Michelle: Banking or Energy?

Season 1 Epidsode 3: Michelle had a choice between banking and energy right out of university and chose the one that would give her the experiences she was looking for.  Hear how she proactively took ownership of her career and how she had adjusted as her life has evolved.

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Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Unexpected Career Podcast, where we share stories of real people and the twists and turns they have taken along their career journey. I'm Megan Dunford, and as someone who has found myself in the payments industry largely by accident, I am fascinated by how people's careers unfold and how they've gotten to where they are today. It's also why I'm passionate about reducing the pressure on young people around going to university what to take in school, and I'm getting that right. 1st job. My guest today is Michelle, who has not only been in the energy industry for 23 years, but she has been at the same company throughout and that might sound like a very traditional path. But it's actually very unusual today, which makes it an unexpected career. I was really impressed by how Michelle's desire to travel and experience new places led her to accepting a role in the grad program in the energy sector. And then how that opened up opportunities throughout her career. The other thing I think is super impressive about Michelle's journey is how proactive she has been about carving a path and how these two things enabled her to work in different divisions, different cities, and different countries, which has ensured that while she's been with the same company for over 20 years, it has never been boring.

Michelle: 1:17

All good. I can hear you perfectly.

1:19

How are you? I'm alright. How are you? Yeah, yeah. Good. Thanks. Good. Well, thank you for doing this. No problem. Okay, cool. Yay.

Michelle: 1:30

Yeah, I guess the first place to start is What did little Michelle want to be when she grew up? Yeah, well, I don't quite remember exactly what I wanted to be, but I knew I wanted to be a businesswoman. So I knew I wanted to You know, dress in a suit and go downtown, and maybe it was a bit glamorized in the movies of going for lunch and going out after work. But I did know I wanted to do something in the business world. And so that makes sense. So then you took business in university. I did. I did. So I chose a degree, a general kind of BBA business degree. And at that point, again, it was still quite general, not knowing exactly what field I would end up in, but it was also the thing. That's my classmates were doing. So most of my friends and social circles went to university and a large number of them took business degrees. And what I had seen from other examples around me is that those that took a business degree generally left university with a job. So I thought. I would be able to come out of my four year degree with a job and a good job and that could potentially lead to a career. So it felt like the right fit. Do you, when you look back, do you have any thoughts of wishing you had done something different or or no, it's always just been like, yeah, that was the right decision. Happy with where it took me? Yeah, in terms of picking my degree, I think it was the right call. It was also a different time where it was very likely for business students. To leave business school with a job where I know that's not the case anymore. So I think in today's world, that would be evaluated a bit differently. Also, when I went through university, it was a lot more affordable relative to first year salary coming out of university. So, you know, for me at that time in the world and in my life, it, I think it was the right decision. Like I said, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, but I felt it was going to give me enough of a choice to get into a variety of different fields. And so what did you do when you finished university? What was your first job out of school? Yeah maybe I'll start with getting that job because that wasn't necessarily an easy process. So again, at this time back in the early 2000s. In my 4th year, my last year of my business degree, there was a career services offering at my university and a lot of big companies posted roles with career services. So I was in that building all the time. You know, taking help on resume writing and cover letter writing and those types of activities. And I think I applied for about 15 different jobs. And I probably had first interviews with maybe five or so of them. And then the list whittled down to two. So I had two offers. One was in the banking sector and one was in the energy sector. And I was Trading them off. The banking one paid more. In hindsight, not a lot more, but at the time of my life, it felt like a lot more where the role in the energy sector allowed me the opportunity to live in a new city. And at that point in my life, that was really exciting. So that's the one I chose for. So I took a, a grad. It was a grad program. So what, would start as a two to three year grad program, then potentially to a career. And in fact, I've now been with that company for 23 years. Wow. So that's really unusual, in this day and age, and even thinking back to Your story about being in the careers office. And I mean, that was so proactive. I did none of that when I was in my fourth year. So that's amazing. But you've been in the same company for 23 years. So why did you stay that long? Cause that is very unusual in this day and age. It is, it is. So where it may sound. Maybe a bit boring to some thinking I've done the same thing for 23 years. It's been anything but that. So I've actually worked in two pretty different business units. I've worked in five different cities in three different countries typically in sales and marketing roles. Whether you're selling a product or a service, especially this day and age in the virtual world, a lot of times you don't even come in contact with the product. When people say, is it, is it exciting? And I say yes. Think like, would it be more exciting if I sold shampoo? I don't know. Right. I think for me, it's just more the excitement that comes from some of those commercial attributes, like negotiations and working the deals and meeting with customers and closing the deal and having the wins and, those also come with losses and setbacks and I think that is also an exciting part and it's great that I can tie it in with energy, but I think those are also transferable skills. So there have been some common threads in terms of, You know, business values and needing commercial acumen that can, transcend across those jobs. But in general, it's sometimes felt like I've worked for several different companies along the way. That's amazing. And do you think so each of those sort of opportunities within the same company, how did you evaluate them or decide You know, to take something versus something else or like, how did you navigate those decisions? And do you think there's any common threads throughout when you look back with hindsight? Yeah, definitely. So, all the roles I've had have required a certain degree of commercial acumen. They've been quite, sales and marketing commercial roles. So there, there have been some common threads to that, but in terms of finding the next role it's a very proactive exercise. So I have a plan of my strengths and my weaknesses and gaps I want to fill and development opportunities how to increase. leadership skills and find those leadership opportunities. So typically when I look at the job posting is trying to match those up and demonstrate, not only to myself, but the hiring manager, that it is a good fit of what to do next. So with any career, sometimes you're, you're tapped on the shoulder for your next role. Sometimes you're shoved out of your current role and need to quickly find a new role. And other times you have the freedom and time to go out and, find what you're doing. However, internally, there have been plenty of roles that I've applied for that I wasn't successful in getting. And some that really could have changed the course of my career that would have taken me to a different city or a different country or a different line of business. And sometimes you really wonder where you'd end up now if one of those had worked out versus the other. Yeah very like the sliding doors moments in life. This had worked out, what would things be like I love, how proactive you are, thinking about strengths and, where the gaps are and evaluating that. And I think a lot of people either aren't that proactive or don't know where to start. So what does that look like for you? Like, how do you, take the time to do that and evaluate that? Is that like a personal exercise or? Yeah. So it is, however, in a good way, it's sort of forced upon me in my, with my current employer. So there are, different templates that you need to fill in, but more than that, it just. Create space for the thinking of those things that in your busy day, you it's very difficult to carve out the time to think about your personal development and, where you want to be in the, in the short, medium and long term. You know, those activities, like I said, are forced upon me, but in a good way. So, not only do I take the time to do it myself because I think it's important because also there's a tick box. It has to be in the system, but it also gives me a good sounding board to talk to my lawn manager and my mentor. And, typically, when you reach out to people internally, they're asking questions that relate to that plan. So it, it works well, but it does require the, the discipline you mentioned and trying to prioritize it in a busy day, week life. Yeah. I mean, that's always the hard part. There's always so much to do. So to take the time for that personal development is hard. So I know we'd to talk about common thread of business acumen. And of course, there's transferable skills. But do

