So you want to make a great career…
I see many high school graduates who are still pumped up for the classic career path. They want to be consultants, brokers and investment bankers. Above all, this is awesome! I really respect your goals!
But ask yourself why. The most common reasons are probably:
• More money than the average (“average” is a disease in modern society),
• Economic security,
• Respect and appreciation from your parents and friends,
• More Power than average,
• Fulfilling yourself through a career
Think deeply about these goals. Do they make you happy? Are you ready to pay the prize for these goals?
There are a lot of illusions out there for people who “make a career” and I think that most people set their goals very unclear without seeing the other side of the coin.
Richness
It is still possible to become very rich with a “classic career”. But it´s a lot harder than 20 years ago. People are very successful when their technical and emotional skills exactly match the expectations of a booming market segment. Is consulting and banking a booming market? I doubt that.
An example for a booming market is the IT sector, i.e. digitization, machine learning, blockchain technology and so on. If you can program blockchain technology, you have a very good foundation to succeed.
Let us assume that you make a very successful career and you end up in luxury and richness. Are you really rich?
Anyone who makes a career seeks luxury as a compensation for the high performance he puts into his career and because he think he needs it. In a “classic career” your boss and your colleagues will buy luxury. The beautiful Rolex watch, the awesome new sports car. There is also an economic reason for this: if the company arouses in you the desire for expensive things, you will work harder to get them.
In addition, a career fosters the eternal misery of comparison as you try to move up the ladder every few years. You are constantly comparing yourself with your colleagues or other people in similar positions to check where you stand on the ladder. This will make you poor at the end because you will always find someone who stands above you. There is always a boss who stands above you. Even if you are the CEO at the end, there is the supervisory board. There are the stakeholders or other similar owners.
Economic security
I know that many people believe that and I just can disagree with this point. A career gives you security is probably one of the biggest mistakes of our time. Exactly the opposite is the case.
The higher you climb on the ladder, the faster the business gets, the less secure your job is. So many newcomers join big consulting firms every year. They are hungry and want to climb fast. You have to constantly compete with these people. There is no break.
Globalization reinforces this process by extending the labor market to the entire globe. In turn, increasing competition means you have to work harder to keep or climb your job.
And in some cases, you lose your job anyway.
You company was sold to an Australian investor. The boss of your boss now has a new boss who is based in Australia. He decides to dissolve the department you work in because it is no longer profitable.
Your boss leaves the company for a new job. The new boss replacing him hates you since the first contact. For him, you resemble the bully he remembered in high school. Since he joined the company, he´s your job hell. He disrespects you, he does not invite you to important meeting and he always promotes your colleagues.
Respect and recognition
Your parents are proud, your friends respect you. You joined McKinsey. Impressive!
They will notice one thing very quickly: they will hardly see you anymore. If you want to be promoted, you have to do one thing above all else: be present. Do you know a department manager who works seven hours a day?
You have to work hard for at least 10 hours a week every week. 80 hours of work per week are not uncommon in these places. You also have to spend your time on politically important lunches and drink coffee with the right people to boost your career. The higher you get, the more extreme it gets.
You can even become a full-time slave for the company.
• You will wear your suit 24/7.
• You will need some goodies to impress your boss and your colleagues, what about new cufflinks?
• You have to adjust your humor and attitude to your boss or your customer.
• There is a problem with the deadline of the project. You also have to work this weekend.
• You meet your old friends at a party. Make sure that nobody post these pictures with your drunk face puking over the shrubbery.
Is that really worth the respect and recognition you get?
Power
You will have more power than the average Coworker, at least after some time. But power comes with a price. The necessary hard decisions, many compromises and politically motivated opinions will affect your personality in the short or long term.
You will start make a strict distinction between work and personal life. But that is wishful thinking, at some point both worlds will have to communicate with each other, and your behavior at work will affect your personal life. I always had a strange feeling meeting successful workaholics in the classic business. Often they are just as****es.
It does make sense when you think about it. You have to be aware of political intrigues and power games at all times. Never say the truth in the wrong moment, never lie in the wrong moment. Everything has to fit perfectly otherwise your colleague could be promoted, not you. Making a career always means making yourself unpopular.
It's like politics: if you want to be successful, you have to adapt to the majority and forget your idealism.
Fulfilling yourself
That only makes sense if your passion is the politic game in an office and endless hours in meetings and in front of your laptop. I would say, for most people, the actual “doing” of the career is unpleasant and boring. I have meet many unhappy people during my career and they would never say that their career are fulfilling.
There is no reason for that either. They exchange money and power for their time, and that´s more important to them. For example, if you work as a broker, you have to crunch numbers all day. The indirect benefits at the end of the month come in form of salary and maybe even a year-end bonus check.
A career keeps you from dealing with your own desires and needs because you invest a lot of time and energy in the goals of your boss and your company.
Will that make you happy in the end?
Decide yourself.
Better keep on steeming!
What can I say? I'm a teacher in a country where education is the poorest paid profession, students CAN do what they want and still get promoted, and on top of it, neither we have transportation, nor materials to work.
Man, I hate my life :(
Heads up! First analyze your current situation and think about what you could do better. I did not quite understand if you do not like your job or if you do not like the circumstances of this job.
If you can not stand your job, quit. It does not make sense to spend a short life in a job you can not stand. I assume that you have studied for your profession. Can you do any other job with this training? Are there options in the private sector? Are there options in other stately institutions? What is the main topic you teach? Who else could benefit from this expertise? Once you have found a goal, create a plan in which way you can make the transition. And then do it as fast as you can.
If it's just the circumstances of the job you do not like try to change your role within the school. This process is named job sculpting. You should think about what you really like about your job. I get the impression that you are frustrated because students behave in a way you dislike. I assume they are loud and lazy.
How about you offer additional voluntary courses at the school, which are usually attended by more ambitious students? Talk to your principal about it, he will certainly promote it.
Is there perhaps a better way to deal with difficult students? How can you motivate these students? Should they change their authority? If you do not know how to proceed, try to take appropriate training in this area. I'm sure your rector will encourage that and offer financial support.
To earn little is frustrating, I understand. How long are your working hours? Are there any opportunities to earn smart money besides the job (for example Steemit - :))? Can you offer services besides the job? Are there opportunities to be promoted as a teacher? Can you invest in assets (stocks, real estate..) to biuld up an extra income?
This was just a quick analysis but I hope I could help you. The most important thing: Get active, get aggressive, change something!
This is a great post. Straight and honest! I shared it with some of my career-oriented friends. Let's see how they will respond :)
Thanks for sharing! I'm curious about their answers! Normally, people do not like to hear negative statements about their doing, even though they often have an underlying feeling that it could be true. :)