Achieving a successful career is no easy feat, as it is riddled with obstacles and uncertainties. Amongst these, the absence of a clear path can be particularly overwhelming. So, what really makes a person know if they are on the right path? What makes a career prove to be worthwhile in the long run? Is there signs? The answer is yes, and here they are:
Your Boss
Being someone who personally juggled jobs, including this very one that allows me to be writing here, among others, one thing proved to be of immense influence: the “boss”. Your boss can truly either make or break you. No matter what organization/person you work for, the daunting tasks and endless cycle of learning can sometimes be discouraging, and this is where your boss comes to the light. Picture this scenario with me please: you fail at a task, and you should fail to learn; your boss discourages and belittles you. Did you learn something significant? Well, other than the fact that you have a terrible boss, no.
Now picture this scenario: your boss tells you how to do things right and encourages you to grow stronger. Now, this is not always the case, but if you’re lucky, like me -shout out to Maya our CEO here ;D- you might end up learning to choose your boss before the career. Another thing to keep an eye on is the ways you can learn from a difficult environment. Sometimes you need to learn by witnessing a bad example in order not to become those who made you dread your life.
Work From Home -Not Literally, Unless…YK
Now, that you have learnt to choose a working environment that features a mentally healthy boss, you need to learn how to make the best out of your experience. Having coworkers that you see/interact with on daily basis should not be a daily burden. Whether you are a introverted person or not, you will have to deal with coworkers, part of the package, trust me.
All you can really do is to learn how to turn those coworkers into a work-family, and see yourself shine. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind -respectfully- and learn how to turn your experience into a fond memory later on. If your working environment does not provide that, then you are not in the right place.
Know Your Worth
In a career-driven world, you might think that there are many just like you, which is not the case. When you get hired somewhere, you need to know that the job can be done by many, yes; but what makes you different than these people is the way you do things. The process of getting a task done should always be marked by the things that make you who you are. As long as you do things correctly, you should be able to have your special finishing touches added too. This is what differentiates creativity from mediocrity; if your job does not allow you to be creative while being productive, then you are not in the right place.
Your worth as an employee should always be associated by the way you do things differently, otherwise, it is sad to say, but the chances are that you are simply a foot filling a shoe. And trust me, you don’t want that.
Working Hours + Personal Time = Successful Career
Contrary to popular belief, your working hours should have a limit. In fact, your career should not interfere with your personal life at all. Most people confuse being “career-driven” with the inability to have a sustainable and thriving personal life, which is not the real deal by any chance.
Having a successful career is actually partially built on your ability to pause and unwind, otherwise you will end up burnt out and unable to move on. Your personal time should not be overlapping with your working hours either; in other words, if you are struggling to maintain a successful career and a healthy lifestyle, then you should rethink your choices. Take a step back and a hard look at where this can have you end up on the long run.
Follow Your Passion
How old are you? Well, if you’re reading this, and you’re one of our target audience -UTH- then you are probably far from hitting your 30s, which translates to: you are allowed to have setbacks in your career choices. Not to shade the ones that are 30+ but let’s be real, being young means being inexperienced.
If you are to make mistakes anyway, why not make them while chasing what you truly desire? In 10 years from now, you will not remember the failure, but the journey, and that is worthwhile. So, if you think your current job is mundane and dull, then leave. Your passion should be the priority here, and who knows? Perhaps it all works out in the end.