35, Not Out!

By Sandhya

Yes, I started working that many years ago and it’s been a long journey. No, I didn’t think then that I would be working this long. I am a bit of planner, but I couldn’t think beyond 5 years of my career at any point in time.

3 things I would say to my younger self, fresh out of College 35 years ago? Hmmm, let me see.

Don’t rush in to the first paying job you get after graduation. My first job was in reception at Hotel Windsor Manor while I was doing a course in computer programming. I then did a brief stint as a programmer. My career worked out Ok as I wandered into a career in technical editing and writing and that was a happy intersection of my love of writing and technology.

Think about where you want to spend the majority of your time for decades, and look for that career or environment. I know, it feels good to start earning your own money as soon as you can, but think about it. When you go to the bus stop, you don’t hop into the first bus you see. You know your destination, check the time table and hop into the right one. If you’ve made a mistake or change your mind, you can probably hop off and get into the right one.

But if you do too much of that, you’ll be crisscrossing town busily and getting nowhere fast. Or out of fear of embarrassing yourself in front of fellow passengers, you stay on the bus even though you have an uncomfortable feeling it’s not heading where you want to go. But hey, the A/c is on and the seats are comfortable so why create a scene. I’ll let you relate this metaphor back to careers.

A side note for the women out there: plan to be in it for the long haul. Things can happen midway (babies and such), but they may not, so don’t plan on working short-term, or on taking breaks, because life has its own plans. At the risk of adding another metaphor, cross the bridge when you get close to it, but don’t hold yourself back your entire career for some real or prospective life event. I thought I’d have a baby and that was always on the back of my mind, but I didn’t end up having one till I adopted my daughter ten years ago.

This is one all the financial planners will love – plan for your retirement from the day you start working. Save from day one and you will be well on your way to financial independence in twenty years. The later you start, the longer it will take, and your retirement or lifestyle options are more limited. It will also give you the breathing space to consider a second career in your passion (see above) if you choose to, or provide a cushion if your job is impacted or any major health issues crop up. I didn’t spend beyond my means, but I didn’t end up with a great deal of savings either. I had to make some drastic decisions like breaking down half my house as retirement is looming and I was nowhere near ready. It’s hard to think about all this when you’re at the threshold of life, but do.

Don’t give up your passion or talent once you start working. Now, I’m not saying that you should not follow your passion at work, although that’s the standard wisdom given these days. Don’t get me wrong. You should very definitely work in an area that you like and with people you like, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be something you are passionate about, for a couple of reasons. Your great passion may not be very paying, and it can make you one dimensional. Developing interests and talents outside work keeps one well-rounded as an individual and helps to provide a balanced approach to work and leadership. It also provides an outlet in these Covid times when we’re cooped up at home. I have been working on books that are in several stages of development (published “Mia finds a home” some years ago on Amazon). I wish I had put in sustained time for them, though, instead of sporadic bursts over the years, so that I could get more to publication earlier. However, office stress doesn’t get to me as I can just get into my fictional world and watch from a distance.

3 things I can say to myself now? A pat on the back for a few things done well.

Great job on achieving your life goals, mon ami. Mine were namely, dream house, girl baby, publish book. Glad to say that I’ve achieved all three, pretty much in that order. They were my north star, and provided me direction and guidance on decisions when I need them. And as with any other goals, be flexible about changing them whenever they need to. I realised that I needed the added goal of financial stability underpinning all my other goals. As a coach, I’ve interacted with people whose goals are primarily professional and family-oriented, but we should reflect on what those mean to us. At the end of the day, the only success criteria of your life goals are – they should work for YOU. You are responsible for your life and your happiness. By the way, happiness is also a goal I hear often these days, and that’s good, but need to dig down further to understand what would give you happiness. It’s too broad a term.

Good work on learning and doing new things every year, Sandhya. Keeps it fresh. At work and personally. I think that’s why I never realised when 25, 30 and now 35 years have gone by. If you have the mindset, the breaks come to you or you can seek them out. Law of attraction and all that. I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of the #HPE ‘s HIT Accelerate Talent program in the past year, networking with many successful women across the company, completed a Leadership course with Columbia University and worked on a special project for Voice of the Customer and led strategic projects in my team.

Over the years, I’ve learnt a range of things such as pottery, French, horticulture, piano, stained glass work, making miniature food and taking care of cats, amongst many others. In the past month, I’ve started learning how to make Bonsai. I’ve just planted a Chikoo (Sapota or Sapodilla) fruit tree. Check back with me on this hobby 35 years later!

Glad that you’re enjoying life, Sandy. Traveling across five continents, spending time with family and friends, eating out. We’ve experienced in this devastating pandemic that whooshed in and turned our world upside down, that life can come to a grinding halt for every one on this planet. Who knew that just going to a restaurant would become such an impossible event? So let’s make the most of now, and enjoy this moment in time, at this place, with the people around us.

So thank you to everyone who has been in this journey with me over so many decades and in the years to come. Sounds clichéd to say this, but it is indeed you who have made it worthwhile. Nothing else matters.