This transcript was generated from YouTube captions and lightly edited for readability. Speaker labels may be unavailable, and transcription errors may remain.
Intro#
Hello and welcome to episode 50 of Graduate Theory what a fantastic Milestone 50 episodes It’s been a fantastic Journey so far thanks so much for tuning in so today’s episode is part two of this mini series where we are recapping all the episodes that we’ve done so just like last episode in this.
Episode we’re looking at episodes 26 to 48 um and each of these episodes I asked the guest what is some advice you’d give yourself if you was finishing University and starting your career today and this episode is a compilation of responses from right across these episodes some of the answers here are really.
Incredible and it’s really cool to be able to compile these in such a nice way I hope you guys do enjoy this one if you want to see more if you want to get involved further go and subscribe to The Graduate Theory newsletter for the first link in the description you’ll get an.
Email update whenever something happens in fact there’s been some interesting developments in the last few days so I encourage you to subscribe to the email list so you can hear more about that but without further Ado let’s get started foreign.
26 - Abhi Maran#
About the clock to when you were just finishing uni and starting into into the Work World what things do you know now that you wish you knew when you would when you’re at that stage yeah I think I’d probably experiment a lot more with what for my career like I think what I.
Should have done back then is probably like talk to a lot of people in the ecosystem and figure out like ways to get involved even if it didn’t seem like I would be able to get involved from the outside I should have sort of like been a bit more proactive I think and talk to.
People like I think I was a little bit daunted by the fact that all of the people back then were just like really experienced people and I was like oh who’s going to talk but I think they they probably would have been nice enough to talk to me back then and so like I probably should have done that I.
Think I think there’s a lot more opportunities for experimentation and I say this from like a privileged point of view as well like I think some uni students are really privileged in the fact that they still live at home they don’t have to pay rent they don’t have to pay for food blah blah blah and.
So for them like they can uh be pretty like they can take more riskier options in in their career so they can work at different startups for like two three month periods like intern at different places without really worrying about securing a grad job but other people also like who aren’t as as.
Lucky or in a privileged position for them what I think is really important is like to be able to sort of like secure a grad job initially um secure that gradual and then use that to leverage other opportunities and so like what I mean by that and I think this is becoming a bit more accepted now.
Actually because companies are really desperate for good talent and so you’re able to sort of like negotiate with them your start date so like push push your grad start date back like six months or a year or something like that and in that time go and experiment working for a startup or go and experiment with.
Doing something that you’ve always wanted to do if that’s traveling all over the world like go and do that if that’s sort of like starting your own business like go and do that and you’ve got a bit of security there in that grad job and you can always like bring that forward I’m fairly certain.
Like if you just talk to people like they’re they’re willing to help you help you out as much as possible but I think yeah like talking to people experimenting is probably like what I should have done a lot earlier in my.
27 - Kerry Callenbach#
Career one of the questions I Ask of all the guests that I had on the show is and maybe you can take this in a different direction giving giving your experience with lots of graduates but the question I ask is and if you had to restart your career and you know wind the clock.
Back to when you were first starting out what kind of things would you do differently or what things would you tell yourself if you were in that environment again so no this um and I noticed because there’s a career change in myself multiple times it can feel really really overwhelming when you start something right.
Um our education system is designed to go you go to Primary School High School university job right and so if you don’t follow that pathway you go I must have done something wrong or I haven’t succeeded as as to the point that I should have right and I had that myself you know I finished my sport.
I then went into nursing and realized that I didn’t actually want to do nursing so what do I do and you can kind of have a little bit of an identity crisis around that my advice would be it is okay to not know what you want to do it is totally okay your life is not over.
Your life is just beginning right it’s you’ve just at a road where you need to choose so I would say be okay if you don’t know and also if you go into a role or a company and it doesn’t feel right right you’re not being your best self don’t stay honestly don’t stay.
Um if you are giving up eight nine sometimes ten hours of your life to a company right um you want to enjoy being there you want to actually go hey I’m really excited to get up to work today I’m excited to you know go hang out with my colleagues and if you don’t feel like.
That just take a moment to pause and say why not where am I not feeling fulfilled right can is there something about the role is there something about the way that their culture is with work is um and if you don’t like it don’t stay um it’s too many hours of your life to.
Spend somewhere where you’re not getting fulfillment I’ve got one more question.
29 - Lacey Filipich#
For you today Lacey and that’s around you know obviously Graduate Theory career kind of focused podcast and I want to ask yourself you know have there been times or like if you had to restart your career and kind of wine back to when you were first starting out working is there anything Looking Back Now.
That you would approach kind of your career progression and perhaps your finances as well is there anything there that you would do differently oh well there’s one tiny thing in my finances that I didn’t understand when I was a graduate um that I know now that I go like oh shoot I should have done something about.
