What advice do you wish someone gave you?

15 Comments

1. AnonymousMay 22,2025 at 12:05AM UTC

   Advice i hung onto even when i wanted the advice not to be true.

   That the money follows the title. Always follow the money. Never set down roots. Keep moving every 2 to 3 years. This is the only way to quivkly build a career.

   Finally. Don't bitch. View everything as temporary. If you are following the money and moving you will attract opportunity and people will notice because these are attributes of a winner. Sure you can love a job or a mission of a company but those are not signs of career success. Those are personal markers of success. So, no reason to bitch and moan. It'll be over and you'll be on to the next thing before you know it. Keep your eyes on your path/road.

   These pointers have seen me through a great 40 year career. They never failed me. It's not always fun but it's always about me.

   Money=power=a seat at the table=opportunity =on your terms...........even when it doesn't look like it , it is.

2. AnonymousMay 22,2025 at 1:33PM UTC

   Something I wish would have been said loud and often; 'You own your career. No one is going to hand you anything. Letting feelings of inadequacy or being uncomfortable stop you from advancing is entirely on You.'

   It's harsh but it's also the truth. I spent years sitting in the same place, feeling like I wasn't worth anything and the only one making me feel that was myself. It's an incredibly hard mindset to overcome and it takes work, every single day. The other piece of advice, 'stop caring what other people think, they are too busy thinking about themselves to pay attention to you.'

3. Patricia Osborne RandolphMay 22,2025 at 1:34PM UTC

   Break down your definition of being stuck then move forward with reducing those beliefs. Have to applied for open positions in your company?

4. AnonymousMay 22,2025 at 2:15PM UTC

   If someone had just told me how dangerous it was to make myself indispensable, I would have spent ten more years at my first job. After that, the best advice I got later than I should have was to constantly be training your replacement, which goes along with the indispensability problem, because if they can't live without you in that position, you can't move up either. Training your replacement shows you have leadership skills and are forward-thinking.

5. AnonymousMay 22,2025 at 9:48PM UTC

   As a finance professional, my husband is in the same boat. He's been doing various things in finance and accounting for over 15 years, in the last 3 years he was a fractional CFO and did almost the same thing for over 20 startups. Then after getting his executive MBA, he's still doing largely the same things, as companies always end up wanting the same set of financial reports, models, or analysis, even though he has seen again and again what companies consistently request is not what makes a company reach success.

   So my perspective is, maybe this is a misconception. Maybe you think there is so much more to learn, but truly, once you get to 5-7 years, you've pretty much done all the typical finance stuff a company would ever need. My husband, who has worked with Finance Directors/VPs/C-suite in the startup ecosystem has witnessed nothing different than what he brings to the table. So I say, there may be a misconception that they're doing something magical, something advanced and extraordinary.

   Sometimes it is not about learning more, but rather knowing that you have all of the knowledge you'll need and using it to make excellent judgement calls. That's the difference between knowledge and experience.

6. AnonymousMay 23,2025 at 2:32PM UTC

   I love hearing that you've been proactive about seeking shadowing opportunities! I wonder if you've asked whoever you report to about this? Framing it as a desire to make yourself even more of a resource for the business and satisfy your personal desire for growth is a solid move.

   Sometimes we ask people for things like shadowing/to review their work/to share their workload and, unfortunately, rather than the reaction we're hoping for they feel protective of their role/responsibilities. Often, when something like this comes from the top down, it's more obvious that it's a development opportunity (rather than you trying to snake someone's job from them).

7. AnonymousMay 23,2025 at 5:53PM UTC

   Hi,

   Thank you.

   When I started my role was structured to support the seniors above me.

   Therefore, shadowing the team is actually a requirement of the role. As I usually have to cover for them when they are on leave which is currently quite difficult due to the lack of communication.

   However, I do have one colleague who is on compressed hours so does share his responsibilities.

