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24 Things I Learnt About My Career by 24

I may be in the early days of my career, but the short time that I have been in employment has certainly been a learning curve and a half! The last year has been a bit of a whirlwind of uncertainties about what I wanted to do with my life and settling into the 9-5 life.

Along the way I’ve learnt a lot of things about my career, that I’m sure I’ll keep with me for the remainder of it. Here are 24 things I’ve learnt about my career by 24!

  1. Enjoy: Find something that you actually enjoy doing. It will make that morning alarm so much more bearable!
  2. Yes: Don’t be afraid of saying yes to something you haven’t done before. You’ll never learn if you never try!
  3. Competition: Try not to compare yourself to other people. You are your own person and everyone has their own qualities and talents.
  4. Google: If you don’t know something, Google it.
  5. Ask: If Google fails, don’t be afraid to ask for help from others.
  6. Chill: Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill. Work can get stressful, but don’t let it get the better of you!
  7. Feedback: Accept feedback rather than getting defensive and use it to improve.
  8. Confidence: Be confident in your abilities, don’t undermine yourself and what you are capable of.
  9. Challenge: Challenge yourself and make yourself try new things.
  10. Keep going: Don’t become discouraged by failure. Learn from it and move on.
  11. Learn: Don’t ever stop learning, whether it’s by keeping up to date with industry updates or undertaking some additional training.
  12. Goals: Have at least a vague idea of what you would like to achieve in the future.
  13. Kindness: Be nice to your coworkers. Conflict in the office only makes for a negative environment and no one wants that!
  14. Failure: Own up to mistakes and do your best to fix them. Hiding from them will not make them go away!
  15. Expertise: Master a skill. This is what will stand out about you when you are looking for a new job.
  16. Be punctual: Turning up late at work will not gain you brownie points with your boss!
  17. Network: Networking may be daunting, but it’s not optional for business and career success.
  18. Contacts: Stay in touch with old uni friends, colleagues, etc. You never know if you may want to call on them in the future.
  19. Intern: Internships are a really good gateway into your desired industry, even if it means living on a student budget for a bit longer.
  20. Work-life balance: Make sure that you have a life outside of work or you may go nuts.
  21. Age: Don’t think that you are too young or inexperienced to share your ideas and opinions.
  22. Money: Start saving, even if it’s easier said than done!
  23. Happiness: If you’re not happy, do something about it rather than just whinging.
  24. Lunch: Don’t be the one who brings smelly food into the office!

[Image Credit: Shutterstock]

By Sophie Deering