What's the no 1 career mistake you've made and how did you come back from it?

20 Comments

1. AnonymousNovember 5,2021 at 2:49PM UTC

   This turned out to not be a mistake but could have been a huge mistake so I never recommend it.....

   Applying to everything you are qualified for right out of college or grad school if you do that right after and taking the first job offered.......now it worked out for me. I have good co-workers, great experience, learning a lot but it could of been terrible. I just applied to anything that was in the two areas of Higher Ed I wanted to work in and I never recommend that.

   I think the biggest thing I regret is being so far away from home but I really didn't know that till I moved 8 hours away. In the future, I know more of what I want now out of a position and more where I would like to be located. So when I do plan to move on I've learned to not just apply to anything but apply to the places I want.

2. AnonymousNovember 5,2021 at 8:54PM UTC

   Yes, being selective is so important with these decisions! Thanks for sharing.

3. KarinNovember 5,2021 at 3:14PM UTC

   I would never call it a mistake - more like a career-impacting decision. I left the work force for a while to parent and getting back in was soooooooooo challenging. My way back in was through my network. Looking back, there's more I could have done to better position myself for career re-entry, for sure, but I'm thankful that I kept up with my connections.

4. Ruth SathreNovember 5,2021 at 6:31PM UTC

   I set myself up to be discounted. Each time a decision was announced, I asked how it would affect a particular population of clients. I would ask the same question in large group and departmental meetings. After awhile each time I raised my hand, I was overlooked or cut short. In retrospect, I should have asked questions in private or email. When there were layoffs announced, I was in the layoff group. By criteria, I was not eligible to be laid off. But I was perceived as a questioner and trouble maker.

5. AnonymousNovember 7,2021 at 3:54AM UTC

   It's such a harsh harsh lesson to learn, isn't it? i'm so sorry it happened to you.

6. AnonymousNovember 5,2021 at 3:25PM UTC

   Trying to organize employees for better pay! I wouldn't say now that I regret it, but I lost my job because the managers found out. I wouldn't want to work for that company anyway at this point, but maybe I would be more discrete in the future.

7. AnonymousNovember 5,2021 at 8:54PM UTC

   Wow! What a brave action and worthy cause.

8. AnonymousNovember 5,2021 at 3:47PM UTC

   Early in my career I went to a great company and ended up getting way too comfortable and ended up staying 8 years which was such a mistake. I had the job wired and just relaxed. All my counterparts passed me up. When I was laid off it was such an eye opener. It took me 10 years to catch up with my colleagues.

   I never became too comfortable in a job again. I am always looking for growth and opportunities.

9. AnonymousNovember 5,2021 at 8:53PM UTC

   Love the lesson you learned!!

10. AnonymousNovember 5,2021 at 4:05PM UTC

    About 5 years in to a previous role I had, I became frustrated with my manager and decided that I wanted to leave. I had a job offer in hand to go work with a new, exciting startup but then the VP of our group countered with a promotion and more money.

    I decided to stay with the company I was already with. Luckily the hiring manager at the other job was very understanding. Unfortunately, within a year our group was completely re-org'd and I ended up in a position that made me really unhappy and overly stressed. I always regretted not making the jump and taking the offer with the other company. However, two years later, I am now in a job I really like with a startup that is growing with a lot of potential and opportunity I never would have had with my previous company.

    My takeaway: Always be open to the risk or challenge. If you get to a place where you're too comfortable and risk-averse, it's time ot make a change.

11. MonicaNovember 5,2021 at 6:08PM UTC

    I have two: 1) Not getting my degree when I was younger. I feel that there's so much more I could have accomplished if I had; 2) Staying with my previous employer as long as I did.

12. Joycelyn M. SiameNovember 5,2021 at 7:55PM UTC

    The worst career mistake I made is actually not having a career and just having multiple jobs. I settled a lot for the sake of financial security, leading me to be unfulfilled for years.

13. AnonymousNovember 6,2021 at 3:54AM UTC

    I left a company I liked for a lot of money. Then hated the company and the people I left for. I have never recovered.

14. Stephanie DudleyNovember 6,2021 at 2:00PM UTC

    Probably not really having much of a career plan after having kids and settling into a job that offered very little upward mobility. I can say that I did learn a lot - in many ways I'm grateful for what I learned and had the opportunity of learning, but in terms of my career trajectory, it really sank it. I look amazing on paper but I should be in a director role, not a manager role. If the conditions were different, I'd have been more proactive.

15. MonicaNovember 6,2021 at 6:23PM UTC

    Perfectly said Stephanie.

16. AnonymousNovember 15,2021 at 3:36PM UTC

    Don’t give up…

17. AnonymousNovember 6,2021 at 8:16PM UTC

    I jumped at a new job due to the salary and title without really doing my due diligence and researching. I accepted the offer and a week later found out there was a huge issue with my core values and the role not aligning with them. (Turns out my company did animal testing and I just didn’t wish to be around the environment. ) The role was great, my team was great, but what I was doing just didn’t align with what I wanted in my career and it hurt my soul really.

    Since then I’ve done my homework on new roles. I will say however, I don’t feel there are mistakes. I honestly believe things happen for a reason and that I still learned quite a lot from my time there.

18. Tanika (Nika) Vasquez - (she/her)November 6,2021 at 8:55PM UTC

    Thank you for prompting The Season of Sharing! In my experience, most people have been having a hard time sharing their knowledge with others, what are some ways that we can promote organizational knowledge sharing without making people feel like they are going to be replaced by sharing their knowledge?

19. AnonymousNovember 8,2021 at 4:11AM UTC

    Staying in one place too long that did not offer promotions or upward mobility. Raised my son on my own his whole life with no help, he has special needs and I needed frequent time off work for dr appts, school visits etc, worked at a place that paid OK and was 5 mins from school and home. Now I'm realizing how bad that looks on my resume and don't know what to do about it. Trying to get a new job but no luck yet.

20. Bretley DannerNovember 15,2021 at 3:12PM UTC

    I am happy that I have been able to change careers in my life many times. I like change very much. I read a quote the other day. Fall reminds us that change can be beautiful…
    However, through all my experiences, I have learned that whom you work for, and also with, is more important then almost anything. Toxic situations are not worth it - They NEVER get better