The Bloggers With The Most To Say
Tell me your story of starting at the bottom and working your way up.
Being at the beginning of my career it is hard to have the enthusiasm EVERYDAY to stay motivated and strive for that promotion. I want to read some of your stories of how you made it to the top, or at least achieved your goal position. I think most young 20 something’s need some hope and encouragement!
If you haven’t made it there yet, tell me your goals and your plan to get there.
If you haven’t made it there yet, tell me your goals and your plan to get there.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Stehle on -
That would require me to leave a "novel of a reply" here and I'm not sure that after my "novel of a blog post" I wrote up yesterday, that I have the strength to get into another novel just yet.
Hmm, maybe later though. I will try to keep it REALLY brief, like one paragraph. Fair enough?
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Permalink Reply by Ginger on -
I don't know that I would say I've "made it", and to be honest, my goals have changed a lot over the years. But, I have managed to climb up within my industry at a fairly steady clip, getting promotions and/or new jobs with better titles about every year/year and 1/2 since graduation.
I think there are some key things I did:
--I became the "go-to" person for how to do things. My bosses knew they could come to me and ask a question and I would have an answer for them, if not instantly, within 5 minutes. I was the wise oracle of deadlines, project requirements, etc. The key to that was that I knew what was going on with stuff outside my realm of responsibility. So if I knew the schedule for a project, I knew not just my deadlines, but overall deadlines.
--I admitted my mistakes, asked for help, asked questions, and never ever ever assumed I knew everything. If I made a mistake, I came up with solutions to present at the same time I fessed up.
--I took an interest in projects outside of my daily duties. So if my boss was working on something, I would ask questions about it "just to learn".
--I became indispensable to my boss, and made sure to follow the idea of making my boss look good/making my bosses life easier. Not in a get her coffee kind of way though.
--I learned to play well with others, and how to handle different people. Maybe the 2nd most important thing, because when other people besides your boss are impressed with you, you're going to have a much easier time moving up.
And then, of course, I got lucky and have had some amazing bosses who were as interested in helping me succeed and grow as I was--their help was hugely important as they gave me projects to stretch me, gave me more and more responsibility, pimped my work to higher ups, etc. That one comes down in a lot of ways to luck.
But then, I'm looking to completely change fields and possibly focus, so maybe I'm not one to listen to :-)
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Permalink Reply by Fred on -
my elevator wasn't working today, so I took the stairs.
Does it count ?
for my defense I was carrying the heaviest bag ever.
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Permalink Reply by David Stehle on
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I wouldn't worry so much about being on top in your 20s. Sure your 20s are a good place to start working your way to the top, but I highly doubt any 20something is at the top of their field this young. And that's a good thing because if you already succeeded career-wise during your 20s, what would there be to strive for during your 30s, 40s, 50s and then some?
Most people are still trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be in their 20s, myself included. That doesn't mean I'm walking around aimlessly without any goals or direction because that definitely isn't the case. In fact, if anything, I have too many goals and place too much pressure on myself to succeed.
Fresh out of college, I started out "working for the man" and now I work for myself. So one of my goals was to be an entrepreneur and I'm doing that now. I started my own Network Security Consulting business and although my title, Founder and CEO sounds glamorous, I'm still not satisfied. I could ramble on and list all my personal goals for my company, but that would be pointless because what I really want to do with my life one day is to be a freelance writer. For now, the money is good and I'm invested in my business so if anything, freelance writing is something I'll have to pursue just on the side...at least for now. Although maybe one day it will be my new full-time gig! :)
I say try to relax. You're still young, have fun. Live in the moment, but plan for the future. And try to enjoy the ride along the way, no matter where it takes you.
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Permalink Reply by cooper on -
I'm not old enough to have attained career goals, though I have a pretty good resume for where I' m heading, but I'm still in grad school and will be for some time.
I look at every day as a fortification, I don't imagine there will ever be a day where I don't have further goals. Then again I'm not likely to be employed in a business environment and I will be vying for positions which are not attained through promotion. I'm not sure if that is more difficult or easier but one day I will find out.
Luck to us all.
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Permalink Reply by Kelli on -
I think that a major pawn in this game is the company you work for. I am so blessed to work for 2 bosses that want me to learn more and move up as time goes on. There was a great article in The Wall Street Journal about how the 'Millennial Generation' is entitled to promotions regularly. Read it.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB122455219391652725.html
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