Why Your Career Doesn't Have to Be a Straight Line

The Career Advice We Grew Up With

When I was a teenager, I was quite academic. Not in an effortless way, I hasten to add, but because I was curious. I genuinely enjoyed learning. I loved discovering new things and, believe it or not, I absolutely adored coursework. My children think that's a bit strange and regularly remind me of it!

I grew up in a household where hard work and stability were valued above everything else. My dad was a police officer and my mum was a secretary. Like many families at the time, the message was clear: work hard at school, get yourself a good, steady 9-to-5 job and build a secure career.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with that advice. It came from a place of love and wanting the best for me.

But the world has changed dramatically since then.

Interestingly, they're not the conversations I have with my own children.

Instead of asking them what job they want to do, I ask them what they love doing most. What makes them lose track of time? What are they naturally good at? What excites them? What problems do they enjoy solving?

Because I genuinely believe that if you can build a life around the things you're passionate about and the skills that come naturally to you, work becomes so much more fulfilling.

Of course, we all have bills to pay, but I also want my children to understand that success doesn't have to fit into one traditional career path. If they want to start a business, build a side hustle alongside employment or create a portfolio career that combines several passions, then why not?

One of the wonderful things about the world we live in today is that the ceiling has been lifted. Technology has opened doors that simply didn't exist when I was leaving school. You can build a business from your kitchen table, work with clients across the world, create digital products, teach online, consult, freelance or combine several income streams into a career that's completely unique to you.

The possibilities are almost endless.

My Own Squiggly Career

Perhaps that's one of the reasons my own career has become so wonderfully squiggly.

I've worked in the travel industry, local government, business support, project management, community engagement, marketing, events, consultancy and business ownership. Along the way I've become a Parish Clerk, a Trustee, a Director of several organisations and somehow found myself organising conferences, heritage projects and community events.

None of those roles were on my career plan.

Because, if I'm honest, I never really had one.

For years I wondered whether my career looked a little... untidy.

Surely employers wanted specialists.

Surely people would question why I'd moved between sectors.

Surely I should have stayed on one path.

The older I've become, the more I've realised that every single role has given me something I still use today.

Working as an Executive Assistant taught me organisation, diplomacy and discretion.

Working in local government taught me governance, politics and how complex organisations function.

Running my own business taught me resilience, sales, marketing and leadership.

Managing community projects taught me partnerships, funding, stakeholder engagement and the power of bringing people together.

None of those experiences have been wasted.

They've simply become part of the toolkit I carry with me every day.

Looking back now, every twist and turn makes perfect sense.

Careers Aren't Linear Anymore

I don't think careers are linear anymore.

People change jobs more frequently than ever before. They retrain. They build side hustles. They launch businesses. They move between sectors. They create portfolio careers. They develop skills that didn't even exist five years ago.

And nowhere is that more true than in business support.

Today's assistants are expected to understand technology, AI, leadership, communication, project management, wellbeing, finance and relationship management.

It's one of the most varied professions there is.

Which means development needs to be varied too.

Why We Didn't Build a Conference Around One Topic

When Anna, Sam and I started designing the East of England Assistants Conference, we could easily have focused on one subject.

We could have created an AI conference.

A leadership conference.

A wellbeing conference.

Or a digital transformation conference.

Instead, we deliberately chose a smorgasbord of topics.

Because that's how real careers work.

No single skill is responsible for your success.

One conversation about confidence could change how you approach your next appraisal.

A LinkedIn session might help you secure your next opportunity.

Learning about digital transformation could save you hours every week.

A session on financial planning could completely change how you think about your future.

The wellbeing panel might be exactly what someone needs to hear after spending years putting everyone else first.

You don't always know which session will have the biggest impact on your career.

Sometimes it's the one you nearly didn't attend.

Sometimes the Best Learning Is Unexpected

Whenever I've attended conferences myself, it's rarely been the keynote speaker I was most excited about who stayed with me.

Quite often it's been the session I nearly skipped.

Or the conversation over coffee.

Or something a speaker mentioned almost in passing that completely shifted my perspective.

Learning has a funny way of working like that.

Sometimes you don't know what you need until you hear it.

That's exactly why we've built an agenda covering confidence, leadership, digital transformation, networking, career progression, financial planning and wellbeing.

Because assistants don't just need one skill.

They need lots of them.

Give Yourself Permission to Be Curious

One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is curiosity.

Attend sessions outside your comfort zone.

Talk to people from different sectors.

Ask questions.

Challenge your thinking.

Explore ideas you've never considered before.

You never know which conversation, which speaker or which idea will become the next turning point in your career.

Your Career Is Still Being Written

If there's one thing my own squiggly career has taught me, it's this.

There is no perfect route.

There is no right order.

There isn't one ladder that everyone should climb.

Your career is shaped by the experiences you collect, the people you meet, the opportunities you say yes to and the lessons you learn along the way.

Looking back, every twist, every detour and every unexpected opportunity has brought me to where I am today.

Who knows where yours will take you next?

Perhaps one conversation, one speaker or one unexpected insight at the East of England Assistants Conference will become the next twist in your own story.

Sometimes all it takes is one day to change the direction of your career.