Master of none.

Self examination is very uncomfortable. Over the years, I’ve sat through goodness knows how many offsite team activities where I’ve been asked to meditate on my core values. 

What values do you have in your life and want to keep?

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

What are your strength domains?

Let’s talk about your MBTI type in the workplace.

Identify the times you were the happiest, the most fulfilled, the most proud.

I’ll admit….I always cringed on the inside about these exercises. Ugh. It doesn’t matter. Nobody remembers any of this after the lunch break anyway. Can I just pick something at random? I bet we’re going to debate the difference between “selflessness” and “generosity” for 30 minutes. This is so cheesy.

One of my first assignments for my Learning for Action fellowship at Terra.do asked to answer some of these questions in the context of solving climate change. But unlike before, I wasn’t in a live team breakout session with my current colleagues, I wasn’t given five minutes to examine big, existential ideas, I wasn’t being asked to share this with people responsible for my performance reviews. So perhaps for the first time ever, I really had to sit with the prompt and do some real reflection. 

So I thought. A lot. 

I started by going back to my resume. As I’m not working in a paid role at the moment, I felt unmoored- what are my accomplishments? What are my strengths? Can I remember which things made me happy? At first, this was not a reassuring exercise; though there were common themes, my subject matter experience and expertise swung all over the place. 

I’ve worked in fintech (I lived and breathed ACH processing, POS system integration, learning VAT rules), across customer service operations (ask me about reducing offshore TRT or increasing agent quality), flights data (for a time, I was a card-carrying member of IATA and could tell you how published fares worked and what an “open jaw” was), and across Google maps products. I most recently was on a team responsible for designing global workforce development programs. I’ve spent many hours learning how US government funding flows through the WIOA, who does what in NASWA chapters, what skills the French Metallurgy Union prioritizes in their hiring, how SENAI operates in Brazil. I’ve built relationships in higher ed with CS professors, heads of Talent at Fortune 500 companies. Now I’m learning the science behind GHG emissions and digging into IPCC reports. 

Looking back, I tried to discern not just how I made these deep knowledge and skilling changes, but why. For convenience? Because there was a job that needed doing? Jack of all trades, master of none.

I wish I could say I had some “aha” moment here, but the truth is that it took me a bit of time to reframe my view of my own experience, and therefore, my understanding of my values. What I’ve come to slowly see is that these shifts are not just surface level learning. They aren’t indecisive career pivots. Learning is my superpower.

Growth. Improvement. Resilience. This subtle framing has had a world of influence on how I’m approaching my self-assessment. I’m starting to figure out not only what makes me unique but what value I can share with others, both personally and professionally. As a caregiver, spouse, and friend- I’m pausing to reflect on how I can be more present for those around me, how I can support them in their own growth and continuous learning journeys. 

Professionally, I’m still not sure if my next role will be in climate, but I do know what part I want to play in the movement. Climate change is a big, often overwhelming topic; it’s scary and disheartening to unpack. As I navigate which solutions resonate most with me, I know that my contribution will, in some way, involve taking this big meaty subject and making solutions clear, relatable, and accessible. Whether that’s for corporations or individuals, whether that’s paid or unpaid. I know that I’m great at collaborating with diverse groups, developing clear narratives, empowering organizations with the knowledge, tools, and vision needed to drive change.

Influencing public perception and garnering support is critical to deep decarbonization- both for electrifying cities *and* for accelerating greening of the grid- which are the two biggest drivers of change today. Helping communities care about the vision, adapt, build resilience. This is work I can do, this is change I care about. 

Growth. Improvement. Resilience. Master of none, with a twist.