Um when I was working for Western mining BHB took us over that was in my second year as a graduate and we had been given options with Western mining I didn’t understand what options meant and so I didn’t exercise them um and now I know what options need I’m like ah it’s like about eight grand I.
Could have had um so when something happens financially at work when they have like a share plan or they talk about salary sacrificing or your superannuation matching and stuff like that if you don’t understand take the time to get the support so you can make a good decision it’s really important that we if you if.
You get an offer for something from work that you understand whether it’s the right thing for you or not and that you take the opportunities that you can because often things like those Share Plans and those options plans are designed to keep you with the company but they are a leg up they want they are.
An advantage but if you just sign without understanding them or ignore them because they’re too hard you could give up a lot take the time to learn would be my advice there um the other thing I would encourage people to do which I hadn’t even at the time thought about now you can tell from my.
Discussion that I’m quite a forthright person and I will fight for what’s right for me and something that happened to me when I was in that second year I was a graduate I was one of seven graduates and two of us were female now the five were men and we were at a site.
Where there was 10 women in total out of 300 employees in kalgoorlie in Western Australia right so that was the reality of going into mining in a remote location back then it’s very different now you know the next site I went to was 20 female uh versus you know 10 out of 300. so.
Um that’s not normal but what often happens when you’re the only woman on a site or one of the few is that you get the women’s jobs uh which for this particular case was my general manager had lost in the 18 months I’d been there he’d lost five executive assistants now that’s not that’s not normal clearly.
Yeah clearly that was a difficult role but they couldn’t find someone and they really needed someone so they asked me to fill in and I had a massive tantrum like not a you know throwing my fist but I went into my boss’s office and was like you’re just asking me to do this because.
I’M&A woman and I’m not happy about that there are five other graduates who are male any of them could do that role why did you pick me because I had a real B in my Bonnet about this like we always give the women the job of taking the notes and they always have to get the.
Freaking tea and all that stuff anyway it’s a it was a real um thing that I had heard so much about and I was really sensitive to it and so I overreacted but I was really like it was a fair call my boss said that is a fair call for you to say that because this does happen and.
He said look I promise you Lacey that’s not the reason you were chosen for this can you just take my word from it that you’re going to learn something really important and that it’s you want to take this role and I was like okay fine I really like the boss it was fantastic.
Um JP and I said all right fine I’ll do it but I’m not happy that you pick me because I’M&A girl and he’s like I’m not picking you because you’re a girl stop it okay all right fine fine anyway so turns out it was when BHP was looking to buy Western Mining and I got to be part.
Of the War Room that got set up before the murder in acquisition so I got to be in on the discussions with the executive team and hear how they would pitch the company how they would persuade another company to buy them I got to learn about M&A now learning that at 22.
Is it unusual if you’re not like in that kind of like for a graduate engineer who just come off the furnace in my my scruffy you know covered in dirt outfit um to be in these meetings listening to this because I could make grass because I could type and they needed that to.
Hear those conversations that were happening to understand how the War Room would get set up to when that was like some of the most invaluable experience I got in that graduate program like you couldn’t you couldn’t have planned it so my boss had noted that I wanted to be a CEO he had.
Noted that because I had told him it is like where do you want to go Adventure I’m like well I’d like to be a CEO eventually so I want to do you know management stuff and he was doing it so that I could get this amazing experience because I was The Graduate who had said.
I’m interested in that stuff so he was doing the right thing by me the fact that I was female neither here nor there but if I hadn’t listened to him and I’m just lucky that he didn’t go well fine I’ll give it to someone else just despite me you know someone else I’m.
Very lucky that he was understanding and saw my response so that’s the difference between having a good boss and a bad boss so what did I learn out of that sometimes you’ll think it’s because of some thing that it’s not you know I had a Brill B in my body everything I.
Looked at I was like they’re asking me to do that because I’M&A girl I’m refusing uh I’m principle because I’M&A feminist and thou shalt not make me um it’s not always the same it’s just that’s your frame of reference okay so you need to be willing to listen when people tell you that’s wrong sometimes.
You’ll be right sometimes you won’t be that’s I think the most important thing out of that the second thing that I learned out of this experience is something that’s carried me through my whole career is pick your boss wisely there is no one who will have a bigger impact on how happy you are at work than.
Your boss at the end eighty percent of your satisfaction at work I reckon comes from whether you have a good boss or a not so good boss now you have to have had not so good bosses uh to be able to understand what a good boss is I think and I’ve had only a.
Couple in my time I’ve been very lucky I’ve had fantastic bosses but I started to get very choosy very early on about who I’d work for for that reason I think there were times when I was younger when I worked for a I’m going to be blunt a bad boss he was shocking should not have been.
Allowed to manage people just cookie cutter for everything uh no no taking into account anyone’s personal views circumstances or preferences just know this is how we do it you would do it this way I would never give people that High Mark you only ever get everybody gets an average you know like.
