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# A career poem
- URL: https://www.gilespcroft.com/a-career-poem/
- Published: 2026-07-29T06:00:41.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-04T09:57:05.000Z
- Description: Written by a much younger Giles, and remarkably prescient ✍🏻
- Author: Giles P Croft
- Tags: Poetry, Writing, Careers, Resilience, Real stories, Life change, FOUNDATIONS, Decision-making, Creativity

In a recent Daily Reminder I wrote about how I'd dug out an old career change workbook to discover, to my surprise, that the dream I'd written down had [actually come true](https://www.gilespcroft.com/dreams-come-true/).

(Albeit a couple of decades later.)

And something else I stumbled upon in that workbook is too good not to share with you. Again, to set the scene, this is when I was on the cusp of leaving my career as a surgeon, 20+ years ago, because I was hacked off with how much of my life it was taking over. 

The remit was simple enough: *Write a poem about your career.*

I've always been more of a prose than poetry person, so I didn't really fancy my chances, but it looks like I got out of my own way, because what ended up coming through 30-something Giles wasn't half bad! 

> **My Career**

> My career is odd, it is  
> It started here, with much a fizz  
> And if you look at how I felt  
> (back then, when all I'd do was help)  
> You'll see I thought I knew it all,  
> To be The Boss - walking tall!  
> Curing ills, the famous blade  
> *“Look at him, he's got it made:* 
> *The car, the house, the kids, the wife* 
> *Why surely that's one happy life?”*

> But all these treasures have a price  
> To sell your soul, it isn't nice  
> Outside there's still the happy grin  
> While all that's good rots from within  
> Helping others? Help yourself!  
> You've left your values on the shelf  
> Time cuts through you like the blade  
> *“Oh heavens, what a mess I've made!”*

> So now it's time to start again  
> Pick it up, look closely, then  
> Make choices that you know are true  
> You're further on, you know what's you  
> Strength is needed. Yes, it's tough  
> To change it all, start in the rough  
> But this is what you'll leave behind:  
> Your life, your works, your peace of mind.

I've always maintained that this juncture in my life was the first time I really started to realise the inside-out nature of things on some level – that all the ‘stuff’ and the ‘success’ didn't actually equate to peace of mind.

And here's the evidence!

💟

Giles

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### Related

[Dreams come true…even if it takes 20 years! 🎂![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/icon/DR_Lockup-Black-3-8812f074-31fe-4dab-a4cc-6d04dd600ce0.png)The Daily RemindersGiles P Croft![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/thumbnail/Ghisallo_2-1-ca606e91-7018-405f-b4ae-dfd2098add1c.jpg)](https://www.gilespcroft.com/dreams-come-true/)

More from inside that magical career workbook