Some advice for beginners in their career

Have already written this in a blog and another website, but I thought it would be useful for energetic but confused youth beginning their careers. Hope it does that.

Youth is a time full of expectations, curiosity, energy and the desire to explore life. It is the transition between a protected and carefree childhood and mature adulthood where our responsibilities keep us occupied. However today, life is in fast forward, hence, youth too is pushed into adulthood early. All of us want to be successful in our lives and a great career is a manifestation of that dream. The dream job! But how many of us in our teens have tried to focus on what we need to become in life. As a child, I wanted to become an engine driver as I loved watching trains zoom past, and then as we entered high school, all of us were told very bluntly that you must become an Engineer or a doctor to be successful in life. What I am trying to imply here is that we were driven by the herd mentality and no one really guided us on what was good for us or what we were good at. Luckily for the youth these days, there is some kind organized Counseling available in schools and Colleges but these are few and far between. The herd mentality is still imminent as can be seen for the rush for Engineering/ Medicine / MBA

It is precisely for this reason that the youth need to do an introspection – a reality self check of their aptitudes, skills and capabilities so that they don’t enter the wrong profession and repent all their lives. Some questions that should be asked are:

  1. What were my favorite subjects in school?
  2. What are my hobbies?
  3. What’s it that I never tire doing?
  4. Who is my hero / role model, in fact the role model changes frequently in the teens, so pick the one who has influenced you for the longest period.

If one gets honest answers to these questions, it makes the task of choosing one’s vocation easier. Also, some ground rules to be followed in this quest are:

  1. Always seek advice, you are not the expert. In this, I would like to add that today there are many online aptitude tests available, so one must make use of this facility to get a clearer picture of what one is good at. However, a word of caution, please use a known and standardized test for this as the internet is full of sites, some of which may not be authentic or related to our kind of academic environment, hence the results may be misleading.
  2. Too many cooks spoil the broth, so do not ask too many people or you will get confusing signals.
  3. Listen to your inner voice; you must enjoy what you will be doing for the rest of your life.
  4. Once you have generally figured out what you wish to do, narrow it down but keep alternative options handy. It’s always a good idea to keep Plan B and C ready in case Plan A does not work.
  5. Keep learning new skills related to your aptitudes, the more the merrier, but don’t drain yourself out in the mad rush to get ahead.

To summarize, it is always good to start early in life as today is a very competitive world and therefore it is very important to know what we are good at, to start developing on those skills from the very beginning and to build up the tempo in order to deliver at the time of selection and elimination so as to emerge successful at the start of one’s career and pursue it to the pinnacle. As they say when driving far to reach your destination “Start early, drive cautiously and reach safely” Wish you all the very best in your careers.

very well written..col...i liked it.!

Like
Reply
Krishna Chowdhury

Strategic Finance Leader Driving Profitable Growth | MBA Finance | Business Controller | FP&A | Business Finance | Commercial Finance |

10y

Really nice Sir...

Like
Reply

Col good points Made in simple and understanbale language bereft of jargon Good post sir

Like
Reply
Ravindra Junagade

Graphologist and Child Rights Activist

10y

Very true and useful advice Sir. It is necessary in present situation where many ‘pushy’ or ‘over concerned’ parents thrust their decision or own liking. Whereas if a career is chosen as per aptitude, then one enjoys it as well as can excel in it. I am reproducing below few quotes pertaining to this: - • Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life – Confucius.  When you like your work, everyday is holiday. -- Frank Tyger.  When work is a pleasure, life is a joy. When work is a duty, life is slavery. -- Gorky.

Like
Reply

To view or add a comment, sign in

More articles by Lt. Col. Venkatraman (Retd)

  • The Digital Revolution

    The Digital Revolution

    We are all aware of the way in which computers and Information Technology. have today changed our lives.

    3 Comments
  • Candidate experience matters

    Candidate experience matters

    The biggest challenge for Organizations (and HR) today is attracting and retaining Talent. There are several…

    1 Comment
  • H.R. as a business partner.

    H.R. as a business partner.

    The traditional role of H.R.

    1 Comment
  • Building brick by brick

    Building brick by brick

    It is my observation that a majority of the youth today are in a hurry to get to the top of their career ladder in as…

    4 Comments
  • Soft Skills are essential for Success at interviews

    Soft Skills are essential for Success at interviews

    We all live in a highly competitive world today where just like March Hare in Alice in Wonderland has remarked " We…

    5 Comments
  • Finding happiness at work

    Finding happiness at work

    Life's eternal quest is the search for that elusive happiness. All of us spend our lives seeking happiness in our…

    1 Comment
  • Coping with Stress at work

    Coping with Stress at work

    Stress is a part of our lives today whether we like it or not. Technology has enabled speed in business operations to…

    4 Comments
  • Learning how to Focus

    Learning how to Focus

    Hello everyone, a few days ago, I published a post on advice for beginners in their career. The response has been quite…

    5 Comments

Explore topics