Making Career Decisions? Take Time to Reflect and the Opportunities Will Follow
By 凯蒂·菲舍尔, 副总统, North America Head of Exchange Traded Derivatives, 操作, Northern Trust Corporation
Choose a major… pick a career… start a family… queue the anxiety and panic.
Am I making the right decisions? How do I know if I am going to like this? 如果我不去呢?
I remember telling my mom decades ago that I was going to get a degree in 经济学, and her response was, “是.” To this day, I can still hear her saying that to me. I often joke to her, “Mom, am I something yet?给我妈妈, a degree in 经济学 didn’t have a defined career path like that of a doctor, 老师, 或律师. Or like those who choose a degree in finance and business.
业务, 经济学, and finance majors alike can find themselves countless opportunities across many industries, 城市, 国家, 公司, 和学科. I have been blessed enough to touch various facets of the financial industry, 而且还, I am not sure what I want to be when I grow up.
As you plan for your first job out of college or a pivot in your career, I recommend taking some time to reflect on the areas that you enjoy, those that you are good at, and those that you would like to explore. There are always opportunities if you are willing to put the time and effort into yourself.
When you are in the process of looking for that next move, I recommend that you:
- Make a list of likes, dislikes, must haves and nice to haves.
- Evaluate your soft skills — these are your opportunities to transfer skills easily across different functions. Most managers and teams are willing to invest time into you if you have the core development skills already.
- Do what makes you happy and the money will come. This was a piece of advice I received from one of my professors when I was in college. I was on a trajectory at the time to go into law school when he asked me why. I truly couldn’t answer the question. It is eventually what landed me in my career today.
善待自己. Practice your response for the interview question about where you see yourself in five years, and be confident in your answer if you don’t know. The last couple of years have been challenging for everyone. We have pivoted our working style, demanded higher wages, and looked for work that brings us joy or meets our passion. Life is not intended to be linear, nor does your career path need to be.
凯蒂·菲舍尔 是副总统吗?, North America head of exchange traded derivatives, 操作, Northern Trust Corporation. She serves as a member of the Career Management Center Advisory Board at Illinois Institute of Technology’s Stuart School of 业务.
Posted October 6, 2022
Career Conversations is presented by the Stuart School of 业务 Career Management Center.