9 Career Lessons You Will Learn Along the Way  

A career is like a journey: Some come with maps, some with a general sense of direction, and some are random and not thought through at all. Regardless, the goals are the same—to set forth, accomplish something along the way, hopefully like doing it, and be able to sustain yourself while you are. Indeed, all journeys have starting points, shortcuts, obstacles, and detours; choosing and avoiding are only parts of the total process.

Many an advice book will tell you that the best lessons are those you learn from mistakes. This is true, though I am also here to tell you that those lessons don’t necessarily need to come from your mistakes. The beauty of a mentor is that you can learn from theirs—because everyone makes mistakes. Some professionals recover better than others, but still, knowing how to manage situations before, during, or after can make all the difference.

Whether you are at the start of your career journey or rounding the last bend, there are always lessons to be learned, and here are a few of mine to save you along the way:

• Be humble. This seems pretty obvious, but to be clear, no one likes a show off. Even if you are the most talented person in the company, have all the right answers, and chalk up success after success, you will only go so far if others don’t like you. Let your work stand on its own. This is not to say that you should not speak up and establish credit for yourself, but make sure you thank and recognize others for their contributions.

• Keep learning. The one thing they won’t teach you when you graduate from school is that you never really graduate from learning—nor should you. Once you land a position, learning about your job and company are only small parts of your success. It becomes easy to stay complacent, but you may find that your position has outgrown you. Instead, make opportunities to go to seminars, take classes, read industry publications, and stay connected to other professionals in your field. Just getting yourself out of your day-to-day routine will give you fresh perspective and will ensure that you have an abundance to continue to offer your own company.

• Have other interests. It was not long ago that I said that my career was my hobby, and then I found myself between jobs and not only did I not have work, I had no interests outside of work either. Sure, family and spirituality are part of a well-rounded life, but find some other passion that fuels you. It will keep you balanced, provide necessary outlets throughout your life, and be a cherished resource for when you no longer are working—by choice or chance.

• Leave a company the way you entered it. We all dream of the moment we can tell off people we don’t respect, boast about our path ahead, and storm out of a less desirable situation, but show restraint regardless of the circumstances. The old adage of “don’t burn bridges” still holds true. You will learn just as much about someone from the way he or she exits a company as from how he or she onboards into an organization. If you ever resign or have a difficult staffing conversation with your own boss, take the higher road. Keep the hours you would normally keep or work even harder. Make a transition plan outlining current projects, routine work, and recommendations as to who can fill in to get things done. Deliver professional communications to your closest vendors, colleagues at work, and the executives. Thank everyone for the chance to work there and offer to be a resource should anyone have any questions down the road. If you take this advice, you will not just respect yourself more, but others will as well.

• Treat people like you will meet them again. You probably will. There is nothing more uncomfortable than avoiding former contacts at industry events or worse, at new offices of employment. No one is perfect, and clearly we are not meant to get along with everyone, but do it anyway. Find the good in people, and don’t just identify their faults—it will make it easier to appreciate whatever they do bring to the table.

• Work hard, but don’t expect others to. In other words, run your own race. Too often I have seen professionals (including me too many times) point out what others are not doing and how so and so should have done something else or more. As my leadership coach once told me, it is not my job to manage everyone around me; it is the manager’s job—and no one wants you to do his or her job for him or her and make him or her look bad. (I added the last part.) If you are having challenges with peers, talk to them. Don’t email them. Don’t network around them. Don’t ignore the situation and let it fester because it is not getting better. Simply let them know that you are there to help, share with them what you are observing and how it is impacting you (not anyone else—speak for yourself only) and then step back. Work how you work, and let others do the same. Not everyone wants to be a champion and do what it takes to win, but companies are teams, and each role does have a valuable contribution to make—even if only one person keeps making all of the goals.

• Manage your own career. If you grew up in the 70s-80s, you probably were of the mind set of work hard, stay quiet, keep your head down, and you will be recognized and rewarded. Unless you work for an amazing leader (not boss—there is a huge difference), this is usually not the case. Instead, figure out what you want and are good at or need to get better at in order to grow. Look at who in your company or other companies is doing what you hope to be doing one day and research how that person got there. Look for opportunities to expand in that direction, make critical career moves when you hit roadblocks, and be sure to ask for what you want and need to succeed.

• Run to opportunities, not from them. Too often people leave companies and go to others for the wrong reason—because they don’t want to be where they are anymore. While this sounds logical, make sure you do want to be at the place you are going to. The saying, “the grass is not always greener” relays this well. Run to new opportunities, but don’t run away or from your current ones.

• Take vacations and plan not to work one day. These two pieces of wisdom are related. Don’t be the hero that tells everyone that she hasn’t had a day off since last year. It does not impress anyone. Instead, it may make people think you are overwhelmed or that you can’t manage your time. Take the time given to you—even if you make your own staycations. It is important for your professional sanity not to burn out, to step outside of the work world and sleep in. Read non-work materials, see movies, take walks, connect with friends—whatever it is, just do it (sorry, Nike). On the flip side, create a plan for yourself so that you don’t have to always work. While you may choose to do so into your old age, don’t put yourself in a position that you have to. Life is short, and any elder will tell you that. Live under your means, make smart purchases, don’t try to impress anyone but yourself, and create a mental image of where you might want to wind up one day. Dreams are nice, but plans are better.

If I were your mentor, this would be the advice I’d give you. It is the advice I wished someone had given me earlier in my career. There truly is no magic trick to being successful and happy. Keep moving forward, learn from your mistakes, become comfortable apologizing and meaning it, and, above all else, be a good person first, and everything else will usually fall into place. If it doesn’t, at least you will be a good person, and that is what matters.