Today I caught up on Andy’s latest podcast with Francois Ajenstat ( listen here ) and a question Andy asked, was “do you have any personal regrets?”
It made me think about my career regrets and now I wonder what regrets you might have, and what we – together – can do about it.
Let me share three of my career regrets. If I were to go back to being 20 years old, this is what I’d do:
1) Choose different subjects at university
2) Realise I’m good with numbers
3) Speak up and call things out
Career regrets and lessons learned
Let’s look at these in more detail and what I’m doing about these regrets now. I hope these lessons help you tackle some of your own ‘missed opportunities’.
1) What to study at university
My degree was a double degree with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Commercial Law + a graduate diploma in HR. If I had the chance to go back and do it again?
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I would keep my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and would add Statistics as a second major.
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I’d either drop the Bachelor of Commerce completely or add a Marketing degree.
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This combination would come in super handy in my job right now.
It would achieve a balance of “super fascinating” (Psychology), “challenging and important” (Statistics) and “really useful for your career” (Marketing). Hindsight is a beautiful thing :-).
2) I’m not bad with numbers
High school math was a struggle and the B+ I achieved in the end was thanks to 4 years of private tutoring each week and A LOT of extra effort. Going to an all-girls school and having very old school teachers also didn’t help my confidence (or that of many classmates) because apparently girls just aren’t supposed to be good in math or any STEM subjects.
Well, it turns out that when someone explained it to me until I understood it, and helped me build the foundations I missed earlier, I actually did alright. In university I got 3 A+ in my statistics courses.
Numbers, statistics, and data are beautiful, and I regret that I recognised that so late. I also know it wasn’t all my own doing and we cannot underestimate the influence of teachers (“I guess your parents are used to disappointment” – my math teacher in year 8).
3) Speak up and call out the bullshit
I’m angry with myself for the behaviour from others I tolerated in my 20s and early 30s. Sometimes, saying something or rejecting people would have been dangerous. In hindsight, it could have changed things and given me more confidence in myself, instead of caring so much about the opinions of others.
Whether it’s bullying, sexual harassment, racism or any other appalling behaviour we witness or are subjected to, it can be hard to act because we’re overwhelmed, scared, or we feel helpless and paralysed in the moment.
Still, I wish, younger Eva had gone to HR, or colleagues and friends for help and advice. Not just for myself, but also for others. Today, I look back and think “I can’t believe I accepted that kind of sh*t”. Today, I do call out the things I see. Even if they seem small. Because those small things become big things over time if they’re not addressed, and I’m not willing to let that happen.
What you can do about regrets
You can’t change the past, but you can take action to avoid repeating your own mistakes or leaving missed opportunities behind without trying again.
I can’t change what I studied, but I can embrace those topics that interest me now, and that have a real impact on my career. I can help others have more information before they choose their field, so they go in with their eyes open.
I now embrace numbers for the most part, and I definitely throw myself at anything to do with my budget, expenses, investing, and keeping track of my bank accounts. I love it and the future looks better thanks to me making peace with numbers.
I suspect you have your own regrets. Do you worry about them? Do you try to do things now that you weren’t able to do earlier?
As we approach the end of 2022, reflect on what lingering regrets you may have and whether any of those unfinished items are waiting to be completes. Is 2023 the year to do them?