That he was just he should not be allowed to manage people um recognizing that’s not you necessarily it’s not your fault I had a lot of uh that it’s sort of like because when you knew in the workplace you don’t really understand whether um that’s because you’re not meeting expectations or whether you’ve just been.
Lumped with a bad boss um sometimes it’s a little bit of both um so you’ve got to be honest with yourself but if you’ve got a bad boss just accept that’s a bad boss and they’re not right for you maybe they’re good for other people but not right for you and become choosy so that’s I think.
Something that I learned based on my youth experience going I’ve got to be really picky about who I work for and don’t don’t work for the end I’ve got one last question for.
30 - Yaniv Bernstein#
You and even that’s a question I ask all the guests on the show and it’s it’s the question is this if you had to rewind the clock back to when you were first starting work uh knowing what you know now is there anything any advice you’d give yourself or anything that you do.
Differently in that situation yeah I think I’d back myself more and be more entrepreneurial and you know I suspect there’s a generational element to this uh where you go from you know a couple of generations back where it was kind of a you know lifetime employment sort of thing uh maybe to my.
Generation where there’s a lot more mobility in people’s careers but it still tended to follow uh you know path of full-time jobs you know from one to another uh to I think now when you know I’m seeing a lot of the sorts of communities like the one that you’re you’re serving right where people.
Are really trying to be the architects of their own careers so when I say entrepreneurialism sure some of some of the time it means starting your own business um or it might mean starting a side hustle or a podcast or anything like that um and building a personal brand but it also means taking a more active control.
Of your career and not being as passive and say well you know I’ve got my job now I need to work towards my next promotion or whatnot it’s it’s really a question of being you know the architect of your own career and understanding of course that uh you know the future is very difficult to predict but to have a.
Set of goals and principles that you proactively set and then try to design your career around that I think I’m saying a lot more of that with you know the current generation of graduates and early career folks and I’m I’m really kind of in awe of that and a bit envious of that and I sort of think you know.
If I’d been more intentional in in designing my career you know where where could I have gotten to or could I have gotten to where I have earlier uh you know so that’s something that I feel that’s the advice I would have to myself is you know be intentional in in planning a career the tools that are.
Available these days are incredible right um just from from things like this podcast to communities like like early work uh through to just the vast amount of resources online the ability to start side hustles fairly easily um the availability of capital for early stage startups that there is a lot of stuff around now that didn’t used to.
Exist and I think uh you know if I were around now I would hope uh that I’d be able to make more use of that stuff and really yeah be be intentional and mindful in designing my career.
31 - Gene Rice#
A question that I ask all the guests that I have on the show is if you could uh rewind the clock if you could go back to the days where you just finished University and you were going out into the world knowing what you know now and knowing that you know all the all the advice that you’ve.
Written what are some things that you would do differently or what is some advice that you would give yourself if you were back in your shoes uh you know in that situation you know it you know it’s it’s it’s funny James right I think I don’t know if I shared with.
This with you but you know my career was very different I started off owning rock and roll clubs in New York right I own two rock and roll clubs it only booked original music and had bands like the Ramones and the Stray Cats and Joan Jett and Bo Diddley and Richie Havens I left that business because the first.
One was extremely successful the second one was a failure and my wife would only marry me if if I got out of that business but then I went into Corporate America in Corporate America I was with a division of a Fortune 100 firm an international Fortune 100 firm Alcatel a French company and in seven years I was.
Promoted five times I went from a sales rep to a sales manager to a general manager to a district manager my last job was heading up all East Coast operations with over a thousand people reporting to me I left that job and I was making a heck of a lot of money for one reason and one reason only I was.
Never home at night I was traveling a great deal we had a young family and I was looking to have some Work-Life Balance I went into executive search James because I had used search firms myself I knew I could bring some value to it but I never knew what I would find I did it because I could be home at.
Night now it went on to be extremely successful very fast but what I’m going to tell your audience what I would do differently I found purpose in executive Search so even though when my firm became one of the largest retained search firms in the world I never stopped leading the searches because I got purpose talking to the.
Executives talking to the clients and putting a good match together half of the people that I would place any c-level jobs had to pick up their families from one city and move them to another city for the role and I felt and if I’m going to pick this person’s family up and move them I have to make.
Sure that this is a good match and I found purpose in that I had passion I was excited I woke up in the morning and I couldn’t wait to go to work and do what I did uh so if I had to go back I think I would have tried to identify early on.
Where that passion was and that purpose and might have been a little bit more strategic and looking for it I got very very lucky and fortunate so many other people do not now it went on the other thing is you know this book that I wrote Every Financial reward that comes to me is going to be donated.
Directly to the charity my wife and I started the planet scene inspired Dream Foundation to help more kids pursue their passions you know so I’M&A big believer pursue your passions find purpose in your life if you if you can find that and you can make a career figuring out how to pursue those things you’re going.
