Month: July 2021


Jul
2021

6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Switching Career Fields

categories: Career, General Career Advice, Welcome to The Real World
  1. It’s a challenge: Considering the fact that I studied two Marketing modules in university and four different Marketing short courses, I was pretty confident that I would be able to grasp my new job easily. I was wrong. There were days- scratch that, there are still days when I struggle and wonder if switching career fields was worth it (I’m proud to say that recently though, whenever this thought pops in my mind, I answer “YES!!!” without having to think about it)
  2. The internet has resources for everything: As someone who lives on Google this was shocking to me. Yes, I knew that you can Google pretty much everything but I had no clue that the internet could EDUCATE YOU! My mind is blown away by the amount of resources I’ve found online. But also
  3. I will not know everything: This is hugely upsetting and something I struggled with in my first few months. Back in Customer Care, I knew ALOT! Of course I did. I spent three years there and besides some basic process changes, things remained mostly the same. In Marketing, not so much. There are always new Marketing trends, new data on consumers or spending habits. You have to keep reading and studying in order to keep yourself up to date. At first I found this disheartening. I wanted to know everything and I wanted to know it NOW! Over time however, I accepted that I will not know everything. But with a little hard work. I can learn a bit about most things.
  4. Speaking of trends, I wish I knew the importance of keeping up to date with important industry information: Previously, I did not pay attention to any additional information if it didn’t directly impact me or my life. Like when Huawei stopped making phones with Google. Which then led to countless customer queries about that. Now however, I read every email link, Hubspot report or social media survey that lands in my inbox.
  5. Failing is a thing…and that’s okay: Keeping in with my perfectionist tendencies, I did not expect to fail. I don’t like failing. I’ve mentioned before that failing is (was?) a foreign concept to me but when you’re in a new field, failing happens and honestly it’s just a part of life.
  6. Lastly and certainly not least, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable: Growth is uncomfortable. Change is uncomfortable. But when it’s the right field or the right job for you, you won’t even mind. There are certain days when my anxiety skyrockets and I get really uncomfortable with a task but honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Did you change careers or start a new job? What was something that you were not expecting?


Jul
2021

Top 5 Reasons to Get a Kindle

categories: Books

No matter what your view on eBooks or paperbacks, the fact remains that the Amazon Kindle is a pretty popular device. But if, like me, you’ve considered purchasing a Kindle, you might still be on the fence trying to decide if you should take the plunge or not. Here are my top 5 reasons why you should purchase a Kindle device.

  1. You can read anywhere: On the bus? In the bathtub? On the beach? Don’t worry, the Kindle has got you covered
  2. The internet won’t be able to distract you: This is a major selling point for me. Reading on my Kindle app on the tablet or the cellphone usually almost always leads to me getting distracted by the internet whether it’s a notification from an app or just me needing to Google something. A proper Kindle device instead of the app means you can focus just on your book with no distractions.
  3. You can read in the dark (a huge plus if you’re South African): Save on your light bill by reading on your Kindle. Or if you’re South African, make the most of load shedding by reading when the lights go off. Ask any bookworm in South African and they can confirm that lots of reading takes place during load shedding.
  4. No need to worry about lugging around heavy books: Carry the entire series of “Game of Thrones” without a worry. Having a Kindle means you can have access to thousands of books without worrying about space.
  5. You can read trashy romance novels without anyone judging you: Something else you don’t have to worry about when you have a Kindle is people judging your choice in books. Whether this is a trashy romance novel or Twilight, your secret read is safe with you and your Kindle.

Basically, having a Kindle allows you the privacy of reading whatever you want, whenever you want without any space restrictions.


Jul
2021

7 Signs Your Workplace is Toxic (and What to Do About It)

categories: Career, General Career Advice

A toxic work environment can affect more than just your workload. It can affect your mental and physical wellbeing. Worried that you might be experiencing more than just a “stressful time” at work? Here are a few signs that your workplace might be toxic.

