WOMANITION MAGAZINE Womanition2017_Magazine_ForWEB (old) | Page 14

Consultant Andrea Bailey-Brown Your Career is Your Life In the past year, I have been working on completing my MBA. I have learnt that business is moving at a fast pace and it’s up to us to stay educated and informed. Life-long learning is crucial to our growth and we must make an effort to improve ourselves. It may not necessarily be an MBA, but taking a night class in an area of interest is a great place to start. Networking is also vital in the process. Making connections with people outside of your industry gives you the opportunity to grow and learn from other people, plus it gives you the chance to see things in a new way. Doing so will help you to solve problems more creatively. The biggest challenge for the next generation of women is to be prepared to be able to move into the technology sector, where many of the opportunities lie. Having more women involved in computer science and coding will put them in a position to capitalize on the opportunities that are available. The second challenge for the next generation is pay equity. Women are still not being seen as equals; therefore they are not being paid as equals. When looking to plan a career, it is important to see your career as a business and you are its CEO. Approaching your career from this perspective will help you to find meaningful work and a career you love, instead of trying to keep a job. This is why I believe entrepreneurism is a great option because often you start from a place of passion and interest, which makes it easier to love what you are doing. If you are taking a job to gain experience, or make money in the short term, that is a good place to start, as long as you have a long-term plan. Be clear about your goals and be intentional about what you would like to accomplish. Take baby steps along the way to achieve your goals. Stop making excuses and start creating solutions. Surrounding yourself with supportive people who will champion your skills and guide you in the right direction is vital. Be authentic with yourself and what you really want to accomplish, even if it makes no sense to the people around you. Living an authentic life is the first step in creating a life that you love. As Paulo Coelho said, “Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.” Consultant ANDREA BAILEY-BROWN (MBA, B.ED.) Bailey Brown Business Consulting & Jiffy Lube-Edmonton & Beaumont Jiffy-Business: 780-444-3965 Bailey Brown Consulting: Cell: 780-994-7065 Email: [email protected] Instagram: baileybconsulting Twitter: baileybconsulting 12