Transitioning from campus to career

Last month, I addressed students from two colleges, Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management in Mangalore and Poornaprajna Institute of Management in Udupi. Few things come with greater pressure (and pleasure) than providing career advice to a room full of bright youngsters brimming with potential; after all, they are the workforce of the future.

For that matter, what do you tell teeming millions on our campuses today about crafting meaningful careers? Personally, a mantra I do believe in, which is also EY’s employee value proposition, is ‘It’s yours to build.’

I am putting aside the conversation on equities, privilege, and parity for this blog. Not that these factors do not matter, they do, more than anything else. But here, I am going with what you can do – as individuals. Here I dig into my own experience. In the early 90s, when I began my career, there were no campus placements. While I was propelled by a sound academic background with gold medals in my area of study, when I came into the actual workforce, I faced a whole bunch of challenges – which is true to a vast majority of students: I came from a small town, with English not being my primary language of communication, without either a job in hand or, in retrospect, a concrete career plan.

I would not espouse my journey as a measure of success, but what I will share is how we can navigate through the challenges:

• Know yourself. Being honest about what are your strengths and areas you need to work on in the context of your work is important. Do not judge yourself, do not undermine your confidence. Simply work on areas that you feel will help you grow in your career. This could be technical or soft skills. If I take my example, I have long struggled to speak before an audience. To be honest, it still makes me nervous. But, instead of being in my comfort zone, I push myself to go out there and interact as often as I can. I still practice my narrative before each session. So, it boils down to two things: know yourself – nobody will be more honest with you other than yourself. Two, simply work on areas that matter to you.
• Be authentic. This is almost a mantra to me. While organizations adopt diversity passionately, we do have to battle bias in our own minds. The way we look, the way we speak, the way we think, our priorities in life – they are all ok, believe in them. Believe in yourself. The color of your skin, your accent, your educational pedigree, should not be a hindrance – at least in your mind. Work on the skills that matter professionally. Else, accept yourself the way you are. The confidence you get when you back yourself is irreplaceable.
• Find your Purpose. You will spend the majority of your adult life pursuing your profession. It needs to be something you are passionate about. A career is not a cash cow – it needs to feed your purpose. Ideally, it starts with what you want to do and why you want to do it.
• Stay curious. My first job was operational. I had to facilitate a session being run by a leader. Curiosity got the better for me, and I prepared to run the session. As luck would have it, the presenter was delayed, and I engaged the audience. When the presenter came in, he was happy with the ownership I demonstrated. This is how I found my first mentor and landed my first job of sorts. I have taught in a college, I have worked in HR, I have explored business, I have learned technology, I am an amateur farmer. The list goes on. Stay curious. Stay open to possibilities.
• Learn something new. Pick a new skill, be it something related to work, a potential area of interest, or even unrelated to work. For instance, I picked agility as a topic when HR was more transactional. But as we digitalized talent, the learning helped me re-imagine the very framework of the function. Approach learning like an investment – with discipline and park small amounts over a larger period. And, as the markets grow, you will grow exponentially.
• Find a mentor. Ask for guidance, for help, for opportunities.
• Build long-term relationships. If I have to put it in an alternate perspective, a career is a series of interactions you have with people to achieve common goals. People are literally half the journey. Invest in them. Know the people you work with, understand them, if possible, help them, learn from them. This makes nurturing relationships the foundation for successful careers and meaningful ones.

To sum it up, let me give an anecdote: When I came to Bangalore three decades ago, I was a nervous youngster. I was very comfortable working from the shadows considering I wasn’t very fluent in English and feared crowds. Till one day, I challenged myself to take up a teaching opportunity with a reputed college in the city. Standing before that class, I realized my passion for teaching far outweighed any fear that played up in my mind. For in that minute, it did not matter to me if my accent was incorrect, if I did not look fashionable, or anything I would judge myself by. That year the students nominated me for the best teacher award, and it is a recognition that I have deeply cherished. Because that day, I learned the lessons which have successfully guided me till today. And I do not describe success as a rank or role; it is the people I have met, relationships I have forged, and my ability to realize my purpose each day.

As leaders and organizations, we are more conscious of social equities and try to create a level playing field. But the success in your career – It’s yours to build.