Notice how you feel about what you're doing and about how you're doing it. If it feels right then stick with it... if not adjust, notice how you feel and keep adjusting until it feels right.

Throughout my career I have taken risks - I quit a role with no job lined up and more recently left a permanent position to join Phoenix on a 12-month fixed term contract, three years on I am still here (after securing a permanent position!). I appreciate not everyone is in a position to do this but those risks have truly paid off in shaping my career.

When i joined the first financial institution i worked for, initially working in customer services, i had two goals in mind: 1. I knew Customer Services was not for me long-term, and i wanted to move to a more admin based role as soon as possible. I achieved this within a year of joining the first financial institution i worked for. 2. Standard Life had a great reputation and were well known in the City i worked in as being a great place to work. When i took my first job in financial services my goal was to ultimately join Standard Life but i knew i required some experience in the industry before doing so. After two years in Financial Services i successfully applied for my first role at Standard Life. This was a great decision for my career and i remain at Standard Life/Phoenix to this day, many years later.