Valerie Amos was asked, “what did you want to be when you were 18?“

She replied, “I wasn’t particularly focused on what I wanted to be, but more on what I wanted to do. I wanted to change the world.”

She’s currently Director of London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas). I thought her reply was a brilliant take on career ambition … don’t sweat the small stuff – know what you’d like to achieve without worrying about how you’re going to get there.