What's The Best Career Advice You Ever Received?

[4Q Basket Case]

We're at the end of the offseason, so I thought I'd ask one more general purpose question: What's the best career advice you ever received?

For me, there are two:

1. Never go to your boss with a problem without having at least two proposed solutions in which you've thought through the downstream implications and can articulate why you think they're better than the status quo.

Your boss might or might not agree with your solutions. But he or she will greatly appreciate that you took some initiative and are looking to solve problems, not have someone solve them for you. Believe me, the boss gets tons of people who regurgitate a set of facts into their lap and ask, "What do I do?" When you demonstrate that you're not one of those guys, your boss will remember that.

A corollary to that comes from the Big 4 Accounting / Consulting world -- "Never make a partner think."

2. When a colleague helps you out, whether they're a peer, or above or below you on the org chart, thank them in writing (email is OK). But don't leave it at that. Tell their boss how much you appreciated their efforts, in writing, copying the colleague.

Your colleague will appreciate the thanks. But they will remember forever that you made them look good in front of their own boss. They'll also be much more likely to help you in the future.

Wish I'd gotten those pointers in Business School, not halfway through my career.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Don't go into architecture. It isn't a stable career and you can lose your job at any moment. When it is good it is good, but when it is bad it us really bad.

I did not listen.

 

[Bazza]

"Take care of those who take care of you!"

 

[BhamToTexas]

Something that has always served me well is don’t have the mindset that you will do the extra work or take the extra responsibility if the company would just promote you or pay you more money. Show you can do the job first and the promotions and pay will follow.

 

[Elefantman]

Don't be one of these guys

 

[Bamaro]

Beware, Sr. Mgt. is full of sociopaths.

 

[92tide]

if you have access to one via work, start contributing to your 401k/retirement as soon as possible. i got (and took) this advice early on in my career. luckily, almost all of my employers have had a great match.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

if you have access to one via work, start contributing to your 401k/retirement as soon as possible. i got (and took) this advice early on in my career. luckily, almost all of my employers have had a great match.

I wish I had done this. I had to literally get hit by a car to make me think about my future. Doing it all now but I would be much better off had I done it in my 20s

 

[Bama_N_Va]

#1: Pay minimum of 5% extra on mortgage monthly. 10% if you can...

#2: If mortgage due on 1st of month, pay 15 days in advance.

#3: No one has a need for a $60k non-work vehicle...

#4: Biggest pay raise you will ever receive most likely will be when you pay off your mortgage....

#5: You don't necessarily need to be the "can-do" guy at work, just make sure you are not the "never-do" guy....

#6: MAKE A WILL AND KEEP IT UP TO DATE!!!!

 

[Elefantman]

#2: If mortgage due on 1st of month, pay 15 days in advance.

My mortgage company allows you to make a principle payment on line at any time. If you can, take a part of your mid month check and apply it to your loan.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

1) Don't (go to the bathroom) where you eat - e.g. don't date a co-worker

2) Live within your means; if you have to rent a room, do

3) Pay yourself first (10% off the top)

4) Everyone gets replaced; remain versatile enough it's difficult to replace you but also enable yourself to be flexible when the inevitable "we have to cut the person making the most money" happens

5) Volunteer for shifts whenever you can; the day will come when your boss will need to be able to fill your spot for an extended period of time and can lean on those you've helped

6) Have a hobby

 

[Ratal]

Never take a job that you are not a little nervous about. It means you are excited about the opportunity and/or it is giving you a chance to grow.

 

[BamaNation]

I like all of your pointers and may incorporate many of them into my classes as "golden nuggets of wisdom"

1) Never be the smartest person in the room. If you are, find another room.

I've worked with a lot of SUPER smart folks (like truly tops in the world in their fields) in my career(s). I never was even close to being smartest in the room, but all of these folks I worked with adhered to this principle, as well. They were always trying to find somebody from whom they could learn and weren't intimidated by that, either.

2) Show up.

I have a good friend who is a very senior exec at a top bank. He always talks about how amazing it is to him the number of folks a couple levels below him with pretty high salaries that ghost him when they should be available. If you're highly paid, it's not a 9-5 job most of the time and you need to be available.

3) similar to 4Q's #1... don't bring your boss just problems

... bring him/her thoughtfully considered solutions. They may go with a different solution, but at least you will have offered one yourself that they can accept or reject.

4) Don't throw people under the bus.

Just because you're right doesn't mean it's cool to do this. I did this once early in my career and didn't even realize it. Once it was pointed out to me what I did by someone else, I felt awful and profusely apologized to the person and tried to make it right to him in other ways. 31 years later and I still feel bad about it.

5) You always have options and options - like in finance - can be quite valuable.

Some (many?) people think they're stuck. That "makes" them do things that are unethical, illegal, immoral, dumb, etc. We all have the option to do what is right and ethical. Do that.

 

[BamaNation]

Don't go into architecture. It isn't a stable career and you can lose your job at any moment. When it is good it is good, but when it is bad it us really bad.

I did not listen.

What would you do instead given a do-over? Are there ways you can leverage your architecture experience in other ways?

 

[selmaborntidefan]

1) Never be the smartest person in the room. If you are, find another room.

This reminds me of a Coach Bryant story that I'll paraphrase.

Asked how many of his assistant coaches were smarter than he, Bryant said, "All of them. What use do I have for someone who isn't SMARTER than me?"

 

[lowend]

"Don't trust anyone...including me." That advice was given to me by a career military wife and, in the end, even she tried to screw me over.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

What would you do instead given a do-over?

The last guy I know who wanted to pretend to be an architect got caught pretending to be a marine biologist in his next career.

He later got caught pretending to be handicapped.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

What would you do instead given a do-over? Are there ways you can leverage your architecture experience in other ways?

No idea. Maybe computer engineering? At this point I don't know how to do anything else. Some universities and corporations have their own in-house architects. You basically sit on a board and look at other architect's designs and approve and check their work. You also pick the architects and engineers to do the work. Pretty cushy work and there is always something being done, even in downtime.

Don't get me wrong, I do like what I do. I just get a little frustrated sometimes and no raise in 3 years and insurance benefits getting worse is just angering me daily.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

The last guy I know who wanted to pretend to be an architect got caught pretending to be a marine biologist in his next career.

He later got caught pretending to be handicapped.

Funny thing is I used to have an interest in marine biology (sharks really), but found out that you have to rely heavily on grants or just be rich to fund your research or expeditions. When I learned that I decided shark week and watching Jaws a billion times was enough to get my shark fix.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

The last guy I know who wanted to pretend to be an architect got caught pretending to be a marine biologist in his next career.

He later got caught pretending to be handicapped.