When you think about the lifespan of your working years, it can be overwhelming to understand how you are going to fill a decades-long chunk of your life and be happy and proud of your choices. Some people know from a young age what they want their profession to be and can chart out a course early on. While others need to spend some time learning about themselves and their passions and figuring out over time what they want to do for a living.
Either way, you are going to have to invest in yourself along the way so that you can go out in a higher position than you went in. You don’t have to subscribe to the grind culture and work yourself to the bone. Instead, follow these manageable tips for advancing your career, regardless of what you do or the timeline in that you do it.
Get a Degree
You can create and advance different careers without a degree. However, some require it, and even for those that don’t, having one under your belt is never a bad thing. Once you know what you want to do, you can think about how to obtain the qualifications necessary to make that dream a reality. Some sectors will require advanced degrees as well, so make sure in your research that you are considering exactly how much of an education you’ll be required to obtain. Going to college can be pricey so take the time to research not only the school you want to attend but also the other elements of college life that are important such as the surrounding community, degrees offered, reputation, and location.
Personal funding, loans, and scholarships are generally the top three ways that people go about paying for a college education. The most financially savvy students know that shopping for scholarships first is the best way to reduce your personal costs. You might be surprised to learn that there are so many opportunities available to apply for, and earn, scholarships. You can search and apply for eligible scholarships for college students online, simply and quickly. By utilizing this method, you will be matched with more opportunities than you could possibly know about independently, and everything is all in one place.
Build a Professional Network
It is very important that you, personally, have the skills and background needed to get your career to the next level, but one thing that people don’t stress enough is how important the relationships you build along the way are, too, in terms of advancement. Not only within your own company but within your sector, your alumni network when applicable, and your community too. Sometimes being able to climb the career ladder is made more possible by who you know than what you know.
If you are unsure how to go about doing this, don’t be overwhelmed because, honestly, it is much easier than you might think. If you have a college alumni network, start there, sign up for their emails and newsletters to find out when they are holding events, and make it a point to attend a few. You will be able to meet people in the working world that have varied backgrounds but your alma mater in common. Next, set up a profile on networking sites like LinkedIn. Here you can virtually connect with people from all over the world and engage with them through that platform. Your local community is another great place to network. Find out if there are any clubs or groups for professionals in the area. This can be a great local resource for meeting career-driven individuals in every sector, from roofing professionals to lawyers.
Track Your Achievements
It can be hard throughout the span of a calendar year to get to December and remember everything that you did at work for the past 52 weeks. Every project, meeting, client interaction, and employee relations opportunity is all of the sudden lost from your memory. That is why it is so important to track your achievements, especially when you hope to make career advancements down the line. Having a tangible list of the ways that you contributed and added value to your team and company overall is a critical piece of data that can be used both in annual reviews or conversations to prove you deserve a raise at work throughout the year.
This isn’t meant to be a defense mechanism, but rather, a factual document that can help you to see exactly where your hard work hours went and the outcomes that resulted from your efforts. If you plan to leave your current role and/or company, these recordings can also be helpful in showing future employers what you are capable of. Instead of having generalized phrases on your resume or in your interview, you can speak with data-driven words that paint a true picture of your ability to drive results.
