10 mistakes you make in your career
As billionaire Warren Buffett used to say: “Learn the right way from your mistakes. But it’s even better to learn from other people’s mistakes. “Buffett himself must have stumbled a thousand times before becoming one of the richest men on the planet. If you strive for success, you must be prepared for the fact that you will be wrong. This applies to everyone who has tried to build a career.
Mistakes you make in your career
Career progression is linear
The biggest mistake many make is thinking that everything will develop according to the script in your head. And the worst thing is that at first, you take it for the best scenario. This is how most of us imagine an impeccable career line: you get an education, get an internship, then work as a leading specialist, three years later, you are promoted to a middle-level manager, and after a few years, you become a top manager. The links can be changed depending on the specialization, but one way or another, the essence is clear: the service conveyor, where the record determines success in labor.
This is not the case. Success depends on the level of your knowledge and talent. And this, as you know, is not always associated with age, seniority, and even more so with the position. And if somewhere your script plan breaks off somewhere, then perhaps this will open up much greater opportunities than those you drew in your imagination.
Priority of money
We will not write now that work should not be for the sake of money and that it is better to live in cardboard packaging from under the refrigerator than to hate your profession. We want to say that if you do not put money at the forefront and do not turn it into an end in itself, it will be easier and more interesting to earn money. You can find a lucrative job or run a super profitable business for material needs. But if the meaning is only in this and you are dissatisfied with your activities, you can soon burn out. This will not only affect your work, but it can also make you nervous and depressed.
In the end, someday, you will give up everything anyway and regret not trying what you always wanted. But moving in the direction of your favorite business, in the end, you will be able to taste the fruits of your labor – including financial ones. After all, what we love, we do well. And good work is paid accordingly.
Time management
Leisure time is a good thing, especially when you’re young. But it’s also true that you can’t lose the energy you have without losing it. Try to make the most of every free minute you have. Of course, you should leave time to go out with your girlfriend, meet up with friends, or play sports.
But let’s be honest. In between work and vital tasks, there are plenty of gaps you spend on useless things: watching talk shows, hanging out on social media, or catching grasshoppers. Trust me; it’s much better for your career if you trade idleness for acquiring new knowledge.
Choosing a job, not a profession
When we go to study at an educational institution, we choose a certain profession for ourselves. But then commercialism and short-term pragmatism take over, and we get a job out of the “pay in the same place” considerations. This is a mistake.
When you don’t have certain skills, you can easily be replaced. Choose a profession, not a job. Become a good specialist, and then it will not be so easy for an employer to find a replacement for you. In our time, experts are not so highly valued “in everything, a little bit.” The market needs confident professionals in one or two areas.
Now it’s cool
Success has no endpoint, especially in a career. A good specialist always has room to grow. Do not stop there, even if you are comfortable in your place. You can lose this position, and as you develop, you cut off the road to retreat.
You are embarrassed to demand
Remember: what you do not take, others will take. We understand that you do not want to look like an annoying goat in front of your boss, at the sight of which your boss imitates a telephone conversation or an epileptic seizure. But work is work.
The law of the jungle works here. If you want success, be persistent in your desires and demand the conditions that, in your opinion, you deserve.
Don’t follow your interests
There will be many people on your way who will say what is best for you. If this does not coincide with your opinion, then the minimum you can do is act in your way. And the maximum is to send advisers to hell.
Only you know what is best for you and what you want. Don’t listen to anyone. Listen, but don’t listen. These people either want to use you or, as a rule, do not know what is best for themselves.
Ignore advice
Unlike the previous paragraph, in this one, we recommend following other people’s advice, but only if these recommendations align with your plans and come from those who are the authorities in the field. Simply put, you are not asking the question “what?”, But asking “how?” Practical knowledge can be obtained based not only on one’s own experience but also on someone else’s. You will only benefit from this.
In a hurry
When you are young, and at the start of your career, you can’t wait to get everything at once. We understand. That is why we advise you not to make rash decisions and not try to jump over a wide hole. It is better to cover it with the earth and go over slowly. Luck takes patience, and experience requires knowledge. Combine these two variables, and you will succeed.
Don’t ask for help
Not a single, we repeat; not a single success story is the story of one person. Even the most talented people had people at the start who helped. Asking for help is not a bad thing. There is safety in numbers.
Even if your business is individual, there are still people you cooperate with or help you. Perhaps someday they will ask you for help. You live and work in a social environment, and it is easier to achieve success in everything by playing as a team.
