Hors Série Carrières

Staying on top of things!

At a time when the class of 2008 is about to graduate and most of them already have their jobs, at a time when the class of 2011 is taking its competitive exams, this special issue of Variances reminds us that a career is not just about choosing your first job.

Many of our alumni talk about the importance of their ENSAE diploma (and we're not complaining), but all emphasize that a career is fueled by daily experiences, encounters and unforeseen events. "Keeping your hand in" therefore means knowing how to feed off everything your professional life brings you, so that, whatever your age and expectations, you're always ready to take on new challenges: never getting bored is essential if you don't want to end up living to work...

Because while you have to work to live (and quite well, given the salary surveys conducted on older employees), the testimonials we gathered underline the fact that a career is not just a professional life, it's also a set of choices that enable a genuine personal balance.

Opportunities, new perspectives, changing horizons - "Keeping your hand in" means being able to rely on people with a good knowledge of the job market and the business world, who can help or advise you: this is the job of some of us, and it's also one of the vocations of the alumni network.

Keep this in mind as you think about your next position, and

and happy reading!

Frédéric Gilli