Exams will soon be finishing. In a couple of months there will be thousands of young people waiting for results and asking themselves a familiar question:
“What next?”
University, apprenticeships, employment, a gap year, or perhaps something completely different.
Watching this annual cycle always makes me reflect on careers. Not just the careers that are about to begin, but the careers many of us have already built.
It also makes me think about a simple question.
Who opened the door for you?
Most of us can probably think of someone. A teacher who encouraged us, a manager who saw potential we had not recognised ourselves, a colleague who made an introduction, or a leader who gave us an opportunity when we lacked experience.
When I look back at the people I have recruited, coached and worked alongside over the years, one thing stands out. Very few careers are built entirely through planning. More often, they are shaped by people, conversations and opportunities that appear along the way.
Most Careers Start With a Conversation
We often talk about careers as though they follow a predictable path. School leads to further education, education leads to a job, and each role naturally leads to the next.
The reality is usually very different.
Many of the most successful people I meet describe careers that have taken unexpected turns. Some changed industries. Some accepted opportunities they never expected. Others discovered strengths they did not know they had because someone else pointed them out first.
When I listen to their stories, I rarely hear about a perfectly planned route. I hear about conversations.
A manager suggesting someone takes on a project.
A colleague encouraging an application.
A mentor sharing experience.
A friend making an introduction.
Sometimes a career changes direction because of a single conversation at exactly the right moment.
It is easy to underestimate the impact we can have on somebody else’s future simply by noticing their potential and taking the time to say something.
The Career Ladder Never Really Existed
Perhaps that is because careers rarely follow the tidy ladder we often imagine.
Apprentice to Engineer.
Engineer to Team Leader.
Team Leader to Engineering Manager.
Engineering Manager to Director.
It looks logical on paper, but real careers tend to be much more interesting.
They include sideways moves, unexpected opportunities, career changes, periods of uncertainty and occasionally a step backwards before moving forwards again.
I regularly speak to people who tell me:
“I never planned to end up here.”
More often than not, they are talking about a role they now love.
The challenge is that many people believe they need certainty before taking action. Students waiting for results often feel it. Early career professionals feel it. Experienced leaders feel it too.
The truth is that most careers are figured out whilst living them, not before they begin.
Walking Through the Door
Whilst opportunities matter, there is another side to this story.
At some point, we have to step through the door ourselves.
Throughout my career I have seen talented people hesitate because they do not meet every requirement. I have seen people decline opportunities because they felt they were not quite ready. I have also seen individuals take on roles that stretched them, challenged them and occasionally frightened them a little.
Those experiences often become the moments that shape a career.
Growth rarely arrives when everything feels comfortable. Sometimes it arrives when someone offers an opportunity and we decide to say yes despite the uncertainty.
That does not mean taking every opportunity that appears. It means recognising the opportunities that align with our goals and having the confidence to explore them.
The people who continue to develop are often those who remain curious, ask questions and occasionally put themselves forward before they feel fully prepared.
Doors Rarely Open by Accident
The longer I work in recruitment, the more convinced I become that opportunities often arrive through people.
Technical skills matter enormously. Experience matters. Qualifications matter.
But relationships matter too.
Networking can sometimes feel like a business buzzword. Images of awkward events, business cards and forced conversations often come to mind.
In reality, I think it is much simpler than that.
It is staying curious about people.
It is keeping in touch.
It is offering help without expecting something in return.
It is asking questions and taking an interest in other people’s experiences.
Many opportunities appear long before they reach a job board. They emerge through conversations, recommendations and trusted relationships.
The strongest networks are rarely built when we need something. They are built over time through genuine connection.
Three Questions Worth Asking
As students prepare for results day, and as many of us reflect on our own careers, there are three questions worth considering.
Who opened a door for you?
Who encouraged you, supported you or helped you see something in yourself that you had not yet recognised
Who are you opening a door for?
Who could benefit from your experience, encouragement or introduction?
Which door are you currently avoiding?
What opportunity, conversation or challenge keeps appearing, but you have not quite decided whether to step forward?
Final Thought
When I look back at careers, including my own, I do not think they are built from ladders.
I think they are built from people.
People who encourage us.
People who challenge us.
People who share their experience.
People who open doors.
Throughout our careers, opportunities appear when we least expect them. Some arrive through hard work. Some through timing. Many arrive because somebody took the time to have a conversation, make an introduction or offer encouragement.
Of course, opportunities alone are not enough. At some point, we have to decide whether to step forward and take them.
That combination of support and courage is often what shapes a career.
Perhaps that is why the question of who opened the door for you matters.
Because when we recognise the impact others have had on our own journey, we are far more likely to do the same for someone else.
And that might be one of the most important contributions we make throughout our careers.
Ruth