11:15

you see other commonalities

Michelle: 11:17

maybe more in, how you want to craft your life and things that have led you down? Again, when you look back is there common threads? There of, Oh, I made these decisions for this bigger vision that I'm that you only really see when you look

11:35

back,

Michelle: 11:36

Yeah, definitely. When I started my career, the world was a different place. There was a lot more global mobility and moving around. And it was a little bit of a. Move up or move out culture. And that suited me really well. I was keen to travel and work in different cities and different countries. And that really opened up my opportunities and yeah, led to. To different steps that I may not have had the opportunity to take where, priorities change. And now, 23 years in, I'm, I'm feeling a little bit more settled in my life and aren't. Quite as keen on some of those international assignments or, pick up and go on short notice. You know, life changes, but the world has changed too. And a lot of those opportunities don't exist the same way they used to, or with so much being able to be done remotely now. I feel like the desire to kind of, Pull back on some of that travel is actually working well with my stage of life right now, given all of the other tools to to be able to do that. So, yeah, there's definitely you know, common threads in terms of wanting to, keep climbing the ladder and looking for roles with greater responsibility. And yeah, I'm not done yet. Definitely have plans to keep going. That's awesome. So what is your vision for what's next? Or what are you hoping for? Ah, yes. Well, right now I would call myself, I don't know, would it be like middle management role? And I'm looking for my next role to be have even more leadership attributes to it. Whether it's leading a team or leading a leaders of team and leading a community and really, yeah, I, I really like bringing people together, setting the vision empowering the team. And those opportunities at least for me come later in your career when you have the experience and the credibility built from your, your previous roles. So yeah, looking to to progress into a more, what I would call senior management role in a leadership capacity. That's exciting. And I think the other thing I'm super curious about just because energy is a field. I know nothing about and it's so massive. Are there areas you're super excited about in a general way about the energy field or different aspects of the energy field that kind of fit into that. Vision potentially as well. Yeah, definitely. So again, over the past 23 years, the energy sectors changed dramatically. Where I work today feels very different from where I worked right out of university. And especially in the last few years, being able to be part of the energy transition is really exciting. It's it feels good to be to be part of that and contributing to that. And it's super relevant. Of course, there's always interesting questions and debates at dinner parties, but in general, that's a real positive part of working in the sector. I mean, 23 years into energy. Do you have any regrets of not taking the banking role? Ah, interesting. So I definitely don't. That is a huge sliding doors moment, though. And I wonder if I would. Still live in the same postcode is where I grew up. If I had taken that job and where my life would be now. I think in terms of regrets, having been with a company so long is that I didn't take any time out of school. So when I graduated university, I did the quick, you know, one month in Europe backpacking around, but I definitely felt under pressure to start, I had this offer. Someone was willing to pay me more money than I'd ever thought I'd make in my life. It would help cover off university debts. And I was, I was just afraid to push back. And, hindsight is what would a few months have been? What would one year have been if I could have delayed that? Just to have taken that opportunity, whether See the world or just take a break, do something different. It feels 23 years in, I would, what I wouldn't do for a, just a short break and maybe if I had yeah, thought about that back then. And yeah, just potentially deferred slightly. I don't think it would impact at all where I am in my career today, but I think it would have, you know, helped me in terms of, Some of the things that I want to do outside of work. Yeah, I think there's so much pressure on probably starts in high school, but so much pressure on people in general to make the right decision, take the right thing in university, get that right job right away and start working. And in some ways, some of that pressure continues on of it feels some of these decisions are. Make or break your career where, as you said, if you had taken a few months or a year or even to travel and explore other things, your career would probably be in the same place. It wouldn't have impacted that, but it would have impacted other things. I do believe that, yeah. So if you could go back in time and give yourself Michelle going into university or just graduating university, advice, what advice would you give yourself? I think just the general motto of work hard, play hard. High school was, I went to a very competitive high school. It was, it was by no means easy. The pressure only increased in university. But I did have a lot of fun along the way in, in both of those times and, you know, it. Things work out. If it's everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end. So, just keep going. And yeah, just enjoy it a bit more. I do have high expectations for myself and I do put