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The Three Most Important Aspects of Your Job

Blogs > thedeadhaji
Post a Reply
thedeadhaji *
Profile Blog Joined January 2006
39489 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-01-21 03:54:20
March 06 2012 17:08 GMT
#1

The first jobs we have coming out of college are arguably the ones that shape our careers the most. The younger we are, the more malleable we are; it's not an exaggeration to say that for most of us, our work during our twenties shapes the remainder of our professional lives. I am currently in high tech, and only small, gradual career pivots can potentially get me out of this sector (if I so choose). During these formative years, I believe that there are three factors that are most vital for a healthy and productive professional investment.

#1: The Boss

The Boss. He can be your savior or your nemesis. It's almost blind luck whether you'll land in a group with a great boss or not, particularly on your first gig that you got straight out of on campus recruitment.

The boss quite simply determines everything about your job. He is the one who decides whether your tasks will be interesting or menial, and whether that will ever change. He could treat you with respect and care about your learning and growth, or choose to use you as a cog.

Every company has interesting responsibilities and great learning opportunities. While there is a bilateral relationship in the subordinate demonstrating his capability to the boss, in the end all the chips belong to the manager.

Your boss is also the person from whom you will learn the most, whether it be through his past experiences, the decisions you see him make, or simply the way he works. We will be influenced and shaped by the boss' quirks and mannerisms one way or another, either emulating or deliberately defying them.

#2: The Job

The second most important aspect of work is the responsibilities of the job themselves. The actual things you do from day to day are key factors in your learning, your satisfaction, your happiness, and the accomplishments that you can boast when moving on to your next stint, whether it be inside the same company or not.

Our job responsibilities are what keep us motivated during the 8+ hours we punch in at the office, five days a week. If it weren't interesting or challenging, the job is going to get old and repetitive real fast. "Meaningful" work sounds more realistic and more valuable than so called "enjoyable" work, to me personally at least.

What we do and what we accomplish are what lets us move forward in our careers. The number one reason why people leave a company is because their responsibilities become stale, and they don't see growth in the future, or a different position to move up into in the near time frame.

#3: The Team

Your coworkers, or more precisely your team, is the group you'll be spending the bulk of the time with at the office, both working and not working. They are the people who largely set the work environment for you. Even within the same company, different teams will have different cultures and different ways of doing things. You can easily mesh well with one group but not enjoy the cast of characters in another.

As mentioned before, we're spending at least 8 hours a day with these guys, for more than 200 days a year. You'll be spending around a third of your waking hours at the office with these guys; it's pretty paramount that you enjoy collaborating and debating with them, but perhaps even more important that you like hanging around and engaging and pointless stupid conversation with them. Enjoying the "off" moments at the office is key to health and longevity at the office.

There are other factors contributing to the importance of the team as well. You'll be learning indirectly from them, whether it's by seeing them work or by asking them questions. They are people who will inspire you or demotivate you from doing more and learning more.

As a corollary, they will form your future personal network, the people to tap in both good times and bad. In the West, job security doesn't come through lifetime employment anymore. We gain security through our own skills and experiences, as well as the people we can count on to help us out when the going gets tough. In the West, forging a strong professional network is one of the most important and difficult aspects of one's career.

What About Pay?

What about the paycheck you say? I'd be lying if I said that compensation isn't important. At the very least, it's the most concrete and direct means by which we feel appreciated. Pay is, at the most basic level, what the company is telling us how much we are worth. If it is grossly lower than what we expect from ourselves, then it is a blow to both our pride and our motivation.

However, pay isn't as important as the three factors I've listed above. In the long term, pay is a function of your experience and the opportunities you have access to. This in turn, is dictated by your boss, your job responsibilities, and your team.

If these three facets of your career are solid, then you shouldn't have issues with career advancement or pay raises in the future, whether it be with your current company or your next.

In the end, our professional leverage is largely driven by the flexibility we have and the range of options we have available to us. The three factors I listed will contribute directly to growing your leverage, which is tantamount to establishing and elevating your career.







Crossposted from my main blog




****
fusefuse
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
Estonia4644 Posts
March 06 2012 17:33 GMT
#2
one can dream...

well written!
congratulations and good luck to everyone who manages to check all 3 down in one go, or even during a multitude of jobs
Liquipedia@jkursk
cmen15
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States1519 Posts
March 06 2012 17:38 GMT
#3
nice read, your on a blog rampage as of late. O_O
Greed leads to just about all losses.
spinesheath
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Germany8679 Posts
March 06 2012 17:58 GMT
#4
200 days a week is a lot. More than that, even!
If you have a good reason to disagree with the above, please tell me. Thank you.
fusefuse
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
Estonia4644 Posts
March 06 2012 17:59 GMT
#5
On March 07 2012 02:58 spinesheath wrote:
200 days a week is a lot. More than that, even!



ahahahahaha
only just noticed
epic

also, someone already got so pissed by this (or the lack of said points in his life) according to the rating, 1's flyin across the room D:
Liquipedia@jkursk
Crais
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Canada2136 Posts
March 06 2012 18:10 GMT
#6
I love your blogs. Always a good read.
RIP MBC Game Hero
actionbastrd
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Congo598 Posts
March 06 2012 18:29 GMT
#7
Thanks for the blog ^__^ I enjoy reading peoples thoughts on this type of thing as it makes me think about where i am going and what i will need to be aware of in my future business ventures.
It rained today inside my head...
Vod.kaholic
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States1052 Posts
March 06 2012 21:45 GMT
#8
That was a good read. It sounds really obvious, but it's good to put the different aspects of a job into perspective like that. Sure good pay is great, but it doesn't exist in a vacuum. 5/5
._. \: |: /: .-. :\ :| :/ ._. They see me rolling...
xSixGeneralHan
Profile Joined April 2011
United States528 Posts
March 06 2012 22:47 GMT
#9
I'm a working professional and I approve this message. But yeah seriously, your boss is by far and away the most important thing
Team Operations Director for CheckSix Gaming
RaspberrySC2
Profile Joined November 2011
United States168 Posts
March 06 2012 23:01 GMT
#10
Blogs like these are why I want to be a drug dealer or something.

Props for well-written. I'm just saying everything you outlined is everything I want to avoid. Replacement ideal:

1. Be your own boss. Your opportunities are now your own to make. Your successes and failures are limited only by your own efforts.

2. If you can't do something you enjoy, hustle people. If you like hustlin' people, you're golden.

3. Avoid relying on others as much as possible. If you need help with something, contract it out. "Coworkers" are liabilities and in any kind of "professional" or office environment, the ones who are can place the interests of the company above all else are the ones who move up so put on your prettiest lipstick and suck like your retirement depends on it.

Career advancement in a corporate setting is all about knowing how to use people (and not get caught). It's why I respect prostitutes. They're honest about what they do.
Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential. - Bruce Lee
thedeadhaji *
Profile Blog Joined January 2006
39489 Posts
March 07 2012 04:41 GMT
#11
On March 07 2012 02:58 spinesheath wrote:
200 days a week is a lot. More than that, even!


FFFFUUUUUUUUUUU >:O

Thanks for the thumbs up everyone
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