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I'm out of the box too! I'm too old to read a bunch of books on parenting, or adhere labels to myself. Ah.....my poor children. lol
No kidding, I don't like labels or being called "Beta Mom", "Tiger Mom", "Other Mom", "Helicopter Mom" or anything other than Mom and I am NOT the Dog or the Cat's MOM either (I actually hate being referred to as that).
I think this can be tied back to the OP's attitude. Some people believe that life just happens to them. When you sit and wait for life to happen to you then almost everything that happens to you seems random. While you are waiting around for something good to happen to you in the workplace other people are taking action and making their own success.
If someone is not having the workplace success that they would like they need to make something happen on their own. Success at work is NOT just luck.
Just plain old not true. I am a researcher, success my career is a function of how well I write grants, how well I conduct research, whether it passes peer review, how often I get published and cited. I am in control of all of that.
I also teach, how well that goes is certainly not luck.
My SO is a chef/restaurant manger, how well he does is purely a function of his skills. My grandfather is a lawyer, corporate law, very little luck there. Grandmother sociologist, not really luck based wither. Brother, environmental engineer, no luck there, project depend on his skill set.
So maybe if you are a professional gambler, actor, professional athlete or stock broker, maybe some luck in there, but SKILL is still the deciding factor for success of all of those.
We may have to agree to disagree. When I started my first job, they got involved with a scandal (which I had nothing to do with) just a few weeks after I started, which financially ruined the company. I wasn't going to quit a job after just a few weeks, especially not in a bad economy. How was that anything other than just bad luck for me? At my current job, if I had applied 6 months earlier, I'd be making more money than I am now. How is that anything other than bad luck for me? If I had applied to this job 6 months later, I'd be unemployed. How is that anything other than good luck for me? The owner of the company has no skills, but inherited the company from his father. How is that anything but good luck for him?
I think this can be tied back to the OP's attitude. Some people believe that life just happens to them. When you sit and wait for life to happen to you then almost everything that happens to you seems random. While you are waiting around for something good to happen to you in the workplace other people are taking action and making their own success.
If someone is not having the workplace success that they would like they need to make something happen on their own. Success at work is NOT just luck.
We may have to agree to disagree. When I started my first job, they got involved with a scandal (which I had nothing to do with) just a few weeks after I started, which financially ruined the company. I wasn't going to quit a job after just a few weeks, especially not in a bad economy. How was that anything other than just bad luck for me? At my current job, if I had applied 6 months earlier, I'd be making more money than I am now. How is that anything other than bad luck for me? If I had applied to this job 6 months later, I'd be unemployed. How is that anything other than good luck for me? The owner of the company has no skills, but inherited the company from his father. How is that anything but good luck for him?
Nobody said that luck never played a part in a person's success. All of us experience bad or good luck at some point in our lives. However it is rate to be able to attribute the entirety of someone's career success (or lack of) to luck.
I would have to know the specifics of your situation. In general terms I would say you need to:
1. Take responsibility for your own learning. Don't just do your job. Learn about your industry and about other functions within your company. Learn about other companies in your industry.
2. Anticipate the needs of your boss and your company. Don't wait for someone to tell you what needs to be done. If you see something that needs to be done make a plan to do it and present that plan to your superiors. Even if you get shot down you will be recognized.
3. Don't be the first out the door at the end of the day. Leave when your work is done, not at a specified time (this assumes you are salaried).
4. Make contacts that will help you throughout your career. You can do this in many ways. It really depends on your community and your industry.
5. Be involved in your community and help others. You would be surprised the amount of goodwill you can generate by just being nice to people.
Nobody said that luck never played a part in a person's success. All of us experience bad or good luck at some point in our lives. However it is rate to be able to attribute the entirety of someone's career success (or lack of) to luck.
Fair enough. But would you agree that career success is based on a combination of talent, hard work, and luck? And, would you agree that bad luck can potentially ruin the career of somebody who is both talented and hard working?
I would have to know the specifics of your situation. In general terms I would say you need to:
1. Take responsibility for your own learning. Don't just do your job. Learn about your industry and about other functions within your company. Learn about other companies in your industry.
2. Anticipate the needs of your boss and your company. Don't wait for someone to tell you what needs to be done. If you see something that needs to be done make a plan to do it and present that plan to your superiors. Even if you get shot down you will be recognized.
3. Don't be the first out the door at the end of the day. Leave when your work is done, not at a specified time (this assumes you are salaried).
4. Make contacts that will help you throughout your career. You can do this in many ways. It really depends on your community and your industry.
5. Be involved in your community and help others. You would be surprised the amount of goodwill you can generate by just being nice to people.
The problem is, as I said earlier, I want to remain close to family. I currently work for what is just about the only remaining firm in my field near where I live. As I said before, I would not consider a life of nothing but commuting, working, and sleeping to be "successful".
I have very little control over whether or not this company is successful enough to avoid layouts, since it is mostly dependent on whether or not our clients (mostly government agencies) have enough money for projects. In 2011, the company that I work for laid off 2 of the hardest working employees. That was just bad luck on their part. Bad luck that our clients were broke, and bad luck that the company chose them as the people to lay off (rather than laying off inferior employees). They both found a new job, but they have much longer commutes (less free time and lower quality of life) and are paid much less, so they are not "successful" by any definition, despite their hard work.
The problem is, as I said earlier, I want to remain close to family. I currently work for what is just about the only remaining firm in my field near where I live. As I said before, I would not consider a life of nothing but commuting, working, and sleeping to be "successful".
I have very little control over whether or not this company is successful enough to avoid layouts, since it is mostly dependent on whether or not our clients (mostly government agencies) have enough money for projects. In 2011, the company that I work for laid off 2 of the hardest working employees. That was just bad luck on their part. Bad luck that our clients were broke, and bad luck that the company chose them as the people to lay off (rather than laying off inferior employees). They both found a new job, but they have much longer commutes (less free time and lower quality of life) and are paid much less, so they are not "successful" by any definition, despite their hard work.
Isn't there a related field that has other companies to work for? Just curious.
Could you upgrade your skills so that another company would hire you?
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