a lot of pressure on myself. We tend to be our own worst critics. And how do you just find time to maybe just be a bit, kinder to yourself and allow yourself to put your feet up and and take that important breaks when you need them. I think that's great advice. Going back to what we were talking about right before it's hard to do that because it feels all these decisions are so important and life changing. And so it's hard to take that time and take a break, but have fun and just enjoy the ride a little bit. So, I think, that's good advice, even for now. Let alone for when we're young. Yeah, enjoy each stage you're at. Obviously, what was fun in high school, university, now it's all different things. But yeah, just, just find time to carve out, you know, whatever fun means for you at that time. And make time to make it happen. That is great advice. thank you for sharing this. On a personal level. I was super interested in your journey energy is a completely Foreign industry to me and I'm like, how does someone get into that? And I think, the other thing that I think is cool about your journey is because you have been at the same place for a long time and. I think that's misunderstood in today's world. And like you were saying off the top when we were talking about this, is there's this feeling of Oh, you've been doing the same thing, but actually that's not true. You've been to multiple cities and countries you've worked in different parts of the energy sector. And of course, as a sector, it's evolved a lot as well. So to me, that's super fascinating and important for people to see that's also not a wrong choice to stay at the same company. Cause now there's pressure of Oh, you have to change companies every two or three years, but that's not always the best thing for, for every person in the career they're trying to build. Yes, I recognize it's it can feel quite unique, especially In the external landscape, when I'm chatting with friends and family and neighbors, it's a always kind of raises eyebrows when they hear that where internally I'm just one of many with a couple decades experience under my belt. So that also provides exciting opportunities to cross paths with people. There are so many people I've worked with in very different jobs. And that's also been great to build this. Pretty large network now of internal colleagues. That's awesome. And that's a good point. You get to know people at a different level when you. Been at the same place for a long time and really solidify that network. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and how you made decisions along the way and everyone's path is so unique and different. And I really appreciate you sharing yours with me today. Thank you for having me. And it was fun to chat about it. really enjoyed my career and I think I've made good choices to date and hopefully I continue to make them in the future. I'm sure you will. And I I'm lucky enough to be your friend and we'll get to see what comes next. Which is also exciting. Thank you. Thank you.

20:51

Michelle's story is a true testament to how everyone's journey is unique. From the first decision, when faced with two job offers, she chose the one that aligned with the life and experiences she wanted to have, rather than the one that just paid the most, and then has built a career from there. I think the other thing that stands out is that staying with the same company throughout your career doesn't mean that it has to be boring or that you lack ambition. My 3 takeaways from my conversation with Michelle really speak to that ambition first ownership. Michelle has taken ownership of her journey. There are so often tools available to us and processes we are required to complete, but many don't take it upon themselves to use these. Michelle took ownership of her journey from the beginning by using her university skill center. And then throughout her career, by really Taking those processes that many complete as a check the box exercise, you know, the dreaded internal development planning process, and she really took the time to evaluate her skills and weaknesses So she really took ownership of her career by using those tools available for her and not waiting for others and second, be proactive. She has then been proactive. Using that information from those tools to really look for and evaluate opportunities that would help her grow. And it really felt to me that she has made decisions based on the experiences and skills she wanted to develop throughout, which is a really proactive way to evaluate your career and Again, take ownership on where you want it to go. And third, the importance of adjusting. As Michelle progressed through her career, she's continued to adjust her goals and how she evaluates opportunities as her priorities have evolved. I think this is a forgotten and underestimated part of every career journey. It will evolve as your life changes and as you gain new skills and experiences and try new things. It's a good idea to periodically step back and ensure your journey still matches your priorities. And then you can make small tweaks like Michelle to pivot altogether and everything in between. Finally, I'd love to leave you with some wise words Michelle shared in her advice to her younger self. Everything will be okay in the end. And if it's not okay, it's not the end. So just keep going and enjoy it a bit more. Thank you for listening to the unexpected career podcast, please follow, share and rate on your favorite podcast provider. The unexpected career podcast is produced, edited and hosted by me, Megan Dunford. See you next week.