7 Quotes To Push Your Career Forward
We all have our moments when we doubt ourselves and our own ability to succeed in the career of our dreams. It is especially hard when you are a minority in your field who just graduated from a community college and are competing against Harvard Grads who most likely have had easier access to more career opportunities just because they went to a more prestigious school. However, no matter where you come from and who you are, if you really want something, there is always a way to get it. Sometimes you just need a little motivation in the right direction. Here are some quotes that offer some great career and workplace advice to really push your career forward.
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started” — Mark Twain.
Sometimes it is difficult to get started working towards our career goals because we just don’t know where to start. Nowadays, there are so many options and opportunities that are available to us online and offline it can get overwhelming. However, the only way to ever accomplish something is to get started, even if it’s just small steps. An excellent first step in figuring out the best option for you is to get organized. One right way to start is to get a productivity app where you can write down your daily goals, set deadlines and keep track of research towards these goals. One of the best and most popular productivity apps out there is Evernote. This app lets you keep an eye on to do lists, long research articles, short notes, web clippings, drawings, and photographs. You can also set reminders and due dates for specific goals. Evernote can also merge with all your devices, so you are able to collaborate with others and present all your data anywhere you go.
2. “Strength lies in differences not in similarities” — Stephen R. Covey.
After you get organized and start to notice good progress towards your long-term goals, it’s a good idea to do some research on companies that you may want to work at and see what knowledge and skills they are looking for in a prospective employee. Take a look at current employees LinkedIn profiles and see what they know. While it’s great to have all the required knowledge and skills for a prospective position, you will stand out even more if you also have additional individual skills that may be useful to the company that the other current employees don’t have, especially if these skills could really increase the companies productivity levels. A great free website you can go on to gain new skills is Skillshare, a “tutorial” website that offers thousands of free classes that fit the interests of people in the tech community and other related fields. The site also allows you to become a teacher and network with others in your area about common interests and goals.
3. “You go down a lot of wrong roads to find the right one” — Bob Parsons
There’s a good chance that there will be a lot of trial and error when finding the right career path that works for you. Many people switch careers during their lifetime because their career goals and general interests often change. It’s important to remember that it is entirely ok and advisable to try a different method when something isn’t working for you. Eventually, all your mistakes will lead you to a solution that works for you both regarding personal happiness and financial freedom. An excellent free way to get advice on what career is right for you is to take a personality test. One of my favorites is the personality test the Tech Connection has you do as a candidate, which is composed of 16 different personality types. When you take the test, it shows you a general overview on how you see the world around you and make decisions. It also gives you in-depth advice about your friendships, relationships, and career choices. A free version can be found here.
4. “Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that is the one that is going to help you grow” — Caroline Myss
It is always tempting to stay in our comfort zone with the skills and knowledge that you have known for years. However, the only way to get the most out of your career is to break out of that comfort zone and do things that may scare you. For example, let’s say you just got a new job and you are at a group meeting. You are generally a quiet person that does not like to talk in groups, and you have a great idea but are afraid to speak up because you are afraid that your co-workers will think it’s silly or stupid. It is always worth it to take a risk and let your voice be heard because your idea could potentially help accomplish one of the company’s goals, but you will never know unless you face your fears and speak up. Here is an excellent article with other tips and tricks that professionals use to step out of their comfort zone.
5. “People that lead the company today are not the same people that drive it tomorrow” — Kirill Bigai
Let’s say you are just starting out your career and just got an internship at a company that has goals that you are really passionate about. While your number one priority should be doing your assigned tasks and learning software that you are not used to, you should also set up at a time to talk to your manager (and even the CEO if possible) about how they got to where they are today and what advice they could give you to push your career forward. This will not only show your co-workers that you really care about the company, but will also give you some useful advice to help you plan out your long-term career goals for the next 5–10 years. Here is a list of other questions you should ask your manager at some point to make sure you stand out in the best possible way.
6. “Be so good, they can’t ignore you.” -Steve Martin
Once you finally get a job in your field, it is important to highlight your strengths and give 110 percent in any task that you do. Go that extra mile to prove your abilities. For example, if a company wants 10 rough drafts for web design, give them 20 rough drafts (all good quality of course). Especially at the start of your career, any extra work that you put in shows that you are beyond passionate about the company’s success. A strong work ethic gives you an excellent reputation with your manager and CEO and could possibly lead you to get promoted later on. Here is an excellent article with more tips on how to go above and beyond at your workplace.
7. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
While specific tasks at a job require a lot of independent work, it is important to remember to make time to collaborate with your other co-workers on long-term projects to make sure they are completed in the best way possible. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses in the workplace, and a positive collaborative environment will not only help your project get done faster, but will most likely improve the quality of the project in the long run. Even when everyone does not have time to get together, there are multiple other ways to collaborate. For example, the Tech Connection likes to use Trello, free online productivity software that provides co-workers with a visual way to organize and delegate each other’s tasks and mark them in order of importance. Trello also allows co-workers to comment and edit on each other’s work through the Trello board, so collaboration on a project can be easy and accessible.
Looking for your next opportunity to help push your career further? The Tech Connection Power Up platform is a free platform that will help you map out your career goals and help you find the right path to achieving them. The Tech Connection is a diversity recruitment platform that allows companies to make meaningful connections to empower and engage diverse talent for their open job opportunities. Our platform will take the guesswork out of changing your career for the better. You can sign up today and be on the way to being at the position of your dreams!
