1. Be awesome.
2. Repeat.
For those just starting out in their careers Woody Allen gave the shortest and best career advice when he said, “80% of success is just showing up.” You want success (or even gainful employment)? Show up in body, mind, and spirit.
It’s common sense, but the power in it is that every knows it but not everyone does it. Be one of the few who does it.
In any job, but especially entry level jobs there is a ton of competition. There are lots of people out there who can: a) do your job better; b) do your job cheaper; or c) both. Here’s how it works when a manager is deciding who to keep and who to drop: Proven person gets some grace, person who looks like he/she has potential might get a little slack, and new person/warm body is first to go. We all have to start out as new person and the key is to show potential and become proven ASAP. First impressions make a HUGE difference. Gotta kick butt from minute #1.
I was watching Chris Rock’s “Kill the Messenger” the other night and was really struck by one of his comments. I’m paraphrasing, but he basically said that you know you have a career when there’s never enough time. You look at your watch and it’s already after 5pm so you plan on coming in early the next day. With a job, there’s too much time. You look at your watch and it’s just after 9am and the day stretches out ahead.
Absolutely brilliant! It doesn’t matter if you’re overpaid or underpaid, hourly or salaried, educated or uneducated, or what field you’re in or company you work for: if there’s never enough time to accomplish all that you’re excited about getting done, you have a career; if time is your enemy, you have a job. There’s a lot of people with college degrees in high paying jobs and there’s a lot of people just getting by (for now) who are forging their career.
So, what’s the scoop. Do you have a job or a career? If you have a job, what would it take to get a career?
fool (with a plan) 