Significant Career Lesson From An Enterprise Customer Success Manager At Groove
Michael's most significant career lesson is that "wherever you start with your career is not gonna be where you end it," emphasizing the importance of exploring different roles to discover preferences and transferable skills. This allows for pivoting to more suitable positions, as the skills learned in each role are valuable and applicable elsewhere, making career exploration and adaptability key to success.
Career Pivoting, Skill Transferability, Career Exploration, Adaptability, Growth Mindset
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michael Gigante
Enterprise Customer Success Manager
Groove
New York University, 2017
None
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Technology
Sales and Client Management
Honors Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Your career path is unlikely to be linear: Embrace the idea that your starting point won't be your endpoint. Be open to pivoting based on what you discover you enjoy and don't enjoy in your roles.
2. Every role offers valuable learning: Each job provides transferable skills, even if the role itself isn't a perfect fit for your long-term goals. Don't be afraid to try different things.
3. Don't be afraid to explore and pivot: It's better to choose a role that genuinely interests you, even if it's not precisely your ideal 'forever' career. Your skills and experiences are valuable, and you can use them to transition to adjacent fields if needed.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
The biggest lesson I've learned is that wherever you start your career is not where you'll end it. That's probably broad and cliche, but it's the sense that starting somewhere will lead you to knowing what you enjoy and what you don't.
In my own experience so far, I've noted things while working with certain tasks that made me realize I don't want to do that anymore and that I can pivot into something else. Every job you have, you'll learn something different that will apply to something in the future.
For people coming out of college, I'd say taking a role in something you generally think you'll enjoy is better than being confined and thinking, "This is the career I have to take for the rest of my life."
Knowing that you can take jobs and roles that interest you, and if it's not the right fit, you can always pivot and find other roles, is important. The skills you learn from a role will apply to other things, and you can move to something adjacent to it.
So, the biggest lesson is just not being afraid to take a role and thinking it's confining you. You can always pivot. Employees are always willing to take different skills and whatever you learn in past roles. That's probably the biggest lesson.