To be healthier you’re going to be happier you’re going to smile more and that’s the message I want to leave your.
34 - Robby Wade#
Audience with so I’ve got one question left for you and that is uh it’s a question I ask all the guests that come on the show and it is if you were looking at the Robbie that’s just finished University and he’s about to sort of guide into the world and Tackle his job uh you know what advice would.
You give him sort of knowing uh what you know now and all the experiences that you’ve had so easy I would just say read and run every day like if you if you read books every day and run every day I guarantee you like your life will change forever like if you just do those.
Two things even if you started like a kilometer and a page um they’re just those two things are so unique uh in their capacity and I’ll be very brief on this like reading allows you to get mentors and knowledge and understanding and you sort of level up your education and whatever um running’s cool because running gets.
You outside getting outside every single day is really really important for like your circadian rhythm and just your mental well-being uh when you run and you run through space and your eyes move it relaxes you and it makes you incredibly calm um and then also uh when you do like cardiovascular exercise uh it can.
Actually form like a you get like neurogenesis in your hippocampus and allows you to have like a fluffy hippocampus which increases and improves your memory um so if you’re running every day your memory is going to be better if your memory is better you’re going to be learning more if you’re learning more.
You’re very likely to you’re going to be fit and educated like I it’s pretty hard to go it’s pretty hard for your life to go south if you just focus on those two things uh I think everyone can give you all these like weird anecdotes and statements and all those kind of things.
But practically like try to read and run at least once a day and I think your life would just transform from there you’ll learn what you need to do next just by doing those two things.
35 - Cheran Ketheesuran#
I’ve got one more question for you Sharon and that is a question I ask all the guests that come on the show and it is if you could kind of let’s let’s even for yourself go back to when you were first starting University and kind of out into this journey of discovering um you know the different opportunities.
That are that are awaiting you and what advice would you give to someone that’s perhaps you know now just just starting out on their Journey yeah tightly um I think a few things um I’ll probably say three things um have to keep it very structured as a future consultant um I think that the first one would be.
Do things your own way um I’ve mentioned the phrase hedonic treadmill a few times now but it’s very easy and I know that I’M&A person who subjects this on others is you see the linkedins of people and you say ah well you know by doing this he got to this and by doing B he got to see and.
Um have a Consciousness that there are a million ways to get to where you want to be and be driven enough that you pursue goals and you know if you are pursuing roles and titles and whatever it is that’s fine but don’t be sorry driven that you forget to I’ll say say smell.
The roses on the way um and you forget about the reason why you’ve done um that journey and you know I’m not ending up in banking but I’m still glad I’ve spent one and a half years in banking because that’s taught me a whole um skill set of things that if I was so.
Focused on the outcome I would think that was a waste which certainly isn’t so I’d say firstly do things your own way second thing nobody cares and that sounds rather flippant um that what I mean by that is generally nobody cares about so many of the failures that we have on a daily basis I.
Remember um seeing this visualization once on Twitter and if you imagine two concentric circles and you sort of have one Circle and then you have a little small circle um in the middle of it and that small circle is how much other people think about you and all the space around it is.
How much you think about other people thinking about you um and that’s just the reality that literally nobody cares everyone has their own issues and problems to sort through and it’s very liberating once you realize that because all of a sudden you’ll just focus on your own happiness and your personal pursuit of your goals.
And that’s all you need in life I think life is already tough enough without worrying about what other people think or you know what’s going to be the impact of me not getting X or not being at this stage in life and especially when you surround yourself in a high academic achieving background of.
Students and cohorts as you know the universities you and I have been to um it gets very easy to fall into that mental trap and then the last thing I’d say um is that life will generally be okay um and I think this sort of links back to you know nobody cares but.
Um I’ve said this a lot to you know it’s graduate season at the moment a lot of students in the Years below some students that I tutor at University have been really stressed and worried about um applications and I think remember that everybody Peaks at a certain period of time and that’s not.
Going to be 22 for everybody and it’ll be rather sad if you’re picking a 22 so I think just remember that the vast majority of your listeners and the people who are part of this community have lived in a time which has never been better than time before number one and that’s secondly generally everybody.
If you work hard enough if you don’t that luck impact everything in your life you will be okay and you will get to where you want to eventually um and that there’s no rush in life in terms of reaching certain goals and just because it seems like the vast majority of people reach goals within a certain.
Period of time doesn’t mean that you have to be part of that as well um because there are countless numbers of people you know Reid Hoffman is a prime example um who reached you know their pick successes and their first successors in their 40s and 50s so um that would be my two three pieces of.
Advice do things your own way um nobody cares and uh it’ll all be okay James it’ll all be okay I’ve got like.
