24 Things I Learnt About My Career by 24

24 Things I Learnt About My Career by 24 I may be in the early days of my career, but the short time that I have been in employment has certainly been a learning curve and a half! The last year has been a bit of a whirlwind of uncertainties about what I wanted to do with my life and settling into the 9-5 life. Along the way Ive learnt a lot of things about my career, that Im sure Ill keep with me for the remainder of it. Here are 24 things Ive learnt about my career by 24! Enjoy: Find something that you actually enjoy doing. It will make that morning alarm so much more bearable! Yes: Dont be afraid of saying yes to something you havent done before. Youll never learn if you never try! Competition: Try not to compare yourself to other people. You are your own person and everyone has their own qualities and talents. Google: If you don’t know something, Google it. Ask: If Google fails, dont be afraid to ask for help from others. Chill: Dont make a mountain out of a mole hill.  Work can get stressful, but dont let it get the better of you! Feedback: Accept feedback rather than getting defensive and use it to improve. Confidence: Be confident in your abilities,  dont undermine yourself and what you are capable of. Challenge: Challenge yourself and make yourself try new things. Keep going: Dont become discouraged by failure. Learn from it and move on. Learn: Dont ever stop learning, whether its by keeping up to date with industry updates or undertaking some additional training. Goals: Have at least a vague idea of what you would like to achieve in the future. Kindness: Be nice to your coworkers. Conflict in the office only makes for a negative environment and no one wants that! Failure: Own up to mistakes and do your best to fix them. Hiding from them will not make them go away! Expertise: Master a skill. This is what will stand out about you when you are looking for a new job. Be punctual:  Turning up late at work will not gain you brownie points with your boss! Network: Networking may be daunting, but its not optional for business and career success. Contacts: Stay in touch with old uni friends, colleagues, etc. You never know if you may want to call on them in the future. Intern: Internships are a really good gateway into your desired industry, even if it means living on a student budget for a bit longer. Work-life balance: Make sure that you have a life outside of work or you may go nuts. Age: Dont think that you are too young or inexperienced to share your ideas and opinions. Money: Start saving, even if its easier said than done! Happiness: If youre not happy, do something about it rather than just whinging. Lunch: Dont be the one who brings smelly food into the office! [Image Credit: Shutterstock]