From Graduation to Growth: What I’ve Learned in 30 Years of Career Discovery

Back then, it wasn’t easy to explore. There was no internet. No LinkedIn. No graduate blogs or employer review sites. Everything was done by fax or found in the newspaper.

Graduate schemes existed, but you had to stumble across them – careers advice was patchy at best. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, the search could feel overwhelming.

So, like many graduates before and after me, I simply began.

I did things that paid very little but taught me a lot. Temp jobs. Reception work. Filing. A short stint in marketing. Eventually, I moved to London and worked in recruitment, via a short adventure in a start-up advertising agency.

Then somehow – slowly, gradually – I found my way.

I didn’t have a roadmap. I just had a vague compass. However, even that was enough to steer me forward.

What I did know was this:

• I wanted to work with people
• I loved creative problem-solving
• I was energised by variety, connection, and challenge

That was all I had to go on. However, over time, those instincts shaped a career that has been rich in learning, impact and meaning – even if it took a while to get there.

When I look at today’s graduates, I see a different world – and many of the same feelings.

Yes, there’s more information, more visibility, more support.

However, there’s also more pressure, more noise, and more uncertainty.

The post-graduation limbo can be a confusing space – especially when your peers who didn’t go to university seem further ahead with salaries, structure and certainty. It’s easy to feel lost or behind before you’ve even started.

While some graduates find themselves stepping into roles directly aligned to their degree, many more do not. That’s not a failure – it’s just reality. Degrees are a foundation, not a fixed track. Often, the most interesting paths are the ones that don’t appear on any careers website.

Here’s what I know for sure: the early steps of your career aren’t meant to be perfect. You don’t need to know everything yet. Very often, the most rewarding careers are the ones you don’t plan – they’re the ones you discover.

It begins with curiosity. With willingness. With paying attention.

Start noticing the clues:

• What topics make you lose track of time?
• Who are the people you enjoy being around?
• Which tasks give you energy rather than drain it?

These questions matter. They become the threads you can follow.

Any job can give you a salary, but a career should give you something more: purpose, direction, a sense of alignment.

That alignment is rarely immediate. Sometimes it takes a few false starts and that’s OK.

I remember how disorienting it felt to go from the structure of university to the loose uncertainty of entry-level jobs. There was no timetable. No coursework deadlines. Just long stretches of ambiguity.

However, in that space, you learn who you are. You learn what matters to you. Importantly you begin to shape not just what you do, but how you want to show up in the world.

My own path led me through recruitment, marketing, operations, and leadership – across industries and sectors. I worked with startups and scaleups, with global firms and small independents.

Every step brought new lessons. Some were joyful. Others were humbling. However together, they gave me the range and resilience to build something that truly reflects what I believe in.

Truestar Talent was born from that belief: that careers are not just transactions – they’re journeys and that the right opportunity isn’t just about the job title, but about the culture, the values, and the people.

These days, I work with individuals at all stages of their careers – from ambitious graduates to seasoned professionals looking for legacy.

The common thread? They want to do work that matters, in a place that fits.

My role is to help them find it.

At Truestar Talent, we’re not here to fill vacancies. We’re here to uncover what really drives people.

Our approach is grounded in three core values: Choice, Honour, and Deliver.

• Choice, because the best decisions are made when people understand their options clearly and feel empowered to choose
• Honour, because integrity matters. We act in the best interests of both client and candidate, always
• Deliver, because results matter. We do what we say we will do – with care, consistency, and accountability

This applies whether we’re supporting a recent graduate finding their first meaningful step, or a senior leader considering their final career move.

Our mission is to create partnerships where people thrive and that begins with understanding what makes someone come alive.

If you’re just starting out, here’s my encouragement to you:

• You don’t need a five-year plan
• You don’t need to know the end destination
• You just need to take the next step that feels like growth

That might be a role that gives you a window into a new industry. It might be a conversation that opens up a new possibility. It might be a moment of clarity when you realise, “This isn’t right for me – and that’s OK.”

Listen to yourself. Trust your instincts. Stay curious.

Careers are not linear anymore – they never really were. They’re lattices, not ladders. There are detours, pivots, pauses, and surprises.

Over time, you begin to spot a pattern: a thread of meaning that connects it all…

Sometimes I think back to that young graduate version of me – full of energy, uncertainty and questions.

She had no idea where she was headed. However, she was brave enough to start and that, more than anything, made all the difference.

If you’re at the beginning of your own career journey, I hope this gives you some comfort. If you’re further along, maybe it reminds you of how far you’ve come.

Remember careers are rarely neat. They’re messy, human, and deeply personal and they are always evolving.

If you could go back and give your newly-graduated self one piece of advice, what would it be?

What helped you find your way, when you didn’t know what came next?

It’s great to reflect on what your journey has been like so far…

If you want some further reading, have a look at these articles:

Questions to ask before starting a wealth management career

Five concerns we hear from wealth planners seeking their next career move

10 steps to nailing your first 90 days in your financial services role

The Truestar Talent Guide to your first day in your wealth management job