1) There is little to no growth: Okay so this one is kinda understandable considering we are in a global pandemic and at this point we’re lucky to even have jobs. But if your company usually has slow or very little growth, this is not a good sign. Businesses (in non-pandemic times) should be growing and so should their employees.

2) People keep quitting: No job is perfect. But if your job has a high amount of people coming in and leaving especially after a few days, this is a major red flag.

3) You’re constantly worried about being fired: A moment of silence for my past self because this is something that I could relate to. Being constantly on edge because you fear you might be fired for the smallest little thing IS NOT NORMAL. If you’re an honest worker and not stealing from your company in some sort of way, you shouldn’t have to constantly be worried about being fired. If you ARE stealing from the company/doing something you shouldn’t…well that’s on you and you really should be worried about being fired.

4) Staff keep getting sick: Like I said, toxic workplaces affect you physically. Headache? Back pain? Catching the flu more often than usual? The culprit might be the office itself.

5) Your workload is unreasonable: Here’s the thing. All jobs have targets. As a team, employees need to achieve targets. If you’re repeatedly not hitting targets because they’re too difficult or you feel like you have too much work to do that you can’t cope, it might be a sign that your workplace is toxic.

6) You have no work-life balance: Say it with me now, “In 2021, we do not glamorize the grind.” Occasional overtime is okay and I am always up for taking that overtime if work needs to get done. But all work and no play makes me a cranky worker. Jobs need work-life balance. It is a “job”- it is supposed to be a part of your life for a specific amount of hours, your job is not supposed to be your life. If you finding yourself working excessive hours, especially with a workload that you cannot cope with, this is another sign of a toxic environment.

7) There’s bullying and/or cliques: This one is my absolute favorite because PSA we’re not kids at school anymore. You’re an adult. Please act like one. If you noticed that certain employees are favored over others or given the best opportunities while everyone else is ignored, this is another sign.

So You Work in A Toxic Environment, Now What?

  1. If you think it’ll help, speak to a manager: If you think a manager can assist, feel free to set up a meeting. Of course, this might be an issue if your manager is a part of the problem. When I first started having issues with work being toxic, I went to the head of the department. I knew the issues stemmed from a recent change in management so I couldn’t speak to my manager, my manager’s manager or my manager’s manager’s supervisor. Yes, I skipped three levels of management in order to get assistance. Did it help? Yes, for a while. And then things worsened a few months later. By that time I had already left the business.
  2. Ask to move to another department: If there is no other way forward, ask to be moved to a different department. Be sure to do your homework and ensure it’s a department that doesn’t have the same issues.
  3. Start preparing for a new job- This is my last suggestion because jobs are tough to find on a regular basis let alone through the Covid pandemic. But if you are still exposed to the toxicity, update your CV, updated your LinkedIn and start applying for other jobs.

Toxic jobs slowly but surely seep into your everyday life and trust me, this is not something you want. If you find that you are in a toxic workplace, it’s best to leave. But whether you leave the team, department or the business itself is a decision that depends on you and your work environment.

Have you ever dealt with a toxic work environment or bad work PTSD? I’d like to know below.


Jul
2021

Fiction Friday: The Monster (Boston Belles #3) by L. J. Shen

categories: Books, Reviews

The Monster by L.J. Shen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Throughout the Boston Belles series we all saw how Aisling had a huge crush on Sam for whatever reason while he treated her like something he found stuck on the bottom of his shoe. “The Monster” delves deeper into this crush and their background together.
When Aisling manages to sneak into Sam’s club despite him banning her, the result is an encounter that has lasting repercussions on both of them.
But both Sam and Aisling have their own demons and it isn’t long before their secrets threaten to tear apart both their worlds.
I really enjoyed getting a better look at Aisling’s inexplicable crush on Sam. I always saw her as a poor, sappy schoolgirl and “The Monster” really fleshes out her character.
This book was compelling and I couldn’t stop reading. I was torn between waiting to make it last as long as possible (I don’t know when the next L.J Shen book releases so I wanted to savor this one) and finishing it and finally getting some answers.
L. J Shen is brilliant with her spellbinding romances and this is no different.



View all my reviews

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