If you are passionate about teaching, then Hackberry offers you franchise opportunities to turn this passion into your profession. Fill out the form now!
In a job, as in life, we need to learn from mistakes and avoid them in the future, putting our best foot forward to proceed.
7 years – a long time to stay in your first job some tell me. And some wonder – why did I change at this point? I am in my comfort zone, a mom of a toddler and I recently bought a house in the city. So why on earth would I decide to switch jobs and move to a new city?
Well the truth is – it took me a lot of courage to take this decision. It certainly wasn’t an easy one. I knew that my career graph was not what I had envisioned and I chose to ignore it for a long time – by consoling myself that I have good work life balance, good pay and a brand name, I can focus on my baby and on my writing. People like reading my blogs, let me focus on the good things in my life. A person cannot get everything- maybe a good career is not meant for me.
But I couldn’t fool myself for long, as I knew in my heart that I put in my best into whatever work I did. If that was not getting its due, it’s time for me to move. I cannot keep blaming people around and complaining, I had to do something change it. And that led me to explore new opportunities which then meant moving to a new city.
As I sat back and analyzed what went wrong and what mistakes I should avoid in my career going forward, I came to these 3 conclusions:
I often wonder why I stayed put for such a long period. It’s not that it was a sudden realization that things are not working in my favor. I did have personal reasons like my hesitation to move out of the city I lived in and limited opportunities in the same city in my kind of work which compelled me to stay put. I realized that these were artificial barriers created by me though.
I am not implying that one should not think long term. I am a long term thinking sort of person but it’s important to keep our eyes open – if things are not working out, do not immediately look to move but take time to sort them out, work on stuff and give it your best shot. But if you feel it’s still not working out look for a new opportunity.
There is no point whining and wasting time. It took me too long to take this step and that was a big folly.
You are awesome, smart, efficient, capable, dedicated, committed, have technical expertise and are doing your job really well. Don’t look for that validation from others, tell yourself this. Have a strong self worth and don’t let anyone ever erode it.
I have very good academic credentials with an all India rank and I have always had a high level of confidence in my abilities. But few people started spewing negativity time and again and over time my confidence in myself took a dent. I started doubting my abilities, and that was a big mistake.
I am not implying one should develop a superiority complex but it’s very important to believe in yourself for without that one can never succeed. We may meet people who try to trample our confidence but not allowing them to deter us – this is a resolve we must make.
Not just in your job but in creating visibility amongst your seniors. It’s very easy to mingle among a few that you count as your good friends but this is not a school or college, it’s a workplace. What management thinks of you can significantly impact your career- Are you the first person who comes to mind when there is something new to be driven? And their perception to a large extent depends on your interaction and relationship with them.
Some might looks at it as flattering the boss to have an easy way and that was what I have thought for a long time which made me take a back step and maintain minimal contact with my superiors. My work speaks for me I thought. How silly! I now realize.
It’s important to recognize your stakeholders and work towards creating a good relationship with them. It may not always be easy and may take time to develop but working on this is essential. First impressions go a long way and my experience tells me these perceptions formed initially are difficult to change.
Being cognizant of this fact and treading cautiously and smartly right from the beginning is important.
As I embark on a new journey I on my part would strive to put my best foot forward and avoid these mistakes.
Join the Women’s Web Network for women at work by filling in the form below. You will receive a monthly newsletter from us with great resources, plus we’ll keep you posted on all Women’s Web events in your city!
Email Format
Published here earlier.
Image source: shutterstock
An avid reader, a shopaholic, head over heels in love with my little bundle of joy" Angel" ,God's most precious gift bestowed upon me, not so long ago.Professionally I am a Chartered Accountant read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, indivisual posts do not necessarily represent the platofrom's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
My house-help asked excitedly, “I am going for wedding. Can you let me wear your red & black saree? To be honest I was stumped for a moment; I didn’t know what to say but I still said yes.
I lent a gorgeous saree to my house-help for a wedding in her family. Soon I stated getting questions if I would wear that saree again or if I was okay to be seen wearing the same saree my house-help was wearing?
We are all so conditioned to give our used clothes to our house-helps but are we okay to wear the clothes they were wearing?
A few days ago she came excitedly to me, “I am going for a family wedding. I want to wear your red & black saree, Ill wash and give it to you after the function. Please can you let me wear it?”
Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum (SISP) is an ode to all of the lost women, who could have been sports stars, singers, bankers, lawyers, doctors, just... happy, if they hadn't been enslaved in matrimony, and then forgotten all about.
One of the cool things about my mother was that she was an ace athlete and a champion sculler as a young woman in the 1950s and 60s. I only found out about this side of her a few years ago. I imagine her in a paavaadai dhaavani, taking on the mighty Kaveri river so many decades ago.
I recently watched a Tamil film anthology on SonyLiv that she would have liked to watch – Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum, (SISP) that has 3 stories of 3 different women – Saraswathi, Devaki, and Shivaranjini.
Like all the heroines in the anthology, my mother’s talents were sacrificed at the altar of matrimony. She pawned her gold medals and silver cups one by one to pay for expensive textbooks for us or a gift for a niece on her wedding, money for which she didn’t dare ask my father, because it was her niece… I remember how she caressed the cups and how her face hardened as she shoved them into her bag to take to the jewellers.
My child and I moved to a different city from my husband for a better career. This long distance relationship might be unusual, but we are making it work.
When a man moves jobs, the woman follows suit. But what happens when the woman moves jobs and the man cannot follow?Add to it, the dynamics of a child. A long distance relationship – does it cement your bond or cause strain?
I recall the day when I had finally reached the melting point in my career of 8 years. I knew I wasn’t valued in the organisation and yet I stuck on. But there is always a hard limit and when that limit is crossed, something drastic is bound to happen. In my case, it was time to look for a job change.
Some of us love what we do while others might consider a career change if given a chance. Read what our readers had to say if such an opportunity came.
Some of us love what we do while others might consider a career change if given a chance. Read what our readers had to say if such an opportunity came. [#TuesdayTalkies]
A career make-over is considered for a variety of reasons. Although money is one of them yet it isn’t the only reason people seek an alternative employment. While some might feel like they have no room for growth in their current field, others might think that the career they are currently in doesn’t give the satisfactions they had hoped for. In either case, switching to a new field can be an extremely daunting task, but it’s often necessary if you wish to find satisfaction in your professional life.
At Women’s Web, we invite readers to share their thoughts on one interesting question that is picked by the team and posted on our Facebook page every Tuesday, calling it #TuesdayTalkies. We try picking questions that would interest readers and put them in their thoughts.