How I Am More Confident at Work in My 30s

Your 20s are all about learning and growing, in every aspect of life. That includes professionally, too. I did a lot of learning and growing in my work life in my 20s. Because of these experiences, I am far more confident at work in my 30s.

When I finished my undergraduate degree, I took advantage of a one-year Master’s Degree program my university had. While doing that, I took on a part time job, planning a concert at Carnegie Hall (yes, it was pretty cool!).

Upon finishing my Master’s Degree, I wanted to change the world, so I found myself working at a nonprofit. I really enjoyed it and it really prepared me for all different aspects of the working world; as you can imagine, at a nonprofit you wear many hats, so I got to get my feet wet in a lot of different roles.

After a few years, it was time for a change. I took the plunge into corporate America, and I haven’t looked back since. Thanks to all this, I am vastly more confident at work in my 30s.

What Does Being Confident at Work in My 30s Mean?

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I want to showcase the professional growth I had in my 20s, thanks to not being afraid of change. All of this experience helped me become more confident at work and I’m seeing firsthand now how much more confident at work in my 30s I actually am.

I don’t feel like the newbie anymore.

When we’re just starting out in our career, 95% of the time, older employees can smell it on you. There are things we all do or ways we act that just scream “this is our first time working in a professional setting.”

Sure, no one should really be judging you for that, but there are unfortunately always some who do. This can be intimidating for sure, and can really hinder your confidence. It can take time to get comfortable, but being in the working world for a few years helps that.

I’ve learned from my mistakes so I can be more confident at work in my 30s.

Everyone makes mistakes at work. I still make mistakes if we’re being honest. But I have learned from my past mistakes and learned not to make them again. Now, I can be more confident at work in my 30s.

Not only that, but I paid attention to mistakes others were making, too, and I took note of that to make sure I didn’t make them in the future. I’ve also learned not to be afraid of making mistakes, as they happen.

Just own up to them, learn from them, and continue to try and be/do better. Learning from my mistakes has also helped me trust my own judgement more, making me more confident in both myself and of the work I’m producing and sending to leaders.

I paid attention to how leaders acted and spoke.

I knew I wanted to grow at work, so I paid attention to how leaders in my company presented themselves. I slowly started to adapt their habits, words, and phrases, progressively evolving to be more confident at work in my 30s.

I even took notice of their email style and starting editing my emails to be more aligned with theirs. Sounding and acting in a similar way helped me feel – and be – more on the same level as them rather than someone they saw as a junior college.

I’m not afraid to ask questions.

I’ll be honest with you – I was never afraid to ask questions, even when I was first starting out in the working world. But as I progressed, the questions I began asking were different. In this way I became more confident at work in my 30s.

I asked more about bigger picture, strategy to-do items rather than logistical, nitty-gritty questions. I learned that most of the logistical, nitty-gritty, every day questions.

I could find the answers to those myself. By asking the more important, thought-provoking questions, I was seen in a different light, both by my colleagues and by myself. Looking back I see how this made me more confident at work in my 30s.

I made a name for myself.

I worked hard in my 20s to be the go-to person for many. Sure, some of the work was not the most glamorous, but people knew they could rely on me to get things done and to find them the answers they needed.

This really served me well in boosting my confidence, as I became someone that people wanted to work with and that people trusted to get things done. They started bringing me into the “big boy and girl” conversations, which helped me both learn and grow more.

Building your personal brand, both outside and inside the workplace, really goes a long way. I’m happy I spent a bulk of my 20s building that so now I can be more confident at work in my 30s.

I prioritized professional development to be more confident at work in my 30s.

I’ll admit it – when I was first starting out, I really was not thinking much about professional development. It wasn’t until my late 20s and 30s that I realized how important learning and development is in the workplace.

I started taking advantage of any professional development opportunities my company was offering. Additionally, I was part of a leadership program, where I learned from female leaders in my computer.

I utilized the learning and development platform my company offered us. Therefore, I’d schedule time to do it, just like I’d schedule a meeting. This was so important to me becoming more confident at work in my 30s.

I still speak to my mentor a couple of times a month.

I identified my mentor in my 20s and I learned a lot from them. When I started getting promotions and growing at work, I didn’t just stop connecting with them as some do. Mentors are important throughout your entire career journey, not just the beginning.

Keeping my mentor in my 30s has continue to allow me to grow and become more confident at work in my 30s. They are there to guide me, to be someone I can bounce ideas off of, and someone who has my best professional interests in mind.

Final Thoughts on Being Confident at Work in My 30s

Your 20s can prepare you a lot for your 30s, you know that. It’s thanks to the things I did and learned in my 20s, that I am feeling more confident at work in my 30s than ever before at work.

We’re also just more confident in our 30s than our 20s in general, thanks to all of the things we’ve been to. That rolls over into our professional lives, too. Take the confidence you now have, and exude that at work!

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