At KPMG, the idea of building a career that reflects who you are means, above all, that a successful career does not have to fit into a predefined model. For one person, a good career means developing deep expertise. Another is inspired by leadership, a third by new industries, and a fourth wants to try an entirely new role. What we want from our work can also change as life evolves.
And that is a good thing.
At its best, a career develops gradually through people, encounters, learning new things, and opportunities we dare to embrace. Sometimes the next step takes us forward along a familiar path, sometimes sideways, and occasionally in a completely new direction.
Personally, I find it valuable that an expert organisation like KPMG offers so many opportunities to pursue different career paths. Our work includes audit and assurance, tax and legal services, as well as various advisory services. Even within a single business area, you have the opportunity to work with a wide range of clients, industries, and challenges. Sometimes the most interesting opportunity can be found just outside your familiar area of work. Collaborating with experts from different fields also continuously brings new dimensions to your work and opportunities for professional development.
Throughout my own career at KPMG, I have realised that you do not need to know or master everything at the beginning of your career. You often find your own direction through experience. What matters is being curious, proactive, and willing to learn, as well as embracing opportunities when they arise. To me, this is one of the most rewarding aspects of working life. A career can change and develop as we ourselves grow and change. Perhaps the most important thing is not to follow a predefined career path, but to have the courage to gradually build one that feels right for you.
You should not always try to build your career alone, either. The people around us have an enormous influence on the opportunities we recognise and the direction in which our skills develop. Learning from colleagues, working together, and getting to know experts from different fields can open up new perspectives, even on roles you might never have imagined pursuing in your career. At KPMG, we have seen that the true value of networking comes above all from encounters and conversations, which can sometimes lead us in surprising ways to new people, ideas, and opportunities.
Mari Kaasalainen,
KHT, KRT
KMPG