Celebrating Career Milestones

In a few days, I'll be celebrating my first anniversary at my new job. Marking this significant point on my journey, got me thinking about my experiences in the last year and other significant career milestones.

In this blog post, I will share some of my most memorable career milestones and the lessons I learned along the way. Also, check out my previous post titled "Celebrate your professional achievements" to learn five simple ways you can start celebrating your accomplishments.

Starting point
We are accustomed to celebrating some typical milestones such as birthdays and landmark anniversaries. In my experience, we do not spend enough time thinking about the crucial points in our careers.

MC's Story
Let me take you on a journey of some of my memorable career milestones:

My first paid part-time job
Although it was over 18 years ago, I can still remember the first twenty euros I made. The excitement of being able to do something I enjoyed, support someone, and get paid was immeasurable. This experience kicked off my career and taught me some many valuable lessons.

Lessons Learned

• Taking responsibility for a task and putting in the work can have financial benefits.

Getting my first Internship
Throughout my time at University, I wanted to go into the industry and take a job that let me see how I could use the skills I had learned. And in summer 2009, I had the great opportunity for my first internship at a Bank in Luxembourg. This was my first practical introduction to project management.

Lessons Learned

• Ask many questions and learn what you need to know to build the career you want.

Starting first full-time job
I can still remember when I interviewed for jobs after I finished my first degree. And after a few months, I received my first offer for my full-time job as a Project Manager in a Digital Agency. Thinking back, I did not know what I was getting into. I learned a lot of excellent skills in the years that followed.

Lessons Learned

• You have something great to offer, don't underestimate yourself.

Getting my first big promotion
Doing great work was a priority for me. After a few years of being a great contributor to the company, I got my first promotion. I now appreciate the fact that back then putting in great work was what got me a promotion. It definitely gets more complicated as you progress in your career.

Lessons Learned

• Work hard and learn new skills to get to the next level.

Moving to work in a new country
When we move to a new country, we typically focus more on settling in from a personal life perspective. I had a unique situation that I started working in the US only two days after I moved here. I remember the first day I walked into my new project assignment in a new country. It marked the start of the most substantial growth I have experienced in my career.

Lessons Learned

• Change and transitions in your career can bring many growth opportunities.

Working on projects with much responsibility
A few years ago, I was asked to lead a Global Project Management Office. Initially, I rejected the offer because I felt I was not ready, and I did not want to travel for work. Thankfully, they offered me the job about two months later, and I took it. This move in my career set me up for the more significant opportunities and took me to places I would never have been if I did not take the leap.

Lessons Learned

• You grow more when you take significant risks in your career.

Working at a new company
After working at my last company for almost eights years, I made the transition to a new company. Thinking back to my first day at the new job, I was very excited to be starting a new phase of my career journey. And now, it's been a year already, and I'm in my second role, I am looking forward to seeing where my journey goes next.

Lessons Learned

• Know where you want to go in your career and work towards it.

Final Thoughts

• Write your own career story - tell the story you want people to remember.
• Own your career development - don't depend on others.
• Celebrate your wins and accomplishments.

Call to Action

• What are some of the career milestones you are most proud of?
• How do you plan to celebrate your career milestones moving forward?

Great Resources

• 25 Career Milestones Worth Celebrating
• 12 Little Milestones You Should Be Celebrating at Work
• 4 Career Milestones You Think Will Make You Happy (and What Actually Will)
• 15 Career Milestones Everyone Should Reach by Age 30
• 3 Pivotal Career Milestones and What I Learned From Them