Jane for all of her fantastic advice and words of wisdom. Keep checking Raising the Profile out over the next few days where Jazz Chappell and Faye Oakey will be sharing the lessons they learned as a result of Jane’s chat.
And remember, on Monday I’ll be revealing the next PR pro to take part in #raisingtheprofile.
Raising the Profile 