Developing a strong work ethic and perseverance
Things I Have Learned
I've learned that most people who love what they do will not ask for a raise. If you want to get promoted, you have to be willing to walk away from the work that makes you happy and is making a difference in the world and take on work someone else hates.
There are rewarding jobs like the ones I've mentioned where there are plenty of opportunities for growth, but you must often fill an endless void-time between promotions of your current role. You'll need self-training since any training provided by your company or at school will likely cover only 80% of what's required. When it comes down to it, success means moving forward despite feelings of being stuck or unfulfilled.
I've also learned that a job is not a career, but instead just an assignment with an end date. As long as it's a productive one, then you're doing well.
It's important to know what you're getting into before accepting a position so that you don't lose your excitement for it once you finally have that first paycheck. You don't want to be thinking of your new job as a "job" and never taking the extra effort to make it count for something more significant. If you do all this and make some mistakes along the way, then that's fine. It will allow you to learn from them and eventually become better at what you do.
In the end, don't let anyone tell you that you have to put up with a crappy job because it's the only thing available. You deserve better than that no matter what kind of employee you are. The people who get hired on to these jobs may already feel like they're slaves so take care not to join their ranks and make things worse for them. Happy workers will make better products and have more fun-inducing experiences than unhappy ones. I used to work in a fairly corporate environment where I heard people complain how bad their job was but only because they hate working for someone else. They would complain to me and ask me what I thought about the job that they hated but told me that they are being paid to do it. I explained to them that their job was giving them the ability to make things happen and make a difference in the world. As long as they are doing a good enough job, then their bosses are happy with them. I'm not saying be a cheapskate and take this attitude, but if you don't mind sub-par conditions, always have an ambitious goal in mind and don't be afraid of leaving at any time then you'll have no problem finding work you enjoy once more. A job you like will always be a lot better than a bad job, so why waste your time on such a thing?
The only thing that matters is how much you are getting done and the work you're doing. If you're doing an outstanding job on something important or challenging, then it's going to feel like a great accomplishment even if the people in charge don't acknowledge it. Once you have this understanding, you'll feel less dependent on other peoples' opinions of your work. It's important to remember that you're ultimately in control of your own happiness and you are ultimately the master of your own fate. This is a priceless thing to have when you have other people telling you what they think about you all the time.
There are also some other things I've learned that I'll be writing about over time:
- The value of learning at your job and being able to add something useful to the company or world.
- The value of having an open mind and seeing things in a different way than what's being published in the news every day.
- How to work with others when they are uneducated or just plain dumb (for example, when working in a restaurant or retail setting).
- How to have a great first job and make the most of it.
- The value of having self-respect and how to avoid conflict of interest, discrimination and dealing with abusive people.
- How to get an amazing job even if you have little education or experience.
In general, I've learned that your first job may not be the best one, but it's what you'll learn from. You must strike a balance on how much you're getting paid for your work while also pursuing something that will help you grow later as well as becoming more effective in your current position if possible. You must also under-promise and over-deliver as this will allow you to gain the trust of the employer while still being able to leave at a moment's notice. If you can't take on another project, then do an exceptional job with your current one and you may get promoted eventually. I didn't become an expert programmer because I had only a couple of internships before I started working for myself, but because I was able to learn the key elements of coding from working on all kinds of projects that interested me.
You need to find what makes you happy as soon as possible and what your true passions are after doing some research. Don't be afraid to talk to your friends who are more experienced in various fields about how they got their jobs or what it was like when they started. As long as you're willing to take in the knowledge and keep an open mind, then it's never too late to start making a difference.
I had a friend who I knew would eventually need to get a job, so I recommended that he start doing some research so that he could have something lined up for when the time came. He was always working on small projects until someone else gave him a project with more potential. However, he still wasn't happy with where he was in his career. He wasn't advancing at all and didn't see any openings anywhere else either. Our entire group of friends is all around the same age so he was able to ask us for career advice.
One of them suggested that he try asking other coworkers whether they were looking for a new co-worker. He looked into it and found that he had many people that would be more than happy to hire him as soon as possible. So he got in contact with these people and started talking to them about the type of work that they needed done. They told him whatever type of work he wanted, so long as it was something else besides what his current employer did.
Conclusion
The path to happiness is a lot of hard work but it's also the key to success. You can't be too proud to do what you're told even when it's not what you want, because that will lead to conflict and frustration. You need to be willing to accept sub-par conditions and tolerate bad bosses, but if you're doing good work then they'll eventually see that and appreciate your abilities. If you can excel in a number of different areas, then there will always be an opening for you somewhere else. This was the story of me starting my own business and how I tested many different ideas before I had one that worked.