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Almost everyone I've talked to that has had career success say they got their in one of two ways. (Or a combination of the two)
- Luck
- Knowing the Right Person
I can't count the number of individuals I know who got awesome jobs simply because they had a close friend or family member working at the company, the unfortunate fact being the individual was terribly unqualified for the job. It drove me up the wall seeing incompetent new hires come into the company above me just because they had a uncle on the board or something.
The only people I've know to have an easy time of it are two groups:
1) The "beautiful people" Particularly true if young, female and attractive - no offense intended, but it clearly helps. This also applies to anyone who's just naturally gifted in appearance, charisma, and so forth. These are the people who may or may not have the skills needed, but people just enjoy them being around so much they have an easier time finding work and keeping jobs. For example, if one looked at the people laid off at my first job, not a single one was a woman under 30, despite them gladly tossing out engineers of all other categories (age, race, etc.) - given how male-dominated engineering is, I'm sure that nobody thought of how this would improve the "office appearances" - right...
2) Connected people: Is your dad a VP? Congrats - you've got a job for life! Even if you do really stupid and immature things at work, it probably won't matter. You'll keep your job while others will be thrown under the bus when the layoffs hit. Again, I've seen this happen plenty of times - people like that never need to worry about their career since their connections will handle it for them.
As for the rest of us, we have to slog through crud to get the leftovers.
Good luck.
Wow, those are some excuses.
I was a devastatingly pretty 20-something and it never helped me one bit. Just the opposite. Men treated me like a little girl or a sex object and constantly implied I was stupid even though I always had more/better education than any man I worked with. I got paid less than men that I actually trained, like most of the women I worked with. And actual fact disagrees with you - women make less than men at every level.
The people I know who are easily successful were not connected. They were smart and made the right choices. They chose the right fields, changed jobs at the right times, made the right friends. They are not CEO's of fortune 500 companies, but they are all in the 6 figures in their mid-30's. They are also all men. I don't blame being female for my own failure, but it didn't help at all. Failure comes from bad choices and bad luck, usually together.
I wouldn't exactly say easy... I mean, I laid the building blocks to make success more obtainable from early on -- learning as much as I could, relevant jobs while in school (very fortunate to get many of these), way too much time in college, certifications, frequent formal training...
Things did sort of fall into place though. My job search nearing the end of undergrad lasted all of about two months. I was open to moving anywhere and applied to probably 10 positions. I ended up grabbing interviews with 6 or 7 of those and took the first offer I received.
Used that first job to gain experience, get a grad degree, and then hopped ship w/ a different company for more experience and more money.
THEN, things started to fall apart. I was laid off w/ no safety net and a specialized skillset that is extremely hard to find opportunities for in this area. Somehow, a week after being laid off, a perfect position opened up. I got it!
So... Easy? I don't know if I'd call it that... I've certainly had my hiccups, but continued optimism, persistence and a lot of luck went a long ways. That being sad, I'm still extremely young and its always a possibility that everything could just go downhill from here. :/
Most of the people I know who were "lucky" also had something to go along with the luck.
I grew up with a smart, great looking guy who should have been on the cover of GQ. He went to University of Kentucky (not an economically strong state) and graduated in 2008 (a very bad year), but landed a job at Lexmark in Lexington, KY, and has received probably five promotions in as many years. He's a good worker and travels a lot, but I think he did get the luck of the draw a bit. There were probably ten equally capable, but not as good looking, people coming out of his business school class who it didn't come easy for.
HEEEYYY is your good lookin friend a " Kentucky Colonel " ?
I heard when you graduate from a KY college , you are !
Op, as with you, I am also 62, and also as with you, I teach part time at my local community college. But, the teaching is a part-time "fun" gig. During the day, I do as I have done for 31 years now and "work" in a very enjoyable environment. In fact, when asked about my employment, I don't say that I have a job . . . I say that I get paid for a hobby.
I cannot remember where I learned this. Possibly in the military...maybe from my parents. I have never been fired from a job, and possibly that is because I was never a "boat rocker". I minded my own business, did what I was told, and kept my mouth shut. I did/do whatever was required to get along with everybody at my place of employment.
I'm planning on working for about four more years before retiring. Things could change, but it will probably take me that long to downsize and get ready emotionally for what will come after throwing the alarm clock in the trash.
