25 career advice, that I wish we were given before we started our jobs.
A thread...
Early in your career you get paid for what you can do.
Later you get paid for what you do.
Eventually, every role ends up about managing people.
Every role.
Because someone is good at their work does not mean they will become good managers.
Managing oneself is very different from managing others.
You grow professionally by making your boss' life easier.
If you have 5 years of work experience, then make it 5 YEARS of experience.
Not 1 year of experience done 5 times.
Early on in your career, go deep in whatever you do.
Later on in your career, go wide.
Action >>> Thought
No one gets rewarded for 'I had the same idea'.
The reward for standing by your promised word is immense.
Once you have made a commitment, no one should need to follow up on you.
No job is 9-5, or 10-6 or fixed hours.
Your job is the amount of focused time you spend on it.
The corporate world lays a trap by offering you perks and privileges.
It wants to see who feel entitled to it.
Those are the one who will rarely win!
Feedback is not given.
Feedback is sought.
Those who seek it, embrace the truth.
If you hustle, you grow fast in the short term.
If you pace yourself, you grow big in the long term.
If all leaders in the company engage in politics, then it is not politics.
It is the culture.
Almost all tie-breakers in an interview process are won by the more likeable candidate.
Smile during interviews.
Toxic jobs do exist.
Where there is no respect or recognition, no progress, no role models for you, no personal space and no/poor financial incentives.
Most people are in because they have little or no choice.
If you are not happy doing it, you will never be the best at it!
Don't be afraid to take a pay cut, for the right experience.
That gap will be covered faster than you think it will.
Early on, don't say 'it's not my job'.
Later on, let people do their job.
College does not train you for work.
College teaches you and then tests you.
Work tests you and then teaches you.
Be nice to people.
Help people.
The bigger the audience who like you, the more people will take you seriously.
Your boss matters!
You will learn far more from a competence manager who is strict with you and gives you harsh feedback, than an incompetent manager who is always nice to you.
Your network is your opportunity generator.
Your colleagues will go on to do wonderfully different things.
How you treated them will determine the quality and quantity of opportunities that come through them.
You don't find your passion!
It is not lying around to be discovered.
You grow your passion.
By exploring.
Use your 20s to explore
Your 30s to build upon the thing you are best at
Your 40s to financially retire
Solve problems
Those who solve problems will be rewarded more than those who maintain the status quo.
It is baffling how we spend ~20 odd years preparing for a career, but are not given even a year's equivalent of training on how to navigate it in real life.
Our school and college often does such an inadequate job teaching us about the real world.
We learn it on our own and often the mistakes can be lethal or the side effects long lasting.
I hope these 25 pieces of advice that I realized over my career, help you build a successful one for yourself :)
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