Career Day

I attended a lunchtime career seminar at work today and experienced a massive case of flashback. It feels exactly like the career days we had in school, where people would talk about their chosen careers and the experiences they have had at work. But, instead of parents from diverse backgrounds, I had my colleagues who all work in the same bank for a number of years. The presentations were surprisingly candid and the speakers must have been very self-assured with introspective comments about their lives in general. Again, I feel inspired by their life stories just like I did with the speakers back in school and more than ever feel assured that I have chosen the right career path (It could also be the paycheck).

I didn’t take long to figure out what I wanted to do. Every graduate eventually joins the Banking & Finance sector after graduation anyway because of the money. It doesn’t matter if you are a Science or Engineering graduate, what more a Business School grad like myself. I like working within the formal structure of a large corporation as it provides a sense of stability and security that we do not have to deal with in real life. I can feel free to decorate my workspace, something that is not possible hot-desking and work in air-conditioned comfort typing away at my computer. They even provide free coffee to make you last that extra hour of OT.

Today’s buzzword is “networking”.

I realize the common theme running though all the speeches were the fantastic connections that led them to where they are today. Be it from colleagues, managers, clients or friends. Their networks helped them to achieve breakthroughs in their careers, information to aid them in their work and support to achieve their objectives. This should be my new year’s resolution.