Career Or Life?
Your career is not everything; your life is. But then, what is life without a career or a career without a life? We have tracked down some practical, important lessons to let you get on with your life - and your career!
You are always on your own. Even if you work for a big company, you will always be on your own. Companies aren't people. They're things and they don't have feelings. If you are expecting the company to "take care of you" or "do the right thing", you'll be often disappointed. There are no strong bonds in a company. No one cares more about your career than you do. Remember that, and don't expect the company to take care of you.
Certain jobs fit certain people best. You do have special gifts that fit you for some, disqualify you for others. Take time to assess your skills, temperament and aptitude in depth. Everyone - even senior executives - can benefit from the help of a qualified career counselor.
Careers are short-term. Your present job can end anytime, even if you own the company! Therefore, think short term. Don't take your present career for granted. Someone once described a consultant as a person who wakes up every morning unemployed. You should feel the same way. Wake up every morning feeling unemployed so that you'll appreciate your present job more and figure out what you're going to do next. Always have a "Plan B."
It's more important to be a "people person" than an "achievement-oriented person" who always wins at the cost of others. People skills are more important than technical skills. Even in technical jobs, you have to deal with someone. The average performer who are easier to get along with last longer in his job.
What you accomplish today will be your calling card tomorrow. Your accomplishments will determine your marketability. In marketing yourself, it's the results that count. A soccer forward who scores in every game is easier to market than one who doesn't. So make sure you're contributing something substantial and measurable every day. And ... make sure you keep a written record of your results, in case you forget!
If you lose your job, 80% of your marketing for a new position is already done. That's right. Your reputation, results, accomplishments, people skills, contributions, friendships are all a matter of record. If you've been a contributor, if you've been kind to others and easy-to-work-with, you'll be in better demand. If not, you won't. Nobody can create friendship for you if you haven't created it for yourself.
Changing fields, industries, and functional specialties is difficult. The more difficult it is, the bigger the change will be. Therefore, choose your career path carefully. As management expert Peter Drucker says, "The best way to predict the future is to plan it."
What is a career? Being a Salesman, Customer Service Representative, Teacher, Staff Accountant, Technical Writer isn't a career. Moving up from Accounts Clerk to Junior Accountant, Accountant, Controller, Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Finance is a career. A career builds on itself as time goes on.
People tend to earn what they deserve to earn.
Have time for love, happiness, friendship and yourself. Create your own space. It is just as important as your career. If career is everything in your life, you could be disappointed if your career is sidetracked.
If you're fired or laid off, don't sue your former employer. Ask yourself why you didn't see it coming; or if you did see it coming, ask yourself why you didn't do something about it. Figure out your part in causing the problem. Then set about creating a new, better life for yourself. There is a better life in your future.
Don't ever let yourself be unemployed, even for a day. Volunteer a few hours, work part-time for a temporary agency, or help a friend in his or her company. Do something to get out of the house. Unemployment is a mind-set you should avoid.
Don't stay in a job you hate. Hating your job can kill you.
Too much success can kill you too. Learn when enough is enough. Success itself can cause you problems. If you think you're burning out, you may be right. Highly successful people are the likeliest to suffer burnout because they demand the most from themselves and everyone around them.
Success is difficult. If success were easy, everyone would be successful.
There's a special place for everyone. You can create the kind of future you want.
Remember: nothing good happens fast.
The workplace is fun and challenging. It can also be cruel and heartless. It rewards effort and planning, but tends to punish indifference and lack of preparation. Those who don't manage their careers - who just let things happen - often end up in painful, dead-end jobs and lifestyles.
You are in full control of your own future. No one can deny you a happy life if you decide to plan it and work for it. No one can stop you from becoming successful, but yourself.
It's never too late for a new beginning.
Your friends - even distant friends - are your best allies in a job search. No one will help you more than those who already know your name. So make an extensive list of everyone you've met in life, and let them know your situation.
Align yourself with winners. Hang around with winners. Success really does rub off from others. There's no substitute for "knowing the right people," and for "being in the right place at the right time."
