Time to read: 1 min, 5 seconds
The title of this newsletter is misleading. Here's the punchline...
Careers are not planned.
A caveat: A few careers are planned. If you want to be a doctor, there is a plan. Although even within a prescribed path like medicine, there are left turns when you discover you hate orthopedics and love pain management, or you move to New Mexico for a residency and stay.
Careers are nourished.
A plan implies that you know and control your next steps, and then are frustrated when you don't know the next step, the promotion doesn't come, or you don't like your boss.
Instead, focus on building your skills, growing your leadership, developing yourself, talking with people about things you care about, and seeking mentors. Do amazing work where you are now. Watch the environment. Seek opportunity in times of change.
Always till the soil of your career. That enables opportunities to grow. Those opportunities will emerge, sometimes out of nowhere, and step by step, your career advances in wonderful and surprising ways.
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If you have specific career questions you'd like me to address, email me and tell me all about it. You'll see your question in an upcoming newsletter.
Next week, I'll give you my take on working in your passion.