Unsolicited career advice
‘Where are you based?’ — In the Eurostar, I often say.
It’s a joke, but not really.
I like traveling by train though. It’s the perfect time to catch-up on unread emails, white papers, and my beloved to do list. Sometimes, I also like to use this time to write and think. For those of you taking this train often, you know the internet connection sucks, so trying to do anything that requires being online is wishful thinking. That’s why I embrace being offline for a couple of hours and use my time ‘the old way’. And I love it.
If you read my previous posts, you also know I enjoy doing intros that are somehow unrelated to the main topic of the writing. That’s me. But actually, I’m in the train right now thinking of how often people have come to me these days asking for career advice. I guess it’s partially related to having recently pursued an MBA and having had the opportunity to step back and think about what was next for me from a career perspective.
Important disclaimer before I start: I’m probably ‘too young’ to give proper career advice, but I’ll share my main take-aways to-date and some advice I’ve received over the years that was helpful in my decision process.
Enjoy!
1. Understand yourself
‘What am I genuinely good at and what do I like?’
Take the time to assess what you’re really good at. Don’t get confused by what you wish you were good at.
Know both your weaknesses and strengths. Often people focus only on the weaknesses to improve. It’s obviously important to become better at what we tend to be less good at. However, don’t forget to also understand what your true strengths are to be the best at these. A team usually becomes the best because its members are really outstanding at one thing (or a few), and not necessarily great at everything. Embrace you’re not superman or superwoman — it’s fine (and actually quite inspiring).
Then, think of the job you could enjoy and where you could thrive. It’s like completing a puzzle: it’s easier when you know how the sides of the piece you’re missing must look like. That missing piece is the job you’re looking for, and you’ll find it faster if you know how it should be like after doing some personal assessment.
2. Be honest to yourself
‘What am I solving for?’
Assess what matters most to you and how a particular career path would help you solve for that. Is it lifestyle, intellectual stimulation, ownership and responsibilities given, exposure to senior management and / or clients, geographic flexibility, salary, long-term vs. short-term projects, depth vs. volume, etc.?
Be aware it’s hard to have it all, so stay true to yourself and understand what’s most important to you.
Don’t follow trends, they’ll likely take you nowhere.
Follow your passion but be consequent with that decision. Make sure it solves for your needs and aspirations.
And communicate — there is no such thing as over communication. Understand what you’re signing up for, what your employer’s expectations are, and how they align with yours. Keep that communication open and on-going.
3. And remember that preserving optionality has decreasing value over time
‘What can I do after?’
Optionality might be fantastic at the beginning of your career but preserving it has decreasing value over time. There is a point in time when you should start focusing on what you really want to do and where you see yourself building a career longer-term (aspirational). It might take you quite a few years to figure that out, and that’s fine. You might also change your mind over time, and that’s fine too.
How you start your career matters, at least in the short to medium run (probably not so much in the very long-term). Choosing wisely your first job right after college graduation can become quite advantageous.
If you know what you want to do and like, go for it. Don’t do something else first to get, supposedly faster, where you know already you’d want to be. I don’t think there are that many shortcuts in career paths. On that note: don’t be in a rush either, you’ll likely have 35–40 years to work — it’s a lot! But be as hungry as you want to be, there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious as long as it doesn’t make you feel unfulfilled or unhappy.
It’s all about balance, like everything in life. But that’s just an opinion, like everything I write.
Preserving some optionality at the beginning of your career can be helpful though. Sometimes, being more generalist and building the relevant skillsets will help you get the solid knowledge base and the best training to foster your career.
Some doors might only open when you come from a certain background, so don’t obsess about going through these when you don’t have the key to do so. It’s probably worth trying, but don’t obsess. You might be lucky — luck is such an important component in how everything shapes. But if you’re not, just work on getting what’s needed to open that door.
Sometimes you need to chase your own luck.
But, above all, remember that your career is only one part of your life. Don’t forget the other things that matter to you and be good at all of these too. Be a good employee, manager, or entrepreneur, but be also a good friend, partner, mother or father, son or daughter; maybe be a good photographer or painter, singer or guitarist. Be good at reading or drinking coffee; at cooking, sailing, or exercising. Maybe be good at simply going for walks.
Career satisfaction is an important but not the only component of your overall personal satisfaction. It’s obvious, but we often forget. Also, personal satisfaction will lead to a better career performance. It’s a virtuous circle, so make sure you work on both.
Again, it’s all about balance.
