It’s okay not to know your career path yet!

Tell us about yourself and why you chose a STEM related career.

I began my career in retail and unfortunately I was made redundant. However, I saw it as an opportunity to explore a new industry. In 2020, I got my first job in logistics. I was amazed by the world of problem-solving, automation, and design that I had entered.

“I was amazed by the world of problem-solving, automation, and design that I had entered.”

Are there any experiences that you found particularly valuable in the early stages of your career?

The most challenging experience I faced when starting my career was burnout. I had a tendency to say yes to every task assigned to me, out of fear of disappointing people if I refused. This led me to take on more work than I could handle, resulting in a cycle of burnout at the end of every week. I put excessive pressure on myself to meet deadlines, even though I knew I couldn’t do it without support. This led to an unsustainable working style that left me feeling unmotivated, and tired, and the quality of my work suffered. I learned two valuable lessons from this experience.

First, many of the pressures I faced were avoidable if I had just asked for support. We all need help sometimes, but we won’t get it unless we speak up.

Second, it is okay to say no sometimes!

What does your current job involve?

As part of my job, I analyse the operations of distribution centres and review their processes to identify areas where quality, efficiency and cost savings can be improved. I also dedicate time to coaching the rest of the team on Lean methodology and how they can use it to make their operations more efficient.

As part of my role I developed valuable key skills: communication, problem-solving, project management, mentoring, data analysis. They are vital to my role.

Tell us about the most exciting thing you have done at work?

For my initial logistics project, I was involved in setting up an automated warehouse. I was fortunate enough to collaborate with a fantastic team, and we spent several months studying the concept and plans of how the facility would function. Witnessing the schematics and models transform into a tangible structure was one of the most thrilling experiences of my career and marked the beginning of my fascination with logistics.

How would you explain the role of logistics in everyday life?

I recently had a conversation with a family friend who was amazed by his experience with next-day delivery. He asked me, “Ella, I ordered something at 10 pm last night and it arrived at 9 am this morning. How does that even happen?”

Without going into the details of how his new towels got to him so fast, I explained that logistics never stops moving. As soon as we place an order online, it triggers a series of events within a logistics network that brings what we need to us. It’s pretty amazing!

“Logistics is the backbone that connects the world by making food, medicine, technology, and many other products accessible to us.”

How does your work impact the world around us?

Logistics is the backbone that connects the world by making food, medicine, technology, and many other products accessible to us. Whenever an online purchase is made, orders go through a network of complex operations that brings items from different parts of the world to our doorsteps.

What has been the biggest challenge and greatest achievement of your career to date?

Working on integration projects as they often have the biggest challenges with processes and complex systems. Although challenging, they present an opportunity to use my toolkit of continuous improvement methods to support the operation.

My greatest achievement is watching those I have coached and mentored succeed in their roles. Teaching someone a skill and watching them apply it with their own style is the most rewarding feeling.

Who is the most inspiring person you have met or would like to meet?

The most inspiring person I have ever met is my manager at CEVA Logistics. He has shown me that you can be a great leader while still being friendly. He has taught me that work doesn’t always have to be serious, and that being true to yourself is important.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

When I was younger, I wanted to work with animals. However, as I progressed in my early career, I discovered my knack for coaching and problem-solving. Although I didn’t pursue my original dream, I still get to live a little part of it through my American Akita, Yuno.

What positive changes do you think could influence the learning environment?

Remember to allow room for mistakes! Making mistakes is one of the most valuable ways to learn. Understanding what went wrong, why it happened, and how it happened is extremely beneficial for succeeding the next time you are in that situation. Every time we stumble, it’s important to reflect on how the experience has made us feel and use that as motivation to try again. Nobody can do things perfectly all the time, so it’s important to be kind to ourselves, especially while we’re still learning.

What advice do you have for students navigating their career journeys?

Life is full of ups and downs. There are days when we feel like we have done an exceptional job and there are days when we know we could have done better. On the days when everything seems to be falling apart or when we are unsure about our decisions, it is important to remember that where we are now is not our final destination.

In the early stages of my career, I found myself in roles that I knew weren’t meant for me in the long run. However, I saw every experience as an opportunity to learn and grow.

It’s important to adopt a mindset that every experience is a chance to learn and that we can gain something from every person we meet. Remember that you are capable of learning at least one thing from every person you encounter on your journey.

And finally, what is your top tip for young people looking for their future career?

Don’t miss out on any opportunity, and if there are none, create them. Every experience has value, whether positive or negative.