The sweet taste of learning


26 June 2018


Studying and socialising are not usually two things that go hand in hand however there are many relevant events out there which can help bring these two things together.

I was recently invited to attend a very interesting “Pensions Distilled” event held in Glasgow. The idea? Hearing a talk on pension legislation whilst sampling some gin - right up my street!

This informal but informative event allowed me to meet my industry peers, sharing knowledge and ideas whilst sampling some of the finest locally produced gin. This struck a chord with me as the night went on (not just the effect of the gin!), the realisation that we should all be scoping out relevant local events and making the most of resources and networks available to us.

With that in mind, I have had a good conversation with a colleague who is charged with helping team members to develop a career plan within Johnston Carmichael Wealth. Together, we have drawn up a plan and agreed action points which will enable me to achieve the career progression I have long been looking for. At this moment in time I feel very fortunate to have the support network and technical knowledge from my employer to allow me to achieve these goals. I can look towards studying with a determined attitude and have confidence that I will be supported.

So, what will that look like for me in the near future? Well, over the next few weeks, I will be dedicating my spare time to studying and undertaking tasks within my daily work to further my knowledge. With my first study material ordered I now find myself trying to organise and fit studying together with my personal life, which I am sure a lot of you reading this may relate to very well as a juggling act. For me, this will be particularly difficult with the World Cup currently in progress however, I will dedicate some time out-with the French games (my work sweepstake pick) and studying during lunch hours to maintain a work-life balance. A colleague recently told me that he read an article which highlighted that to become successful you would need to sacrifice around 70% of your day to work. If that is the case then maybe I could count events as work and use these events to meet and share my ongoing experience with you. Learning and developing your career really is what you make it and I plan to do as much as I can and to the best of my ability both in and out of work. I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you in my next blog.

Disclaimer: While all possible care is taken in the completion of this blog, no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the information contained in this blog.


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