Top Career Lesson From a Sales Enablement Specialist at Viant Technology
The most significant lesson Natalie learned is that "your path will unfold through action, not over planning," which is a direct contradiction to a previous belief that success requires a perfectly mapped-out plan in advance. Instead, clarity comes from actively "testing different roles" and adjusting along the way, viewing a career as an ongoing experiment.
Career Development, Actionable Tips, Overcoming Challenges, Motivational Stories, Real-World Examples
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Natalie Paterson
Sales Enablement Specialist
Viant Technology
Chapman University
Chapman University | M.S. Food Science
Chemistry
Technology, Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Sales and Client Management
Scholarship Recipient, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Clarity comes from doing, testing different roles, and learning from mistakes rather than over planning.
2. Careers and life should be viewed as an ongoing experiment without a single, fixed plan.
3. Action is more important than having everything mapped out beforehand; the path unfolds through action.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
As I've repeated throughout these questions, the biggest lesson I've learned is that your path will unfold through action, not overplanning. I used to think that I needed to have everything mapped out beforehand, and I needed to know where to start, how to start before actually starting.
I needed to know step 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10. The only way to be successful was if I had it all mapped out perfectly.
But what I have learned, and what I wish someone told me, is that the biggest clarity comes from doing, from testing different roles, from learning from your mistakes, and adjusting along the way. Now I see careers, and life, as one ongoing experiment, not a single track or normal plan.
I think that's what makes for the most exciting story at the end of our days, when you think about it more expansively in that way.