A little more than 23 years ago, I was working at a bank when I got a call from a friend that would change my career. He told me to come work at a company called Amazon. I didn’t know much about it, and he wanted to know if I was interested in working on the help desk—an area I had no background in.
That would begin what would turn out to be a common theme over my now 23-year Amazon career: just saying yes.
I am currently a director, leading the Small Business Insights team. I have lived in Seattle and Luxembourg. I have held roles on the corporate help desk, deskside support, technical account management, and across the Customer Experience & Business Trends team—all without ever leaving Amazon.
I worked myself into each new role—almost never being familiar with or having a background in it. Sometimes, I enrolled in night classes, other times I peppered teammates with questions. Each time I took the learnings and skills I developed on the job and brought them with me to the next, even if I was unsure how they would apply.
Below are my top tips for making the most out of new opportunities, no matter how unfamiliar they may seem at first.