Unwanted career advice

nitin khanna
Aug 27, 2017 · 4 min read
image coutsey: https://holykaw.alltop.com/the-wheel-ohappiness-college-majors-career-satisfaction-infographic

Many of us go through what is called mid-career crisis. Almost 10–12 years into profession, we realize that certain steps taken earlier would have shaped all this very differently.

Most people are lucky to find good mentors at an early stage of career. But some of us learn the hard way- we try multiple jobs, change companies and/or industries before we can figure out what do we want to do professionally.

After carefully observing some successful people around, I concluded 10 key learnings-

  1. Don’t say NO

You will find a lot of opportunities to say NO to things you don’t like to work on. But, struggle is good in the initial years. Always welcome challenge and more work- you will be tough on yourself but all of that is worth it. Every time some one gives you work or involves you in an initiative — say thank you, they are helping build your career .

As Sheryl Sandberg said.

If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.

You’ve to treat every opportunity the same way at start of your career.

2. Pick an industry and expertise

When you mature, you will be known for few things- things you are expert on. If you want to become good at something, you need to spend years and years doing that. Do not try to hop too many industries in your career. Every industry is made up of complex relationships of multiple players and you need to understand the dynamics well for noteworthy contributions later on.

3. Hard work vs. smart work

I have still not made up my mind on this but i continue to support hard work. It is somewhat related to point #1. I strongly recommend not to take any short-cuts in name of smart work during first 5–7–10 years of your career.

Every time you find tasks at hand tough, you don’t need to wish if the work was easier, wish you were better.

“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”- Thomas Jefferson

4. Look for mentor(s) as early as possible

There is one area where I don’t think any one will disagree, finding right mentor(s) is always a key. If you have a choice to earn some more money vs. work with a person whom you respect a lot. Always chose later.

Don’t be afraid to have multiple mentors. I have consulted my mentors not only to find the right job but also to say “NO” to opportunities which weren’t right for me, but looked lucrative on face of it. And the decisions have never turned out wrong so far.

5. Sticking to an employer

The easiest way to go up the ranks is to chose a new employer every 12–18–24 months. But after observing closely all my friends who moved around vs. who decided to work long years with an employer, I recommend to stay on. Sometimes you might find growth to be slow but as long as you are learning and enjoying the work, loyalty will pay-off.

6. Don’t try to be a manager too soon

Managing people should not be your success criterion. But don’t give up opportunities to lead. Small task groups, mini-projects, new process implementations, a well formed organization will provide ample opportunities to develop the leader within you. Grab every single one.

7. Being uncomfortable is ok for a while

Remember, only when you are uncomfortable, you will step out of your routine and figure out new and unique ways of problem solving. Psychologist say that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are uncomfortable or unfulfilled.

8. Invest in yourself

You are your best investment. What got you first promotion will not be useful for the next. You need to continuously upgrade yourself. You need to figure out how to add value outside of your role. Take that online course or the weekend program, all that will matter a lot in few years.

9. People interaction skills

Unless you want to stay very close to technology, write superior code or win patents for your technical work, the must-have skill is how you interact with people.

It’s true, being good at what you do does matter. But you need much more than that. You need to know how to navigate the work dynamics (aka politics). You need to keep teams motivated and managing high performing teams require a lot more people skills than technology.

10. Travel, health and sleep

Your body can take a lot at young age, i am not saying exploit or abuse your body. Take good care of your health. But you can get sound sleep much more easily in mid-20’s than in early 40’s. You can switch yourself off after a long perspiring day, which will not be same when you age. So take that extra travel, you’ll miss the energy in few years.

And in the end Paulo coelho says

“Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy”

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