The other day a friend asked me if I regretted a career decision that I made a couple of years ago. It was an interesting question that made me think: does regret even belong in a career discussion?

For most people, a career is not a linear process. You make things up as you go along.

As you set out on your professional path after you have gotten some education and training, you have certain ideas of where the path will take you. And then life takes over.

There is always a little bit of serendipity in how a career comes together. I love hearing people’s stories as they recount how they got to where they are today. Quite often their original career ideas have absolutely nothing to do with where they have ended up.

If you stay alert, interested and curious, you will see opportunities come into your path.

Little by little your career builds upon itself, one step at a time.

There is no room for regret in any career evaluation. Whether you qualify your experience as good or bad, it has served the purpose that has guided you on the pathway to where you are today.