Turning the calendar to August means “back to school” time. Whether you’re a parent or student, it brings a mix of emotions, especially if a significant transition is on the horizon.

I will be sending my first-born off to college. It helps that he chose to attend my alma mater: the College of William & Mary (W&M). I’m excited for him to walk the same campus yet have his own journey. At the same time, I’ve been reflecting on my own path since I graduated from college.

Recently I paged through an issue of the W&M alumni magazine. It included an article: “Top Career Tips from W&M Professional Development Week 2024” summarizing eight tips that can leave “lifelong learners equipped to … thrive from their first job to their last.” I was struck by how close the tips align with my own professional development experience and with KCIC’s values.

Below are each of the tips from the article, along with my own take through the KCIC lens:

1. Create a career you are proud of based on who you are.
   Find a place to work and build a career that allows you to be yourself and bring your best self to work each day. You don’t have to be saving the world to do important work. There is deep satisfaction in being part of what your company accomplishes and the contribution you bring.
   
   
2. Flourishing in a fast-paced world requires living a life aligned with your values.
   Take time to get clear on the priorities in your life — what matters to you — and look for that in your career. Finding that alignment will allow you to do your best work and be the most fulfilled inside and outside the office.
   
   
3. There is only one version of you. Find your unique strengths and channel them.
   Think not only about what you do well, but what gives you energy doing it. KCIC uses Gallup’s StrengthsFinder Assessment to help our employees find their strength and articulate it within themselves so that we can utilize those strengths as much as possible.
   
   
4. Step out of your comfort zone and embrace productive conflict.
   While conflict, especially in the workplace, is something most people try to avoid, engaging in productive conflict is an important skill to work on because it ultimately creates a healthy work environment, reduces miscommunication and tension, and leads to better career development and experience.
   
   
5. Invest time in your team. The returns will be priceless.
   The best thing a manager can give their team is their time. In this area, quality is definitely more important than quantity. Quality investment in your team builds trust and creates an environment in which people want to do their best work.
   
   
6. Finding the profession that’s right for you requires immersive experiences.
   Hands-on learning is imperative to figuring out what career is best for you. At KCIC, we look to get our new employees entrenched in client teams very early in their career, not only to get them up the learning curve but to immerse them in the experience of being a consultant.
   
   
7. Look at artificial intelligence (AI) as a powerful tool, not an all-encompassing solution.
   We talk a lot about AI internally and with our clients. While it is something that can be utilized to try to reduce errors, it does not replace relationships with our clients and each other — nor does it replace the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that need to be brought to each project.
   
   
8. The secret ingredient of a thriving career is relationships.
   Each of the previous tips is summed up with this last one. A successful career is built on internal and external relationships that you can focus on starting day 1 of any job. At KCIC, this is seen in our core values as well as our core purpose — to be a place where our employees can thrive while solving problems for our client in transformational ways.

Each year, KCIC hires college interns and new employees who have recently earned their degree. We do attract many W&M graduates! But these tips are helpful lessons to revisit no matter where you are along your career path. August is a great month for all of us, as lifelong learners, to reset and recommit. Freshen up your tools. Review your goals. Put yourself in new places and situations.

And whether you are sending a preschooler or a college student off to school, I wish you a smooth sendoff!