Building from the Bottom (Now We Here?)

It can be intimidating to consider what you may be doing in 10–15 years’ times, as your current situation can seem so far removed from what you dream of doing that you feel silly for getting ideas above your station.

However, you shouldn’t be afraid to dream big!

If you have an idea of what your dream job is, no matter how outlandish it might seem, then simply work back from there and think about the steps you can take today to get to where you want to be in future.

The distance between your current position in life and being the CEO or MD of a successful company might feel like a million miles but if you trace the steps back from your goal then you can develop a clear idea of the small, manageable actions that you can put into action to start building your way to the top.

For instance, if you want to be a journalist then start writing articles for a small publication or your own blog. If you want to work in hospitality (#BoiledFrogGraduates) then go wash pots in the wretched purgatory of pub and restaurant kitchens. If you want to be a baker, put some buns in the oven. If you want to be a juggler, get to tossing some balls.

Eventually, these early experiences will start to build on from one another until the opportunities to move on to bigger and better things start rearing their head. Progress is a slow process, after all.

Each career has a different trajectory so it’s important to get to know how some other people have managed to get to the pinnacle of their industries.
Just do some research and reach out to the people or companies you admire to hear what they have to say. Demonstrate your passion for their work and they will likely be willing to give you some tips or even some time to do some work experience.

Remember: all successful people have to start somewhere. If you put into place those initial steps to get where you want to be then there is no reason you can’t achieve your biggest dreams.

Change your mind set, change your industry, change the world. The only thing I ask in return is that, when the time comes, you share your knowledge with the next generation of budding whizz kids so we can keep things ticking along nicely.