Navigating your career: Notes on career advice

The sky is the limit for learning when it comes to excelling in one’s career. Whether it be the choices you make in your professional journey or a little something of life advice, listening to experienced folks around you can truly lead you to ideas that can inspire, motivate, and even sometimes change your life!

Just yesterday I had the fortune to be in a room full of change leaders, each experienced in their unique industry and specialized workstreams. Being the person that I am who is always interested in talking and listening to people’s stories, I began making mental and paper notes of the conversation about ‘the best career advice’ that ensued.

This article is a culmination of these notes that I made. Apart from the fact that this article will serve as a ‘one-pager’ that I can refer to months or even years later, I write it here so that even you – who have taken the time to come and read my writings might get inspired to do something more. That’s the thing about inspiration, right? All that it requires is the littlest nudge!

To the question – “What is the best advice that you ever received in the years of your career?”

Whatever You Are, Be A Good One

The most impactful thing you can do sometimes is to do the job there is before you and do it well! Doing whatever you do well even though it might not be the most interesting job will help you expand your network of people who appreciate you and your work. This network then will become your career advocates who will coach you, get you opportunities and eventually chart a successful career for you.

The Get Stuff Done Squad

Surround yourself and become a Get Stuff Done person. No other type of person is more respected than the one who gets things done quickly and well. Having said that, the regular work that we do day after day can get tedious. While you are at it, take all the opportunity you can to learn and improve on yourself. This will lead to a more fulfilling career experience for you in the long run.

Time Is A Commodity

One of the big mistakes we make in life is to treat time as a limitless resource. The truth couldn’t be farther from it. Time is an ever-reducing commodity of your life, and you ought to treat it that way. Plan where you want to dedicate your time wisely by looking at it as billable hours, and always spend time on things that interest you and things that will fill your cup of life.

Be Passionate About Something

Being deeply interested in something is very underrated. People want to be around people who are passionate about something so much so that they can talk at length about the topic at any given point in time to any audience around. If you are super passionate about anything even other than work, it will make you a lot more interesting to talk to and work with.

Not Knowing Is Okay

Right from the start of our careers, we are programmed to be the know-it-alls. But that only leads to performance anxiety and stress. When asked about something that you don’t know, it is okay to say, “I don’t know”, or “I will connect with the right person and get back to you later”.

Don’t Be Afraid To Make Decisions

We come across various moments in life where we must make decisions that affect us in the present and even in the future. Don’t be afraid to make those decisions. A good way to navigate such moments would be by asking yourself what as a sum is going to give you a complete career experience. Looking back on your career and life, you will realize even the not so good decisions have only made you better in terms of how you work, think, lead, empathize, and even operate today.

Never Say Never

We all have a plan for our careers and hope to walk that planned journey. But that’s the thing about plans - they change. Remember that nothing is cast in stone and the best way to navigate one’s career is to go with the flow. Be open to change for that’s the only constant there is!