What I Wish I Knew Earlier: Advocating for Myself in My Career | Hindsight with Caty Burgess

In this candid conversation with guest Caty Burgess, we explore the lessons she’s learned about self-advocacy and career negotiation. Caty reflects on her early career and shares how she often prioritized fighting for her team and ideas over advocating for her own pay and growth opportunities. Through hindsight, she reveals what she wishes she had done differently and provides valuable insights for anyone navigating their own professional journey.

Key Topics

• The Power of Self-Advocacy:
• How Caty realized the importance of being as fierce for herself as she was for others.
• Why advocating for your own career and compensation is crucial to long-term success.
• Career Growth Through Negotiation:
• The potential benefits of bringing outside offers to the table to strengthen your negotiating power.
• Why negotiation is a vital part of career progression, not a distraction from the work.
• Reflections on Staying at One Company:
• Caty’s experience working at the same organization for an extended period and how it impacted her perspective on career moves and negotiation.
• What she would advise others to do differently in similar situations.
  

Quotes

• "I was always a very fierce person, but I didn’t know I could be that fierce for myself."
• "I could have fought in the same ways that I fought for other people, for myself."
• "Bringing back outside offers always seemed like a distraction, but maybe it’s something I should have done."
• "Advocating for yourself isn’t selfish—it’s necessary."