Career/Life Advice I Wish I’d Known 30 Years Ago
If I only knew then what I know now.
Have you ever said these words or heard them from someone else? Experience is such a powerful thing and learning from others’ experiences is the best way to jump-start your own.
The title of this post mentions career advice, but one thing I’ve learned is that your career and life are so intertwined that it’s nearly impossible to discuss one without the other.
Consider the following from Gallup’s World Poll:
- Many people in the world hate their job and especially their boss.
- Employees everywhere don’t necessarily hate the company or organization they work for as much as they do their boss.
- Employees — especially the stars — join a company and then quit their manager.
- It may not be the manager’s fault so much as these managers have not been prepared to coach the new workforce. Managers have been trained to fill out forms rather than have high-development conversations.
- Only 15% of the world’s one billion full-time workers are engaged at work. It is significantly better in the U.S., at around 30% engaged, but this still means that roughly 70% of American workers don’t enjoy their job.
So, most people are not happy with their job (which accounts for roughly half of your waking hours). Are you one of these people?
There are a lot of reasons you may not like your job.
Of course your boss is a huge factor (people join companies and quit managers) but there are lots of other possible reasons as well. Co-workers, commute, politics, lack of advancement, type of work, and many more factors all come into play.
So why don’t people just leave? Again, lots of reasons — responsibilities (kids, mortgage, etc.), perceived lack of opportunities, fear of the unknown, and the fact that it’s often easier to stay in a bad situation than to put forth the effort to change it.
So how do you build a career (and life) that you enjoy? The answer is different for everyone and countless books have been written on the topic. There are also tons of lists to look at.
I am certainly not saying that I know better than any of these other resources, but I would like to share a few things I’ve learned over a 30-year career in tech that may help you. I sure know it would’ve helped a younger me…
Find your WHY
I’m a huge fan of Simon Sinek, who lays this out so beautifully in his many excellent books and talks. I would encourage everyone to watch his TED talk, along with the other top TED talks of all time.
The WHY is the purpose, cause or belief that drives every one of us.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, an employee, a leader of a team, or are looking to find clarity on your next move, your WHY is the one constant that will guide you toward fulfillment in your work and life.
Understanding what drives you is so important. Otherwise, your career will wander aimlessly and, most likely, not end up where you’d like. Take some time and really think about this and then use it to guide you.
Whenever you sit down to a poker table, people will come to understand your image. Are you loose, tight, aggressive, etc.? How other players perceive you will dramatically impact your earnings. If you’re seen as tight, your bluffs will be more successful. If you’re seen as loose and aggressive, you’ll get paid more on your big hands. The best poker players deliberately craft their image and then utilize it. The thing is, many players just let their image happen, hence it’s mush harder to take advantage of.
Your personal brand is much the same. What is the primary “product” you have to offer (services, skills, etc.)? What are your values, passions, and talents?
Read the following two openings for a resume and think about which one would catch your interest more:
Data scientist with 20 years of professional experience in machine learning, data exploration and research, client-oriented communication, and development of data-driven solutions from project planning through implementation in large-scale production processes.
Opportunities hide within problems. By approaching the world with curiosity, intelligence, experience, and passion, one can imagine what could be instead of what is. Don’t keep doing something wrong simply because that’s how it has always been done. Escape the maze.
The first one is more telling. It’s essentially a summary of what this person does.
The second one doesn’t really tell us what they do, but rather gives an insight into who they are — a glimpse of their WHY. The rest of the resume can detail the what.
Consider some of the great slogans:
Just do it. (Nike)
Think different. (Apple)
Open happiness. (Coca-Cola)
You deserve a break today. (McDonald’s)
American by birth. Rebel by choice. (Harley Davidson)
Do any of these focus on the what? Of course not. They paint a picture. They invoke values.
People get Harley Davidson tattoos — not because of their love for a corporation, but rather because they identify with their values (I’m a rebel, too!). Nike commercials never focus on their shoes or apparel, but rather on successful athletes, and so wearing the same shoes these people wear gets me closer to being like them. I’m not a cog in the wheel, but rather I think differently — that’s why I use a Mac.
Build your brand and sell it. Don’t focus on the what, focus on the WHY.
