Six career lessons – Part 1: Don’t wait to make a difference

Whether you’re staring at a blinking cursor trying to write your first resume, practicing your podium skills or facing a career change, this year’s Arch Award recipients have insights on navigating uncertainty, embracing opportunity and forging your own path. That’s why leading up to the start of Alumni All-Access on Oct. 15 we’re sharing two career lessons every week that draw on the experiences, challenges and unexpected moments that helped shape their journeys.

Lesson 1: Don’t wait to make a difference

Too often, we convince ourselves we’re not experienced or accomplished enough to raise our hand. But Community Commitment Award recipient Max Chan’s, BA’01, story suggests that meaningful impact often begins long before you feel ready.

Dealing with what he describes as “classic imposter syndrome,” Chan went from feeling like an “unremarkable undergraduate” to becoming a senior executive at Enbridge, invaluable community volunteer and one of Alberta’s leading champions for cancer-care and fundraising.

Between those experiences wasn't a single defining moment, but a series of decisions to contribute before he felt completely ready. In the process, Chan discovered that value isn't always determined by years of experience. Sometimes it's simply about being one step ahead and willing to help the person behind you.

“No matter where you are in your stage of life, you actually have more to offer than you think,” Chan says.

He learned that when he became one of the first mentors in Haskayne’s BMO Mentorship Program just a few years after graduation, and that same mindset followed him throughout life — from joining Westside Recreation Centre’s board at 25, to finding new purpose in service after a cancer diagnosis and eventually acting as chair of Chair of the Alberta Cancer Foundation's Board of Trustees.

So, the next time you're hesitating to apply for the role, join the committee, mentor a student or take on a new challenge, remember that some of the most meaningful opportunities begin before you feel completely ready.