Career Development | Winston-Salem, NC

A group of University Advancement staff members of varying ages and professions gathered over lunch on April 7 at Alumni Hall to discuss career development.

We began by sharing details about our first job and what we learned from it. Although we held a diverse range of first jobs, we quickly realized that everyone learned responsibility and accountability.

We began a group discussion about whether responsibility and accountability can be taught and, if so, what is the best way to do that. Generally, we felt as if many characteristics like patience, discipline and pride are best learned through experience.

We discussed self-awareness deeply – specifically how a person gains awareness and how self-awareness can lead to a better understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses.

Our conversation concluded with each of us sharing what we took away from the conversation, and a clear theme emerged: There is a ‘humanness’ to all jobs, and being mindful of others and having empathy are the keys to success both in and outside the workplace.