My career path has spanned from teaching to academia and even into psychology. Each new role has grown out of something that made me curious in that last position and through this I’ve gained a mountain of knowledge and experience.
Ten years ago I jumped on an opportunity to become part of the online education revolution. Today I am part of a dynamic team of academics, business minds and online experts delivering university degrees to more than 7000 students across Australia.
Here are five things I’ve learned from my career changes:
Do more of what you like with people who share your passion
I’ve always sought out people who share the same learning interests and inspire me to do better. This is something that’s been a real motivator for me throughout my working life. Following an interest in an area you’re passionate about, regardless of whether it’s at work or outside of it, will give you the best chance to surround yourself with people who inspire you.
Similarly, I can’t stress enough how important it is to be open to new experiences at work. I was lucky enough to have a boss for many years who was always trying new things and took me on that journey with her. Of course I felt challenged and outside my comfort zone, but in my experience, this is where the best learning comes from.
Keep an open mind – Your next job might not even exist yet
Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards”. This is true of my career and of most people’s I know. Looking back it seems obvious that I would have a career in online education, but starting out as a young teacher this was never something I would have considered because it wasn’t even an option!
I didn’t know I was passionate about online learning until I actually started teaching online. I realised there was possibilities online that challenged my conventional understanding of teaching and learning, and this was something I enjoyed and wanted to do more of.
At this point in time it doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you want out of a career, what does matter is that you follow what gets you out of bed in the morning and keep an open mind to new opportunities.
If you know what you want, go out and get it
If you have a clear career path in mind, go for it, but make sure you think what you need to do along the way to reach that end goal. For me it was returning to study in order to follow a passion in psychology. This led to an academic career and then into heading up an online learning education team.
I’ve also always been a strong advocate of a professional mentor because regardless of where you want to end up, there will always be questions that need answers. Having access to someone more experienced that can give you non-biased and professional support is extremely beneficial. If you don’t have a mentor, a good career counsellor can also be helpful in uncovering what your passion is and give you clues for the next step in your career.
Know your strengths, and your areas for improvement
Knowing the things you’re good at is great because it gives you a strong indication of what skills you bring to your next role. Equally important though, is taking stock of what might be missing in order to make that next step. Again this is where a professional mentor can be a really helpful.
Never stop learning
Whether you read a book that’s outside your normal repertoire, pick up a short course to fine tune an existing skill, or enrol in a degree to kick start a whole new way of thinking, you’re learning something new. For me, this is the most important factor in keeping motivated and focused in life.
Taking on new challenges and learning new things is all part of the journey and without doing this there’s no way I would be in the position that I’m in today. Learning gives you a new way of looking at the world.