11 Mar 2020
My career in housing
A wise person once told me that in order to grow, you need to make yourself uncomfortable first. As an introvert, this isn’t the easiest piece of advice to follow, but it is an important piece of advice that’s helped me develop my career so far and the housing sector is awash with opportunities to ‘get out of your comfort zone’, to learn and to grow.
Since joining the sector in 2015, I have achieved a lot of things and been involved in a lot of things I would have never thought I was capable of doing previously. I put this down to four decisions I made over the last five years.
The most important thing I’ve learnt is that in order to have a successful career, you need to have a healthy work-life balance. There’s a huge difference between being passionate about your work and letting it completely take over every waking moment of your free time. I strongly recommend that you make time for yourself and set some goals outside of work, based on your hobbies, passions and everyday life. This has really helped me reduce stress, anxiety and has helped me maintain a balanced lifestyle.
At the beginning of your career in housing, everything can seem overwhelming. Or perhaps you've changed career paths. Or you could be at the end of your career when you've accomplished all you set out to. No matter the situation, a mentor can help.
I joined the CIH mentoring scheme in 2018 to explore my career possibilities, identify relevant development opportunities and improve my networking skills, guided by an experienced and knowledgeable mentor.
This is without a doubt one of the best decisions I’ve made so far. My mentor helped me develop my strengths, acknowledge my shortcomings, learn new things, connect with new people and was there to discuss difficult decisions. Although the mentoring scheme was set only for one year, my mentor and I have become good friends and still talk regularly.
The CIH has established a network of member champions who work in a range of housing organisations throughout the UK. The member champion role helps increase the awareness of CIH, its membership and to communicate information about CIH within their organisations.
Since becoming a member champion in 2019, I’ve been able to expand my professional network, develop skills outside of my day-to-day work, get involved in a range of activities to help other CIH members get the most of their membership and I have been provided with valuable advice and toolkits from the CIH team.
Get outside of your professional bubble and network in places you wouldn’t normally. A great place to start is volunteering. It’s easy to go through life only connecting with people like ourselves – but by expanding our network, we’re gaining access to new insights and creating more opportunities.
I’ve done a lot of volunteering in my community in the past and I have got so much from it. This is something I’m going to make more time for. It’s a great way to meet new people and it strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network.
A career in housing is an exciting one, that I chose and that I’m proud of. If you’re considering working in the sector, you certainly won’t regret it. There are so many opportunities in the sector for people with energy and ideas, who want to improve people’s lives and fix the housing crisis for good. If this sounds like you, then please come and join us!
Please get in touch via Twitter if you’d like to find out more about the CIH mentoring scheme, becoming a member champion, or if you’d just like a chat! @TommyMCollins