Have a Plan
Remember the old adage — “People don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan”? Well, it’s true.
Think about where you would like to be in 5–10 years and come up with a plan to get you there (or at least closer). You’ll need to revisit this plan constantly (yes, Agile is useful in life as well as software development). The point is to go forward with purpose.
Remember, there are three types of people in the world:
- Those that make things happen
- Those that let things happen
- Those that say “What happened?”
Which one do you want to be?
There are a lot of resources on developing a career plan — like this one from Indeed. The details and implementation matter, of course, but the main benefit is that it will constantly keep you thinking about your career rather than just going wherever the winds blow you.
In a similar vein, always make sure your resume is never a month out of date. This lets you add recent impactful events to your resume before you forget about them and it keeps you thinking about your brand and the story you want to tell about yourself. It also plays into your plan. Are you missing key experiences to go where you want? Do you notice things in your resume that might lead you somewhere else?
While I have had jobs I applied to, most of my jobs have come through folks finding my resume online (LinkedIn, Monster, etc.) or through people I have met during my travels (networking). The importance of networking cannot be over-emphasized and you should have a plan here too. Connect with people you meet via LinkedIn. I’ve connected with people I met on a plane, those who attended my talks (or whose talks I attended), colleagues, customers, etc. Keep a file with key contacts and information about them. Share interesting things with these people and don’t hesitate to reach out to them if you need help.
The Job Itself
What do you like (or not) about your current job? Remember, the grass is actually not always greener on the other side of the fence. What’s right for one person may not be right for you. This is your life. Live it!
Before you begin looking for a job, you’ll want your resume in order. This should be something you’ve been constantly refining (see above) but, if not, there are lots of tips on resumes out there. The thing to keep in mind is that this is perhaps THE most important part of your brand, so give it the time it deserves. Make it impactful.
When it comes to the job hunt, there are lots of ways to go. Of course sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, etc. are all important. Networking is also extremely important.
How hard you work on your hunt depends on your situation. Are you casually looking or out of a job but still have bills to pay? If you’re serious about the search, treat it like a job. Schedule your day to search for a certain amount of time. When not searching, explore companies or industries to see what else might be available. Reach out to your connections. Keep a spreadsheet of all the jobs you applied to as well as related metadata (when you applied, how, next actions, etc.). For more tips, Indeed has several articles on the topic.
There are also lots of tips on interviewing available online. Read them!
The thing is, sometimes there’s so much information that it can become overwhelming. Look. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people over the years, and the best advice I would give you are come prepared, be personable, and follow-up. Sounds easy, right? Well, it takes effort.
Come prepared.
- Research the company and interviewer. Show your knowledge of and interest in this position.
- Be ready for standard questions (tell me about yourself, why do you want to work here, tell me about a time when…). You know these are coming. Why not be ready?
- Highlight why you’re a fit, what you bring, what you like about the company/position.
- Have questions ready. Whenever I interview someone, the thumbs up/down almost always comes from the questions I get asked. These tell so much about a person.
Be personable.
- The interviewer is on your side (they’re looking to hire someone, remember?). Help them help you.
- We like to work with people we like. Relax and let YOU shine through.
- Use the interviewer’s name throughout the discussion. You’d be surprised how much this can help.
Follow-up.
- When I’m interviewing a bunch of people, they can all blend. A thoughtful follow-up helps you stand apart and be memorable.
- Include something of interest to the interviewer in the follow-up. Maybe an article you just read that you think they’d be interested in, for example.
Once you’re in the job, remember these things:
- Constantly go above and beyond. Don’t be a clock-watcher. Nobody likes that guy.
- Always be on the lookout for new and interesting things to work on to keep your interest and broaden your skill set.
- Never stay in a job that makes you miserable. If you can’t resolve the issue, maybe it’s time to move on. Life’s too short.
- Stay hungry. Many people become complacent. Don’t do that. Keep it interesting. Always strive for improving. Keep the fire lit.
Commit to Being a Lifelong Learner
Some people think that they’re done with learning once they graduate high school, college, or whatever.
They. Are. Wrong.
We all constantly learn. How to cook a new dish, or drive to a new place, etc. This is just a natural part of life.