36 - Max Marchione#
Like last question for you and that is like but you’re in University currently let’s rewind perhaps back to the start of uni and thinking about who Max was at that stage know what you know now and all the things that you’ve done all the experiences that you’ve had if you could go back to Max who’s just starting out.
Well he’s just left school let’s say what what advice would you give to yourself be more courageous take more risks break the rules University equals internships in other words like you use the time to um do internships and then like again be even more courageous um so that’s the advice I’d go back and.
Give myself amazing yeah the courage out here is a really interesting one and that’s certainly I think uh I can be better many of us can be better at applying that one um yeah but I think I think I’m still like I actually still think it’s a weakness of mine I still think I don’t.
Take enough risk um I still think I can can up courage um and it’s iterative right like the more the more you put yourself out there the more Courage the more the more things you do that are courageous um the more you build up build up by thick skin to it no longer feels like.
Being courageous just feels like the normal right and that’s why again going back I love next chapter because being around people in there makes things that used to be courageous just normal right just continue to like raise the bar and what’s what’s normal and that uh as humans I think winding up with that independence of.
Thought idea um our inite state is to copy others if you put two babies in a room with a thousand toys they will fight over one toy so our innate state is to copy others given that piece of information I want to be around others they’re in a community where if I copy others I end.
Up in a really really damn good place um so I think that’s true of Courage as well if you’re around people who are off the bar on ambition and courage and proactivity even starting a podcast like what you’re doing right like a third of the community bloody Ryan podcast or something like that.
Um it’s courageous it’s like it’s a bold move you put yourself out into the world um so I’d say that as well like as a closing piece of advice B be really deliberate about like trying to find people who lift you up and trying to be part of communities or collectives of people.
Um that create a culture show where exceptional is normal I’ve got like one.
38 - Juliana Owen#
More question here for you Juliana that is around um you know a lot of the audience listening is kind of grads or early career people looking to sort of yeah start their career and start it off in the right Manner and I’d love to ask thinking about yourself and your journey if you.
Could kind of wind back the clock to when you first graduated union and went went out into the world of work knowing what you know now and all the things you teach what would you go back in and is there any advice you’d give yourself um if you were if you’re in that stage.
Now okay if I mean they stage now so going back to my first point look for someone that will guide you they will give you a full picture because it’s so much easier when you know where you’re going and I’m saying this because I’ve gone through that process myself here in Australia I’ve tried.
Um you know a couple of times to get into the market um with the knowledge that I had back in the days I was well 23 24 years old um and I wasn’t getting anywhere once I hired someone and I said look this is where I come from this is the experience.
I have so far this is where I want to go and this is what I would like to achieve how can I prepare to actually face The Challenge and actually getting there okay so we’re gonna have to work on CV cover letter LinkedIn we’re going to have to work on a mock interview what’s.
Your interview style interview is one of the crucial points here right because the majority of the people think oh do you have a questionnaire that I can have a look or do you have a video on YouTube look not really because the worst thing you can do in an interview process is decorating answer and a question and.
Answer question and answer because when you’re in an interview obviously you will know more or less what they’re going to be asking you but more than that you need to build your thought process you need to learn how to build your topirosis because if the interviewer asks you something that is outside of your uh preparation let’s say.
You’re going to go blind you’re going to go oh and then you just answer whatever and after all the excitement you know went down you just go I shouldn’t have answered that oh I didn’t prepare for that oh the question that I decorated was announced so it is not about decorating it’s about you learning how.
To create credibility through you know your thought process how do you build that thought process how do you tell your story um so that comes on the mentorship as well right so if you know what you’re doing good on you get yourself ready go for it all the best luck if you don’t know or if you’re in.
Doubt search for professionals search for someone that will you know clear the road for you so you can drive through and get to your final destination yeah.
39 - Elizabeth Knight#
Someone that is let’s say that finished high school and they’re starting their Journey uh out in the in the big wide world uh you know thinking and reflecting on your own journey and what advice would you give to someone that’s going through that right now the first thing that comes to mind is be.
Emotional which is kind of strange but when I was younger I thought it was bad to be like passionate in a way I thought that you know young people kind of get this bad rap of being like too angry and too fired up or you know all the opposite they don’t care enough like uh I think.
It’s really important to not worry about perfection when you’re young because it’s just impossible to achieve and just feel things and act like impulsively somewhat and um really appreciate the good and the bad that comes with being a young person uh that you have to you have to go through all of that like it’s all really.
Positive thing so that would be my first piece of advice and secondly to um be bold again the idea of how far are you willing to go alone you know don’t absolutely don’t let anybody else Define the path that’s in front of you if you don’t want to and you may you know have.
A family of parents and who want a certain thing for you and think that’s what is best for you and you might agree with some of those things that’s totally fine but the key there is being able to ask yourself you know why am I doing this like what what’s really driving this this goal this step for me am I.
