Golden Rules For Career Success They Don’t Teach In School

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What determines career success will probably freak you out a little. Surprisingly, it has virtually nothing to do with school (outside a select few professions) and everything to do with your character and approach to life. 

Careers aren’t some separate realm of human existence. They’re part of a continuous whole that starts when you get out of bed in the morning and ends (temporarily) when you go to sleep at night. 

Being successful in your career is something that operates on so many levels. It’s about signaling, attitudes, and how you make other people feel. 

Here are some golden rules for you to mull over if you’re stuck in a career rut and want to bust out. 

Adopt A Can-Do Attitude

Nobody is saying you should be a “yes man.” That’s never attractive. But if you’re one of those people who will always give something a go, people will respect that. Then, when something really is impossible, you can push back with authority. Nobody can accuse you of trying to shirk your work. 

Choose Jobs With Great Bosses

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Unfortunately, most of us have to labor beneath a boss. But people who go far in their careers understand and recognize quality bosses when they find them. In fact, they use them tactically to proceed further in their endeavors. 

Jot Down Your Ideas

Sometimes, new ideas relating to your career will hit you like a bolt out of the blue. You’ll be sitting down somewhere, quietly pondering, and suddenly get a brain wave about how you can make your work life better. 

If you find this happening to you, seize the moment and jot it down. You never know how it might help you. 

Get Comfortable In Your Industry

Getting comfortable in your industry is one of the most powerful pieces of career advice anyone can ever receive. The more you’re known throughout your particular vertical, the more likely you are to succeed in the long-term. It’s quite incredible actually how far you can progress once you have the right connections. People don’t necessarily evaluate you on skill; they just go with their gut and how well they know you.

It doesn’t really matter what industry you’re in either. There are opportunities everywhere. A funeral home director, for instance, can earn up to $78,000 per year. And that’s without benefits.

A sales professional can easily hit $80,000 in the right industry. And if you get on the management track, you never know how high you can go. 

Only Work The Hours You’re Paid

Doing unpaid overtime seems like a good idea at the time. You want to ingratiate yourself with your boss. 

But it actually does the opposite. It says that you’re a pushover and it tells your superiors that your time isn’t that valuable after all. 

Do top-performing salespeople work overtime? No, they don’t. And that’s because they’ve got nothing to prove. What’s more, if they wanted to take another job, they could. Everyone wants them. 

Stick to your paid hours. Use your spare time to build your skill and find new opportunities. 

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