5 Career Building Tips They Never Taught us in School 5 Career Building Tips They Never Taught us in School Written

on January 9, 2012 by Srinivas in Uncategorized 1. Don t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket When it Comes to Your Career Up until a few years ago I bought into the 5 myths that help corporate America t o fuel its own existence . I thought I would climb the ladder, make it to a corn er office and that my job was something I could count on for a steady stream of income. But once you ve been laid off a few times and lost a job or two, it makes you realize that no matter how great your job is, you simply can t put all your e ggs in one basket. It s a bit like playing Russian roulette with your career. Some times making too many life plans limits your true potential . 2. Career Counselors Gamble With Your Future University and graduate school career offices are full of people giving students advice on careers they ve never worked in themselves. This is a bit like taking a dvice on how to get rich form a person who doesn t have any money. While theymay h ave the best of intentions, the success of a career office at most schools is re ally determined by one thing: placement statistics. You simply can t measure the h appiness, fulfillment, and long term success of this kind of advice. So be care ful, and don t let these people gamble with your future. 3. Do more than just show up atwork everyday What you do off the job determines how far you ll go on the job Zig Ziglar If all you do is show up for work everyday, do what s expected of you and go home, I ve got news for you. You re not going to make much progress in your career anytim e soon. This is the kind of mentality that keepspeople trapped where they are s cratching their heads as to what it takes to get ahead in their careers. Too ma ny people never do much moreto educate themselves after they finishtheir formal education, despite the factthat we live in a world today where you can give your self an education thatkicks the crap out of the one you got in school . There a re a number of things you could do to continually develop yourself *. Start a blog *. Join Toastmasters *. Volunteer Somewhere *. Learn a New Skill All of the above will contribute to your personal and professional development i n a positive way. 4. Parents Aren t Necessarily Qualified to Give You Advice on Your Career Unless your parents have the career you want or are living the life you want, th en they aren t necessarily qualified to give you a career advice. My parents are s upportive, but most oftheir advice about my career is highly generalized because they don t live in the world that I do. I think the very nature of parents is th at they re primarily concerned with your safety, stability, and survival. This is all well andgood, but it s not what sets you up forthriving. Your tolerance for ri sk has a tremendous impact on your potential for success . Find somebody who has the job you want to have and take their advice. With the t echnology at your disposal it s easier than ever. 5. Don t Just do Your Job, Do Something Worth Talking About A few weeks ago my friend Joel released The impossible Manifesto . Take some tim e to read it. I know there are many people who simply don t have the freedom to se ll everything they own and leave the country in a month . Some people need the i ncome from their jobs. And if you re really fortunate you love your job. The good news is that s not the only way to push the limits of what s possible in your life. The bad news is that you re going to have to do something radically different. Ev en in the context of a day job you have the opportunity to challenge the status quo. But most people take the risk of playing it safe (sounds like an oxymoron) . Playing it safe is a guaranteed way to remain ordinary andaverage. Real progr ess only happens when you start to veer outside the confines of your job descrip tion and your comfort zone. Stop waiting for permission to be extraordinary . Class dismissed.