There are some days in business that remind you exactly why opening doors matters.
Recently, we welcomed Erin from SETU Waterford to 3Q Recruitment through the CreateHER programme, and I can honestly say she left a real impression on all of us.
Erin spent the day in one-to-one “tell me your story” conversations with six members of our team, exploring how they found their way into HR, recruitment and leadership. She asked thoughtful questions, listened carefully and engaged with real maturity. What stood out immediately was her professionalism, her ease with people and her clear commitment to getting the very best from the opportunity.
She had been up at 5am to catch the 7am train.
That alone tells you something.
Nobody does that casually. You do that because you care. You do that because you are invested. You do that because you understand that careers are not built only in lecture halls or on paper. They are built in rooms where you ask questions, hear real stories and begin to imagine what your own future might look like.
And that is exactly why experiences like this matter.
Careers Are Rarely Straight Lines
One of the things I feel very strongly about, particularly when speaking to students and early-career professionals, is that we do people a disservice when we present careers as if they are neat, predictable and linear.
Life is not linear.
Growth is not linear.
Careers are certainly not linear.
I have always preferred the metaphor of career as travel.
Some seasons of your life will be about heading for Rome. You want challenge, stretch, ambition and adventure. Other seasons will be about going somewhere that feels more familiar, more grounded, more aligned with where you are personally and professionally.
That is not confusion.
That is wisdom.
The same applies to roles, sectors and leadership paths. Sometimes you are exploring. Sometimes you are consolidating. Sometimes you are building confidence. Sometimes you are building courage. Sometimes the move that makes the most sense on paper is not the move that makes the most sense for your life.
That is why I encourage people to think beyond the idea of career as a fixed destination.
Because in truth, for most of us, it is a journey.
What My Lecturing Reinforced for Me
This is also something I reflected on in my first formal lecturing post in Maynooth University on the Placement Project Module a part of the work placement module of their BA in Business, where I explored career theory in the context of placements, work readiness and the realities of professional development.
Theory has its place. It gives us language, models, and frameworks.
But lived career experience adds something else entirely. It shows that ambition and uncertainty often walk side by side. It shows that people change. Priorities shift. Confidence grows. Values deepen. And what looks like a detour on paper can sometimes be the making of a person.
Students need to hear that.
Not because we should lower the bar, but because we should tell the truth.
Why CreateHER Matters
CreateHER is the kind of programme that genuinely broadens horizons.
In simple terms, it supports female undergraduate students to build confidence, develop entrepreneurial thinking and gain practical exposure to leadership and the workplace through workshops and business shadowing.
That kind of exposure matters enormously.
It helps young women see that there are many ways to build a meaningful career. It gives them access to real professionals, real stories and real possibility. It strengthens belief, and belief is often the first thing needed before action follows.
I first came across CreateHER through my mentoring work with The Shona Project, so a heartfelt thank you to Tammy, founder of The Shona Project, for that connection. Like The Shona Project, CreateHER reflects the power of investing in young women early, intentionally and meaningfully.
And that is not just good for the students involved. It is good for business. It is good for leadership. It is good for the future of work.
Erin Gave Us a Reminder We Needed
What Erin brought with her that day was not just professionalism.
She brought presence.
She brought hunger to learn.
She brought respect for the opportunity.
And she reminded all of us that the next generation of leaders is already here.
They do not need us to have all the answers for them.
They need us to be honest.
They need us to open doors.
They need us to share the truth about how careers really unfold.
And they need spaces where they can test ideas, ask better questions and picture themselves in rooms they may not yet have imagined for themselves.
We were hugely impressed by Erin and we wish her every success in her final exams in the weeks ahead.
Truth be told, I have no doubt she will do well in whatever career she chooses to build.
A Call to Employers
If you are an employer, founder or leader, here is the challenge:
Do not just talk about supporting future talent.
Create opportunities that actually do it.
Support programmes.
Offer shadowing.
Say yes to conversations.
Make time to share your story.
Help young people understand that careers are not won by following a perfect map, but by learning how to navigate.
Because sometimes the greatest gift you can give a young person is not a job.
It is perspective.
And sometimes that perspective is what gives them the confidence to take the next step.
Want to support the next generation of female leaders?
Programmes like CreateHER and The Shona Project are creating meaningful opportunities for young women to build confidence, gain workplace exposure and expand what they believe is possible. If your organisation wants to play a practical role in shaping future talent, start there.
