Back in 2014, I was a stay-at-home mother with three young children under the age of seven. I had also just started working from home as a freelance writer. At that time, I had never worked in any form of paid full-time employment.
This first foray into paid writing work, managed alongside my kids, taught me a number of immediate lessons, which I wrote about at the time, on Women’s Agenda.
Since 2018, I have gone on to a number of different roles in customer services and community services industries, and to three different paid full time roles.
Now in 2023, with my kids much older, I thought I’d update the initial five lessons I shared about moving into paid work and employment, after spending a number of years at home with my kids.
Below is my updated list.
1. Confidence is everything
I remember the first time I picked up the phone in my first call centre job and how my nerves were evident from the way my hand shook, the way I struggled to listen to my trainer’s instructions, the way that I told myself that I simply couldn’t do it. Just because.
Since that first full-time job, I’ve realised that everyone is a new employee at some stage. That sometimes you do just start from the very bottom. Sometimes we have no idea what we are doing and doubt ourselves. That is why the ‘imposter syndrome’ is even exists. However, when we let those insecurities, the questioning of our abilities weigh us down – we don’t allow the logical part of our brains the opportunity to move past these anxieties and fears.
Since that first job, I now confront every new position with confidence, with hope, with the belief that if I don’t know how to do something now
– I definitely have the ability and skill to learn it. Experience, knowledges and skills come with time. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
2. Success doesn’t happen in a straight line
Having studied Youth Work and struggling to secure paid employment in this field, I worked in call centre customer service work for almost 3 years. Working in a high pressured, key performance indicators (KPIs) environment wasn’t what I had envisioned for my career. But I reminded myself that the work I was doing now was positively contributing in moving my career forward. This became the stepping stone to my next position, a position that later opened the door for my entry into community services.
3. You will have to make sacrifices, but they will be worth it
In the job I am currently employed at, I have to travel quite a long distance to get there. However, I haven’t let that hold me back. On my commute to work, I use the time efficiently to plan and cultivate my future business, to play music and create some downtime for myself, to read a book and immerse myself into another reality to calm my mind down. Sometimes I even just look outside the window and appreciate the views of the world around me. I don’t see this distance as a barrier to me accomplishing my work goals.
4. Success is a two-way street
The connections and bonds you build at work can become instrumental to your career growth. Having built professional connections, I’ve been able to move my career forward, whilst also forming friendships that will stay with me for life.
5. Work hard, play hard
Working a shift work job for years has also helped me to develop the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I always make an active attempt in my downtime to switch off – to spend time with family and friends, to treat myself even for an hour, to partake in activities that bring a smile to my face and joy to my life.
Work cannot become the focal point of everything where our mental and physical health, our relationships, our sleep, gets pushed to the wayside. The work we do needs to build us up so when we are not working, we can still be at our best.
I’m grateful that my years of full-time work have opened my eyes even further and now I am a better person, employee, partner, and even friend to the people around me.