Just going to University because I think I have to go to university or am I going because it’s actually the most purposeful step for me um so ask yourself why I’m really try and um think about that when you’re making choices and do your best to make those decisions in alignment with like who you.
Are not not the rest of the world around you because honestly at the end of the day who cares what they think you have to live you have to live with it they they don’t yeah yeah that would be one more question for you.
40 - Elaha Gurgani#
A lot and that is a question I ask all the guests on the show and that is if you could think back to when you’re finishing uni and perhaps in your last year of uni kind of about to go out into the world and do these things we are trying to get a job at XY plays you know.
Knowing what you know now and all the things that you’ve done what advice would you give yourself if you were at that stage again yeah I would say be bought um Tech risk and don’t be afraid of the unknown Parts I think for so long um growing up even with the society that.
We’re in it tells you to take this linear safe path it kind of lays down this path of like if you do X and Y then you will get z um and that’s how you’ll be successful um and for so long like management consulting or even like other roles I kind of was kind of chasing those the.
Passover laid out to me because I was kind of afraid of taking risks I was afraid of the unknown paths um because if you do take unknown hats like let’s say a startup or entrepreneurship like you don’t know what lies ahead in five ten years it’s kind of unknown and very risky so if I.
Were to look back and look at my younger self going through kind of graduate or university I would say take risk and don’t be afraid of the unknown because once you do explore the unknown paths where the path isn’t laid out to you but you enjoy it you’re curious about it you will meet the most interesting people.
You will be challenged and grow so much and the things that you always wanted the um the people the tribe the passion the things that you always create for it will come to you through those unknown paths that’s where the magic lies that’s where the growth lies so that’s what I would tell my younger self.
41 - Gabriel Guedes#
If you can sort of go back to the ggs probably in his last year of uni he’s about to go out into the world uh now that you’ve sort of experienced all this stuff what is some advice you’d go back and give yourself if you were in that situation again uh it’s hard to say and if if that was.
Uh serious proposition like okay you can go back in time and tell the young to do something I would probably actually would pass on the opportunity and I say that because you run the risk of saying something that over the 10 years or 15 years even when I was uni uh that gets.
Misinterpreted and perhaps you end up chasing this thing because oh this this future me came from from the future just to tell me this one thing so that’s one thing might be super important and you might really misinterpret it um whatever the advice is right I can say oh everything’s going to be all.
Right don’t don’t worry for instance and then perhaps the Young Gigi takes it too literally and doesn’t benefit his life and then change the course uh or you can say something like like work harder or whatever it is and then you just go to the wrong to the wrong tangent as well.
So I’ll probably just pass on the opportunity yeah yeah no fair enough yeah you don’t wanna I feel like that’s a that’s nice because it I guess it reflects like where you are now is is going super well for you and you’re really enjoying like where your life is at at the moment.
So um important not to I don’t want to mess that up by accident sure oh yeah if there’s what would some advice be that you’d give like just people generally maybe it’s University students in Australia that are kind of coming to the end and trying to work out what they want to do with their lives.
Um is there is there any advice that you’d give those people uh I’ll probably say that your lives are not going to be decided then like I think at the at that stage many people think I’m making this big life decisions now uh but in the big scheme of things that’s a commitment.
Whatever you’re doing that’s probably a couple years Commitment if that much and uh there’s so much more in your life in your career so don’t worry uh too much of overthinking these kind of things and uh there’s always a way to of course correct later if you’re not enjoying it.
43 - Caleb Maru#
I’ve got one last question for you Caleb and this is a question that I ask all the guests and it is if you were graduating or perhaps uh quitting University early again uh like this time like again again now right uh you know what would what advice would you give someone that’s kind of at that stage in.
Their life yeah um yeah I think the main thing is just like take it easy you have so much time ahead of you like your 20s are like mate you’re made to screw up like you’re supposed to screw up as many times as you want in your 20s as cool like as you.
Probably louder I think here is like there’s there’s quite a lot of safety right like if everything goes wrong you can probably get a job somewhere or like you might have a support network to help you out so don’t worry too much if things don’t go well in your 20s like it’s meant to be kind of and also.
Like really fun um and I’m definitely experiencing that now it’s like why don’t I have my together in like some aspects of my life I’m like it’s cool it’s cool um so yeah I think it’s just like have fun have as much fun as you can and just do things that you enjoy.
Um yeah and just say yes to as much things as you can that like are helpful for you I’ve got one more question for.
44 - Lisa Leong#
You Lisa and that’s around um you know careers and young people more generally it’s a question I ask all the guests that come on the show and that is if you could like if someone was kind of graduating University again heading out into the world uh and you had the chance to give them some advice.
You know knowing all the things that you know now and the things that you’ve been through what what is some advice that you would give someone at that stage uh never listen to someone who gives you advice without asking some questions first is my piece of advice is that a head spin yeah yeah.
