Take The Opportunity To Learn

“Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.”

The quote above is an extract from ‘Desiderata’ by Max Erhmann, an excellent poem that provides some sound advice that I try to live by. The quote also sums up how I feel about the concept of a career – something we can all own and look forward to, even when our day to day role may be challenging.

I strongly believe that having the opportunity to develop a career and develop within that career has helped me with my personal resilience and wellbeing. We all know that work can be a real chore sometimes, when there is too much to do and too little time, or perhaps when a boring task drags on and on with no sign of letting up. I can certainly remember numerous occasions where I have felt that way; I have done several roles within the @One Alliance and can honestly say that I did not enjoy them all.

However, at no point did these day to day frustrations greatly affect my mood or overall wellbeing. I think this is largely the result of having something bigger to focus on, my career. Being able to see where I want to go, and what I need to do to get there means that minor annoyances become necessary evils at worst, and opportunities at best. They don’t get me down because I know that they will pass as I develop. I suppose that the fancy HR term for this is resilience, but it’s really nothing more than being able to look past where you are and look forward to where you are going.

In  my experience all my managers in @One have helped me to define my own career plan, while letting it remain very much my own. If you are reading this and wondering what your career is going to look like or what your next step is, I encourage you to find out – ask your manager, ask your colleagues but most importantly ask yourself. 

Alex Bailey, Graduate Management Trainee, Anglian Water