Everybody has struggled to figure out what to do next at least once in their life. And when it comes to big decisions like career choices, we frequently get caught between conflicting ideas, wants, and desires. If continued unchecked, this ambivalence might lead us to bounce between ideas, opportunities, and plans with no general sense of direction or, even worse, unproductive apathy.
Overcoming that sense of uncertainty is a prerequisite to all the pieces of advice you are going to read in this post. Ambivalence and uncertainty are emotional states driven by fear and hidden factors in much of our suffering. They are among the first things to resolve if one aims to take control of their life.
Relationships Are the Currency of Success
It is really challenging to tip-toe around words to make it not sound cliche, but success is never achieved in isolation. No matter what you want to accomplish in life, whether it is to be the CEO of the largest company in the world or to create a meaningful social change, people are a crucial part of it. By working on your ability to make new connections and nurturing those connections to long-lasting, mutual relationships, you will create a network that breeds opportunities.
Get involved on campus and build relationships with fellow students, professors, tutors, and mentors. Build an online presence on professional social networks like LinkedIn and make yourself visible to potential recruiters and business professionals in your field. College is a useful institution for learning technical skills and expanding knowledge, but it does not teach real-life skills like networking, setting career goals, selling, and negotiating.
Try to land an internship or a part-time job as early as possible. Not only does it help you cover tuition payments and student-life expenses, but it also teaches you things you will never learn in classes; it expands your social circle, which will help open doors you never thought possible.
Develop a Strong Work Ethic
Having a strong work ethic is rare and is prized as such. It transcends positions and industries, and it leads to being given more and better opportunities. While it is ultimately you who is responsible for setting your path to success, opportunities are built and found through connections with other people. And people don’t know what you are capable of or how dedicated and diligent you are towards your work. So, develop and exhibit such qualities and see how much your added value will be appreciated and sought after. To be a productive and reliable individual with whom everybody wants to work, never stop learning and honing your professional skills. Develop good timekeeping habits and work on your organizational skills. Be respectful in your communications and responsible for your mistakes. It may seem too much, but you’d be surprised at how rare these traits are and how this attitude sets you apart from the crowd.
Get Financially Educated
No matter what career path you are planning on pursuing, forgoing financial education will be detrimental to your future. Today, financial illiteracy is hurting the US population en masse, which is the main reason why nearly half of Americans are struggling with financial hardships despite having higher incomes than almost any other first-world country around the globe.
Being financially literate means understanding how money works. It is about knowing the basic financial concepts such as budget-making, credit, cash flow, interests, etc., and using that knowledge to make smarter financial choices and achieve long-term financial goals such as saving for retirement, funding a child’s higher education, and becoming financially independent. It is about escaping the vicious cycle of instant gratification and taking a longer view of the future.
By not knowing your way around money, you set yourself up for failure, no matter how much money you will make and how successful you will become in your career.
Focus on Your Strengths and Never Be Afraid of Failures
As human beings, we all have the capacity to achieve great things. But not everyone is not cut out for a particular task, nor are they suited for everything that comes their way. It is inevitable that there will be things at which others are naturally better than you. So instead of feeling disheartened about what you cannot do well, focus on the areas where you perform the best. No one expects you to excel at everything, nor should you.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, as failure is the antecedent to success. We can never be truly successful without failing enough times in the real world. Turn your failures into the milestones for your goals, apply what you learned to your new endeavors, and move on.
And finally, work hard for what seems unattainable at the moment; you will reach a level of success you could have never imagined.