As I’m sure everyone does, I had a number of ‘ideas’ about what I wanted to do in my career. I tried my hand at many things and found that I was good at just about anything I set my mind to. Despite that, I always found myself without the ‘sparkle’ that I was looking for. There was always something missing, just a little out of reach.
The good thing about trying your hand at a bunch of different things, across (at times) completely unrelated industries and roles, is that you end up with a fairly well rounded insight to the things you are not only good at, but give you that little bit of sparkle - two things that are conflated all too often.
An Analysis:
Problem Solver: It became apparent to me in each and every job that I love nothing more than a good problem solving exercise. The moment I hear a problem, my mind will instantly dive in to uncover what the ‘real’ problem is and come up with a bunch of solutions for it.
Technical: I built my first computer when I was 16, I’m writing this summary on a computer that I built myself. Technology has never intimidated me, I have always embraced it with enthusiasm and gusto. Programming was never my thing, but I gave it a try and took some basics away from the experience.
People Person: Getting to really know a person, and I mean really getting to know them is something I cherish - If I am able to do so, I will always put my hand up to help someone out.
Learning: I like to learn things, and I don’t believe in limiting myself to specific subject matter - if it interests me, I will learn about it. I’ve been asked before (about some of the more ‘random’ bits of knowledge I have accumulated) “Why do you know that?” to which I answer “Because I can”.
Then, out of nowhere - I found the ‘sparkle’ I was looking for - A career that would let me bring all of these learnings and strengths together - Product Management. Seeing the product team @ JobAdder doing what they do best - I knew then and there - that is where I needed to be. Patience, determination and a general assembly course later - I landed my dream job.