Um uh the other one is you know don’t put too much pressure on yourself I think you find the right pathway James whatever Road you take at the fork at that time and I feel like you know there’s a lot of pressure make the right decision like it kind of all comes out.
In the wash at the end of the day and remember that if you make a misstep so if you accept a position that you absolutely hate then tick well done you’ve just learned something about what you don’t want next time right so take the pressure off you’re okay if every day is lab day you’re fine.
Um so that’s one thing um as well.
45 - Brendan Humphreys#
I’ve got one more question for you Brendan uh and that’s the question I ask all the guests that come on the show and that is um advice for young people that have just graduated University perhaps young Engineers uh in this case like what advice would you give someone that’s fresh out of University and wants to.
Become a great engineer uh wow okay well look I think it’s uh it’s definitely the case that you want to find um mature engineering orgs to join where you can learn from exceptional individuals so you want to find that the engineering cultures uh in in the mature engineering teams where you’ve got these.
Um mentors informal or otherwise that can teach you uh the art of software engineering and you can you can learn from so and you know we certainly deliberately set out to create a culture like that at canva um but you know like a lot of the big companies like Google Amazon uh Microsoft Apple they will all have that.
And I think that’s you know that’s something to definitely aim for I think that there is a risk for grads in um and I’m not saying it’s don’t do it but I think there’s just some risks in in maybe joining smaller outfits where uh you can very quickly be uh the most knowledgeable and experienced person in.
The room and that can be dangerous if you if you just fresh out of uni you know so it can work it’s just a risk um I personally think that it’s better to join somewhere where you’ve got those mentors uh that help you see what great looks like and can help you get there I.
46 - Mykel Dixon#
Will have a last question for you Michael uh it’s something that I ask all the guests and you know Graduate Theory it’s sort of you know we’re about young people that are sort of perhaps around my age early career career perhaps at University I wonder if there’s any advice that you would hand it to people.
That are at this stage kind of looking to grow their career and ideally be in the sort of two percent that are still the creative genius when they’re a bit older you can’t you’ve got you can’t let the world get to you are going to be met with I hope it’s changing I really do I think it is I.
Think it’s changing but probably still the next maybe 10 years might be a bit bumpy we’re trying to figure it out you are going to have people that are mean you can have people that talk about you behind your back you’re going to have people that actively try to you know withhold information from you or stunt.
Your career or do all these kind of things don’t let them stop you know like you’ve got to you’ve got to trust yourself love yourself you’ve got to accept that you came here for a reason and it’s not better or smaller or grander or lesser than anyone else’s if you’re here you’re meant to be here and.
You have a voice and you have something you’re supposed to contribute to this planet and that could be your neighbors it could be your family that could be you know the colleague customers whatever you could be the another Steve Jobs you could be another Barry who lives in the suburbs who’s just a.
Radical dude who says g’day to the postie every day it doesn’t matter you’re here for a reason and you just cannot let the world diminish you and make you feel less than how how much of a miracle you are and this might sound like a little bit you know Tony Robbins motivational speaking.
But we need that right now we’ve been told we’re not enough we’ve been told that we’re not going to make it that we aren’t this that we’re not as good as them that we’re no no no no you open up Instagram it’s just everyone’s better than you skinnier than you got more money than you blah blah blah blah blah.
It’s horrible and it’s all because all those people are worried and terrified and you know insecure and rarer you’ve just like my advice would be find people that you can trust and rely on and just hold this little unit of of kind of safety and sacredness where you value each other you support one another.
You remind each other hey we’re awesome because the next World the world that you’ll all be building is it’s gonna be better than the one that I inherited and the one I inherited was better than the one my parents did and the one that you know we’re getting better we’re on this journey.
But it’s it can knock you around man it can knock you around and it can it’s you know whether people mean to or not whatever you everyone that’s listening to this right now and you included James are extraordinary you’ve got just so many beautiful astonishing things to give to this world we don’t even know.
What they are yet that’s the magic of it’s like wow who knows what James is going to do in five years time or 10 years or 20 years but if you start to believe a little story in your head that maybe James doesn’t have something special to give then you’re not going to.
Launch that next project and then we don’t get the benefit of that and that’s and this is the same is true which I try to tell as many people as possible when I’m doing a keynote or a session a leadership program etc etc look guys I really encourage you to share generously because I can talk at.
You for two hours three weeks nine months I can blah blah blah blah blah hey I hope that you get some value from that let’s let’s hope that there’s a little bit of insight in there but the real value is going to come from you all sharing your story your experience your perspective.
How you see and perceive the world you have no idea that the question you ask or the story you share or the Insight that you know that came to you that could be the thing that unlocks something for someone else and the whole reason they came to this event or this keynote or this program or whatever was.
To hear you say that thing not to hear me say it’s to you and so if you don’t lean in if you don’t share because you don’t think oh I don’t oh my question’s not good enough or I’m not as talented as the others or then you’re robbing that person of having what they need.
