When I was 22…Be Bold!
9 Jun 2014
LinkedIn recently asked what advice people would give to a 22 year old just starting out in the world, based on their own life experience. So the blogging team at OpenCRM thought we’d have a go at it.
I was really happy when I was 22…I was focused on the future, but had a great job that I loved, some wonderful hobbies, and was very involved in my local community. The job was with the university museum where I had worked as an undergraduate.
Most of my friends had left after graduation, so I was a bit lonely, but between my job and my volunteer work, I made some new friends and, most importantly, I learned how to be happy in my own company.
That wasn’t always easy and I spent more than one Friday night feeling a bit sorry for myself. Looking back, though, I think it was a very important time for me and a great learning experience. It took away that fear of moving to a new place and not knowing anyone. I knew that a) I could be happy by myself and b) I would always make new friends.
Moving to a new city or starting a new job can be daunting, but that would be my advice to people just coming out of university or setting out on their own: Know that you will be fine on your own.
It might not be easy at first and you might have a few quiet weekends, but once you’ve done it, your options will be limitless. You will have the confidence to know that you can walk into any new situation and be perfectly capable of handling it.
So learn to love your own company and don’t let the fear of striking out on your own overshadow your ambition.
Although I originally hail from northern California, as soon as I arrived in Yorkshire I knew it was the place for me! At OpenCRM, I started out in the Business Development team, and then moved into compliance and Q&A because I love telling people what to do…ok, that’s not the real reason, but it makes for a good bio one-liner. When I’m not in the office, you can usually find me tramping through the dales, crafting, gardening, or with my nose in a book.