Goals and growth: 3 career-shaping pillars

Early in my career, my idea of success was rooted in acquiring deep expertise and having a tangible impact on the world. The greater challenge in achieving this would be set in being intentional about the opportunities, relationships, and experiences that help would help me grow into the professional I aspired to become. There were three simple goals that became the foundation of my career strategy and continue to help me refocus on my "why" today.

1. Build Relationships Before You Need Them

One of the most valuable decisions I made was prioritizing relationship-building both within and beyond my organization. Early conversations with peers connected me with the Illinois Green Alliance (IGA), where I served on the Auxiliary Board for two years, supporting sustainability and decarbonization initiatives across Chicago through advocacy and education. This experience and many others reinforced an important lesson: meaningful relationships can often lead to mentorship, sponsorship, collaboration, and leadership opportunities even when you aren’t looking.

2. Stay Open to Learning New Things

As a young professional, I have intentionally said “yes” to opportunities that stretched my skills and challenged my comfort zone. While not every project aligned directly with my existing expertise or confidence level, each provided an opportunity to learn, grow, and broaden my perspective. In remaining open to new opportunities, I’ve been able to contribute to initiatives spanning water stewardship, community and equity programs, sustainability reporting, carbon removal, renewable energy procurement, and other emerging areas of sustainability.

Each experience helped me better understand what excites me, highlighted projects where I could have the most impact, and identified opportunities for upskilling. Over time, this curiosity helped me define my professional niche at the intersection of clean energy, circularity, and environmental justice.

3. Help Build the Future Talent Pipeline

Building a sustainable career in sustainability has always been my priority, and I wanted it to be the same for others. It’s a critical goal of mine to make the sector more accessible to students and early-career professionals. I've had opportunities to do this through coffee chats, career fairs, alumni panels, Illinois Green Alliance events, and now through the Early Career Advisory Board (ECAB). What I've learned is that teaching and mentoring are some of the best ways to grow professionally.

These three pillars, building relationships, leveraging curiosity, and investing in others, have become the core driver of my professional journey. They helped me discover my professional identity, find my niche within sustainability, and stay connected to a network of young professionals striving to create impact.

Career growth rarely comes from following a perfectly defined roadmap, as these can often evolve with experience. I’ve found that meaningful growth comes with intentionally investing in people, embracing new experiences, and aligning your values with your work.