Do you know what I mean like you’re you’re stopping them from getting the magic that they need to set their life on fire we’re all connected and it’s so Insidious and it’s so terrifying when we start to believe that we’re not enough or that we don’t have something amazing to contribute and that amazing thing to contribute.
Could literally be hey I’m not sure I understand what’s going on put your hand up and ask that question fantastic there’s probably 17 other people that are thinking that but are too afraid to ask it and you’ve just got oh God thanks so much for asking that was awesome amazing that’s this is.
What we want to weld like that and we’re just generous and we’re in it together and we’re just we’re all being ourselves and sharing ourselves as much as possible and that and that kind of place man it’s the world I wanna I Wanna Live in and it’s coming so hang in there team I’m with you.
You know what I mean we’re in this together.
47 - Dave Lourdes#
Question for you is I ask all the guests that come on the show this and we’ve got a Graduate Theory aimed at sort of uni students early professionals I wonder for yourself um looking back to who you were in in the early years of your career and thinking what you were like at that.
Stage is there any advice that you would give the day of Lords that you know that was sort of just starting out in his career or is there any advice you’d give young people sort of starting a career today have you got in time for another podcast because my my my whole career and life.
Has been oh I was gonna say a movie a series of mistakes so I’ll tell you some of the ones I look back on that I I wish I changed I’m only grappling because I have so many so um thinking you shouldn’t speak up or participate because you’re too young or don’t know enough or it’s not.
Your area of expertise um I think one of the most important things that um I wish I did earlier and more often was um scaling gratitude and empathy I don’t think you can ever say thank you enough and also caring about people I would say I was overly goal oriented when I started and.
Um Wanted to um you know it was driven by ego to work on the big projects and um feel good about myself or work in these ridiculous hours um that was working hard not smart but having more of that empathy and understanding that everyone’s different um being more grateful um having an unhealthy ego.
Um sometimes asking I wouldn’t ask questions because I go oh well that make me look stupid if if we all did that no one would ask any questions right and uh so I think asking questions early on um a little one actually is um attend work events like not attending work events um I think is a CLM I’m not attending.
Work events um a CLM is a career limiting move um you’ve got you’re part of the team and you know it’s no different to social events sometimes you know you can’t be bothered or you’re tired or whatever it may be I think it’s important to make the time to do that um.
Um I would have focused earlier and faster now I’M&A manic I love building relationships with people I’m obsessed in that and um I did that in my career as well uh but I would have started that earlier building genuine relationships and um I’M&A big believer and if you don’t schedule something that won’t happen so.
In this example if you say I’m going to read more unless you do it at a certain time I’M&A big believer and it won’t happen or someone says I’m going to exercise um so I know for me my exercise time Monday to Friday is 4 30 a.m and on Saturdays is 6 30 a.m I sleep in a.
Little bit and on Sunday I have a rest so actually scheduling stuff um I think one of the most powerful things you can say to people that I wouldn’t say back then that I wish I started saying earlier is I don’t know um instead of pretending I know or thinking I know and then having to go.
Away and um research it or something like that I think that’s an important one um expect to get stuck you just expect that it’s going to happen it’s gonna happen it happens to all of us it happens to us now um I would have asked for um help earlier and faster uh it’s something that I definitely.
Didn’t do um and also for is uh I’m gonna say don’t take a local issue and globalize it and what I mean by that is when you’re being stuck is temporary uh but it’s a stain it’s not a tattoo and um by the way I wish I knew all this back then um.
The other one that I learned actually from having a personal trainer I don’t know if you’ve ever had a personal trainer um that’s an industry you want to get into because a personal trainer when you think you’re dead they go five more and you hate them and you swear under your breath at least I do and then you give.
Them money and come back next week but the trainer mindset in my mind is they’re always they always say come on just one more just one more and when I first got a personal trainer I remember his name was Michael that really stuck with me at banking year so whenever I think that I’ve reached my limit is just.
One more just one more and um yeah that’s helped me a lot and if I could only pick one thing James it would be um self-awareness is King um this I’ve already talked about emotional intelligence and within that they talk about four or five different markers of motion intelligence and for me.
Um self-awareness is the beast that’s the one if you’re if you can master that you’ll you’ll master your life no knowing what excites you knowing what deflates you um knowing what throws you off track knowing what gets you back on track um knowing how you respond when you’re confronted uh and your confidence goes.
Down so self-awareness uh if I could only pick one out of all those that was the one I wish I learned uh earlier for sure and I wish I got a coach earlier too you better stop me I’ll bring more wishes up thanks so much for listening.
Conclusion#
To this episode of Graduate Theory like I said at the start if you do want to get involved further go and subscribe to The Graduate Theory newsletter where you get an email from me every single week with a new episode thanks again for sticking all the way through and we’ll see you again next week.