If there is one thing in my 20+ years in the civil service I have figured out it is you will never know if you don't try. Early on in my career I would never volunteer for opportunities, I wouldn't offer up answers or contribute to group meetings or working groups and missed the opportunity to apply for roles I would have loved to try my hand at. This was all through the fear of looking stupid or failing and how other people would view me. Not to say I have never failed as I have, be that in job applications or the approach I have taken to work tasks. The biggest thing I will share here is I have learned so much more from failing than I ever have from getting something right first time. The support from my colleagues during these times was surprising, there are so many great people who work across our government departments which fosters a great environment to be part of. Don't forget if you learn or take something way from an experience how can that be seen as a failure. Don't stop trying.

I have been very lucky in that I have almost always been given a role (or applied for one) that I have enjoyed in HMRC (or earlier departments). If you show that you are keen to learn and willing to listen, then you will find that opportunities will present themselves to you and you will progress in your career. When I was told that I would have to undertake taxes training in 2005, I was horrified. Having been trained in National Insurance and done various management roles, I thought that tax would be just too hard for me and that I wouldn't pass the exams. However, I committed wholeheartedly to the training programme. I studied hard and passed all the exams first time - even though my daughter was still a baby so I was constantly exhausted as well as having to travel to London once a week for 18 months for my tutorials!

For me personally life is all about helping others where you can and also about making memories with the people closest to you. Work life balance is key for me and having the ability to work on a variety of activities, being able to collaborate with various stakeholder. Work out what matters most to you in regards to a job role or career. It is important to find a job role which you enjoy doing and is fulfilling as this will keep you motivated. Do not underestimate yourself, if there is a course you wish to do, if you want to change careers completely, just go for it, reach out for support and guidance.