What takes concerted effort is to make learning a key component of every day. I try to devote at least an hour (typically much more) each day to learning.
With so much information out there (books, YouTube, free courses, blogs, talking to others, etc.), there is just no reason to not take advantage of it!
Learning can be a deep dive into a particular topic, expanding your views on something, finding out what’s new, and many other areas. My technical focus is on things like cloud, AI, emerging technologies, etc. I also study leadership, social causes, music, and many other topics.
Learn things to help in your current job, further your career, etc., but also learn things to expand your horizon and enrich your life.
Not sure where to begin? Visit the link above of the most popular TED talks of all time. Check out this list of online courses. Explore blogs on Medium. DuckDuckGo (like Google, but they don’t track you!) newsletters, podcasts, blogs, etc. on topics that interest you or that you’d like to learn more about.
Curiosity, Creativity, and Inspiration
I recently wrote on this topic, so I won’t rehash it here. Suffice it to say that curiosity and creativity are two of the most important traits you can have, and inspiration — being inspired or inspiring others — is simply essential. I remember watching Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent in 2009 and was so inspired that I immediately wrote a song about what her life must have been like. Want to hear it? Just say “Alexa, play ‘The Person Inside of Me’, by Escape the Maze”. (Tip: If you don’t have an Amazon Echo, get one!)
Curiosity, creativity, and inspiration are traits that will serve you well in your career as well as life outside work. There are tons of inspirational talks on YouTube, TED, etc. and curiosity will help you find them. One I would recommend is Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture from 2007 (for a preview, check out these great quotes from the lecture). But there are other ways to find inspiration as well.
Yes. It’s true.
Sometimes we need to step away from the screen.
I’ve been to twenty-something countries. This may sound like a lot since most Americans don’t even have a passport; however, when you consider that there are 193+ (the actual number varies, depending on who you ask) countries in the world, I’ve still got a lot of places to see! When I go out to eat, I usually ask “What’s good?” and go with that. Sure, it doesn’t always work out, but it saves me from having to make yet another choice that day and I’ve had a lot of incredible dishes I would never have tried otherwise.
Culminate interesting and deep friendships with those both older and younger than you to gain new perspectives. Try new things that force you out of your comfort zone. Travel to new places and have new experiences to better understand the world around you. Always look for ways to expand your viewpoint!
Carpe Diem
The first time I came across this phrase was while watching the excellent 1989 Robin Williams movie, “Dead Poets Society.”
Seize the day. There won’t be “plenty of time later” to enjoy life. Don’t put things off until the “right time”.
Spoiler alert: There will NEVER be a “right time”.
Don’t be afraid of failure, rejection, etc. These things will happen to all of us, but you’ll learn from them and move on — and be better for it.
“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”
— Randy Pausch
Also, don’t fall prey to the sunk cost fallacy (continuing to do something simply because you’ve already invested time or resources in it). Sometimes you just need to know when to cut your losses and move on. I have known many people who completely switched careers and were much happier for it.
Jeff Bezos gave up a successful career on Wall Street to try an idea.
You don’t ever want to look back on your life and wonder “What if…?”
“We are always getting ready to live but never living.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
I was watching a video earlier today, suggesting that you call your dearest friends and ask “Why are we friends?” as a way to help find your WHY. While scrolling through the comments, one response caught my eye.
“I got caught up in life and don’t have real friends anymore. Hard to call anybody when you feel like you always annoy people.”
Some of the responses to this comment included:
“You are not alone. I guess I am in the same situation. But I think it has to do with me. Maybe I’m not putting enough effort to make a friend. I feel like a jar with holes in the bottom, just failing to keep anything inside. I guess I am the one to be blamed :(“
“And here I thought I was the only one that felt this way! Thanks for your honesty and I agree with one of the commenters below. We have to put ourselves out there a bit more. Be more open to those types of relationships.”
The reason I bring this up is, I don’t want this to happen to you.
Friends and family are important. So is your career. And they both take work. Don’t get caught up in one and forsake the other. After all, what good is anything without people to share it with?
“Life is a game, play it.”
— Mother Teresa
Seize the day.
Stop and smell the roses.
You will never be in this place again.
Savor it.
Please, keep these things in mind as you go through life.
I haven’t always…
