Karen Colin Thrives at JLL Where She Can Have a Family and a Successful Career Too

When I was in school, the perception was that accounting is boring. I quickly learned coming into JLL that that's not the case. The basic knowledge, the fundamentals are still needed, but it's a different kind of accounting. I got very lucky to come into a team that is very team-oriented, very closely working on different projects and different clients, and having those kind of mentors and people that are backing you up and helping you. We all come together and work as a team to make the best product there is for clients. The ability to keep growing within the company is very important, and it's been a big part of my career here. It is a combination of having the training, having the mentorship, having those managers that are behind you believing in what you do, pushing you to go to the next level. That is something that is very important here. Things happen in life. You start progressing in your personal life, get married, have kids, then your priorities kind of shift a little. At almost eight months of pregnancy, I was generally told that I had to slow down and put on bed rest. But when I approached it to my manager, I was shocked and surprised when he said, 'Okay, you can work from home the rest of the time until you go on maternity leave.' It took me a minute to kind of like, 'Really, are you sure?' And he's like, 'Well, yeah.' I never expected that flexibility. I have kids, I have a family, I still have my career, and also having the opportunity to sometimes work from home, that's a huge advantage. Have your career and work very hard in it, but at the same time having that time to step away and be with your family, do the things that you need to do, that's a big accomplishment that you could have here.