Supply Chain Saturday

I was wrapping up a coaching call recently and the person on the other end was putting a lot of pressure on himself. He was graduating soon, had a strong internship, solid certifications, and was actively applying. But you could hear it in his voice. He felt like he was running out of time.

He wanted to have everything figured out before graduation. The perfect role, the perfect resume, the perfect plan. And because he didn’t have all of that yet, he felt behind.

So I told him something I genuinely believe.

That’s not permission to sit still. It’s perspective. Because when you’re 22 or 25 or even 30 and you feel like you should already be further along, it’s easy to forget how much runway you actually have.

I’m only ten years into my career. I’ve been in Operations, Project Management, Continuous Improvement, Logistics, and now Commercial Sales. None of those moves were planned. I didn’t sit down at 22 and map out a five-stop rotational career at one company. I got in, raised my hand, built relationships, and let each role teach me something that made me better in the next one.

And I’m still learning. Still figuring it out. Still finding new things that challenge me and push me to grow.

I had a similar conversation with another student who was stacking certifications. He had his black belt, multiple courses completed, LinkedIn Learning certificates, and was looking at adding APICS on top of all of it. Before he even had a full-time role.

I told him something that surprised him. “You have enough.” The certifications are impressive, but right now the priority is getting in the door, building relationships, and getting real-world reps. Once you’re in, your company will pay for those certifications. Mine paid for my PMP. They paid for half my MBA. You don’t need to front-load everything before you start.

He was so focused on being ready that he was delaying the thing that would actually make him ready, which is doing the work.

Here’s what I want you to think about this week.

If you’re feeling behind, you’re probably not. You’re just early. And early is a good place to be if you use it wisely.

Stop trying to have everything figured out before you take the first step. You’re not going to learn what energizes you by watching videos and collecting certificates. You learn that by getting into a role, working with real people, solving real problems, and paying attention to what makes you come alive.

The best career advice I can give you is this: Enjoy the journey. Not just the destination. The people you meet along the way, the experiences you gain, the hard days that teach you something you couldn’t have learned any other way. All of it matters. All of it compounds.

Give yourself some grace. You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to keep moving forward, one step at a time.

You’ve got 45 years. Make the next one count and let the rest unfold.

I’ll see you next Saturday,
– Mark