8. AnonymousMay 26,2025 at 8:43PM UTC

   No, respectfully I feel like this would be worse. You'd be going around the person you're looking to mentor and basically telling their boss they are bad at their job and you can do it better.

   The problem with the OP is shadowing and acting as a "corrector" and different things. Nobody wants a junior staffer looking over their shoulder criticizing their work and trying to take away their reposnibilities. People are open to job shadowing if you are working WITH them, being an asset to their outcome like doing the grunt work of collecting the data or doing the research.

9. AnonymousMay 27,2025 at 3:52PM UTC

   (You're replying to me here) Yes, I agree that you have to be really careful about how you phrase it. You have to enter a shadowing situation with humility, and what I was suggesting was that if your manager helps you do that (since, respectfully to OP, the phrasing initially probably wasn't in line with what you and I are thinking) it's more likely to successfully seem like "I want to learn from you" rather than "I want to take your job".

   I hear you here, and we all have different experiences, but I've never turned someone down who asked to learn something from me regardless of whether they're on my team.

10. GirlBossanova934974May 25,2025 at 1:59PM UTC

    I think the answer is relatively simple here. So you decided to ditch the smaller, more independent company for more stability and a bigger paycheck. Well. There are pitfalls to this strategy. Your larger, more established finance organizations are not there to help you advance your career. They want the work done. The roles are very well defined and it is frowned upon to get out of your lane. They are not going to train you to take their jobs. SO go back to a smaller company. You can pick up courses on your own. In the smaller company, you will not to deal with all the territorialism and you can wear a few hats and do a few different roles. This implies RISK however. You might not succeed and things will be hectic......

11. AnonymousMay 25,2025 at 4:30PM UTC

    Stop job hopping, commit hard get your employer, manager and the HR rep who is in the company to help you grow your career but first take ownership of what you truly want. Make a chart plot a strategy and don't go willy nilly into it. Be sure that no one wants to take you on in a shadow because it affects their workload. Instead find a mentor, find one person who you might admire to guide you into how they got to where they are. You can do this but stop with the pity party because that wont get you where you need to go. Instead drop the negative thoughts, turn those into power sessions where you hold yourself up. Do more than what is expected of you and ask for more challenging work in your current role. You can do it, you just have to believe that you can too.

12. Maegan, Nike Sales Rep & Career CoachMay 25,2025 at 6:59PM UTC

    When I have asked to shadow people I establish a relationship with them by asking them for a coffee informational. I get to know them, share about myself, and tell them I am looking to build some knowledge in their expetise (Planning, for example). I tell them I want my next step to be a role like theirs or how that skill would be crucial to my development as a strategic sales rep. I ask if I can just sit in while they look at a planning report and walk me through some of it, or sit in on a meeting where I can observe and learn.

    You are there to observe and learn from them - not review their work and give them input. That may be offputting to people if they think you are coming in to critique instead of learn.

13. LaurenMay 26,2025 at 8:36PM UTC

    Professional Development is a real thing companies do, and a lot actually encourage you to take advantage. Not only does asking to do training courses show them that you are interested in moving up, but you will gain a lot from them personally/professionally. I would definitely ask! If they say "no" offer to do it on your own time. Maybe you can take a recorded training on a Saturday if they reimburse for the cost of the course. You can also remind them that doing this during work hours should not be a controversial request since you are improving yourself for them. Make them see how investing in you is investing in their own interests.

14. LiliaMay 30,2025 at 10:52PM UTC

    To develop all the time and never stand still

15. AnonymousSeptember 23,2025 at 10:08AM UTC

    I wish I had been told that perfectionism is often just procrastination in disguise; action, even when imperfect, is the true catalyst for growth. Furthermore, always verify major financial commitments upfront, such as ensuring you have the complete <a href="https://lawconsultants.pk/pta-tax-list//">pta approved fee</a> structure before enrollment to avoid unforeseen stress. Understand that your network is your net worth, so invest in relationships generously. Most importantly, be kinder to your past self, as every misstep was a necessary lesson that brought you to where you are today.