Many people are advised that they should look for a company that "provides a career." Often I hear candidates say they want to leave a job, because their current employer is not "looking after my career."
Sure, it's important to work for a company where you can thrive, but you must above all understand this.
The person who will always care most about your career is you!
The biggest mistake you can make in your work life is to leave your career to your employer, or anyone else. You have to work at your career goal, plan it and drive it where you want it to go.
You don't outsource your career!
Please understand that just having the qualifications is not enough anymore. Gone are the days where getting the right degree will set up your career. A degree just gets you the chance to get on the field, not win the game.
Ponder this. Success in your career will never be just a matter of qualifications or skills. It will always be a matter of motivation.
No one is going to serve you a career on a silver platter. Your career will be what you make it. No more, no less.
And so, as clichéd as it sounds, the starting point is to find what you like doing.
A career without passion and enthusiasm will have no meaning, no joy and little hope of long-term success.
Indeed, does your career goal keep you awake at night?
If not, maybe you need to start to worry. You have 30 more years at work, and trust me on this:
No one else is having sleepless nights about what happens to your career.
So that means no one is steering your career ship.
You okay with that?
This post first appeared on The Savage Truth