My Story
The use of the word career can have a narrow interpretation and is frequently understood to relate to the working aspects of an individual’s life, describing an occupation or profession that usually involves special training or formal education and considered to be a person’s work-life. However, I prefer to define it as a person’s course or progress through life, learning and work.
My career has taken many different shapes and forms. My early years weren’t my formative years. I failed High School – I was way too busy having fun! But failing High School doesn’t define you for the rest of your life as I tell my son who is currently studying his VCE. I was very happy working at Hungry Jacks when I left school however my parents were not happy with this direction and enrolled me in a Legal Secretary course. After 21 weeks I could touch type at 80 words per minute on a manual typewriter (the best life skill I’ve learned to date) and was ready to become a Corporate Gal. Needless to say I was the world’s worst legal secretary – I hated the non-egalitarian environment and found it oppressive. I moved on to be a receptionist at a recruitment consultancy where I found my feet and progressed to becoming a recruitment consultant.
I didn’t have aspirations of doing a particular job or achieving a certain status but I had street smarts and took advantage of every opportunity put in front of me.
After becoming ill I took some time out and it was at this point I decided to move into an internal recruitment role. This led to a decision to do further study and I successfully completed by Bachelor Degree with Distinction, showing that my failure at high school wasn’t due to lack of intellectual capability!
Professional
Sometimes careers are unintentional and as I reflect this could somewhat describe mine in HR. I didn’t have aspirations of doing a particular job or achieving a certain status but I had street smarts and took advantage of every opportunity put in front of me.
Life is full of opportunities, particularly for those who seize the day. Develop a thirst and hunger for learning new things. Try your hardest and if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again and always be the best you can be.
Perhaps chance has played a large part in my career but then again, perhaps not. I’ll leave you with this poem that has stuck with me throughout the years. Put simply, the harder you work, the luckier you become.
Luck Favours the Prepared Man
He worked by day and toiled by night
He gave up play and some delight
Dry books he read, new things to learn
and forged ahead, success to earn
He plodded on with faith and pluck
and when he won they called it luck!