The only people I've know to have an easy time of it are two groups:
1) The "beautiful people" Particularly true if young, female and attractive - no offense intended, but it clearly helps. This also applies to anyone who's just naturally gifted in appearance, charisma, and so forth. These are the people who may or may not have the skills needed, but people just enjoy them being around so much they have an easier time finding work and keeping jobs. For example, if one looked at the people laid off at my first job, not a single one was a woman under 30, despite them gladly tossing out engineers of all other categories (age, race, etc.) - given how male-dominated engineering is, I'm sure that nobody thought of how this would improve the "office appearances" - right...
2) Connected people: Is your dad a VP? Congrats - you've got a job for life! Even if you do really stupid and immature things at work, it probably won't matter. You'll keep your job while others will be thrown under the bus when the layoffs hit. Again, I've seen this happen plenty of times - people like that never need to worry about their career since their connections will handle it for them.
As for the rest of us, we have to slog through crud to get the leftovers.
Good luck.
I don't agree with this, to me it sounds a little bitter and nothing is this black and white. There are always going to be people who are favored...they are savvy and manage up really well. They are able to talk to the right people and make themselves seen very early on, even if they aren't quite qualified, they make the majority of people believe that they are. Sometimes it may not seem fair, but often they are taking advantage of opportunities that come along and being available at the right time.
Your attitude is going to determine how others view you. If you have two equally qualified individuals, but one of them is shy and withdrawn and the other is congenial and cheerful, who do you think will get to stick around when it becomes necessary for one to be eliminated?
If we define "success" by "amount of stuff" (chuckle) and "general financial security" and "Well-positioned, experience and skills-wise, for continued success based on business megatrends," then yes: I am successful, as are those I choose to associate with. By objective American standards, life is comfortable. Executive: not quite, but getting there.
(The above measurements of success are arbitrary, not absolute. Books are written about what defines "success" in terms of "personal satisfaction." Some of that mixes well with the above, some does not.)
Positive indicators:
An occasional pal of mine is a dismal failure in business. Why: his lawful-good nature, directness, lack of sophistication in communication. Above-average intellect, marginal to low street smarts. His family loves him for qualities business hates.
I respect his good nature, I really do, but it isn't a formula for success in business. Or, not certain industries anyway. I think he struggles with that. Last I heard, he co-runs his wife's business, playing Mr. Mom more than not, which is his real success, see second paragraph above. I respect that, too.
My most-successful pal has two standout qualities:
1) 99 percentile intellect
2) (related to first item) 99.9% talent in a certain skill that is hot (IT related).
He is also smart enough to ally himself with players in his organization, an equally important skill. He reinvents himself every five years or so, too, to stay relevant. He is the only guy I know who has succeeded for the most part based on raw talent, though he is also a decent person with a family who supports him. Thus, no foul disposition to slow him down. He has several rather strange and distracting idiosyncrasies (thoughts, ideas) that he closely guards to all but most-trusted friends, indicating to me that even geniuses can be disturbed/tormented by demons.
I am successful due to talent (moderate), organization skills (outstanding), terse but pleasant to work with (teamwork: very good), education (graduate degrees relevant to my field), certifications (ditto), experience and demonstrated results, and ability to understand people's true motives and take action BEFORE things implode. I have areas for improvement, too. The above is from 360 feedback, which a professional must face head-on and self-manage!
Agree with other responses: ability to network, luck, good looks, and nepotism/cronyism may also be huge, and depending on the situation may supersede intellect, education, hard work, etc. My line of work, IT, is mostly results-based so some of the previous doesn't matter much as other industries.
Negative indicators in almost any line of work:
- Uncommunicative
- Negativity
- Arrogant w/nothing to back it up.
- Failing to adapt, failing to understand the way the (industry) is heading
- Not weighing consequences of words, or failing to take action.
- Taking the wrong action: poor risk-analysis.
- Indecisiveness, lack of leadership.
Last edited by Blondebaerde; 03-05-2014 at 01:12 PM..
I was a devastatingly pretty 20-something and it never helped me one bit. Just the opposite. Men treated me like a little girl or a sex object and constantly implied I was stupid even though I always had more/better education than any man I worked with. I got paid less than men that I actually trained, like most of the women I worked with. And actual fact disagrees with you - women make less than men at every level.
The people I know who are easily successful were not connected. They were smart and made the right choices. They chose the right fields, changed jobs at the right times, made the right friends. They are not CEO's of fortune 500 companies, but they are all in the 6 figures in their mid-30's. They are also all men. I don't blame being female for my own failure, but it didn't help at all. Failure comes from bad choices and bad luck, usually together.
They are not excuses - they are statements of fact based upon years of experience, both my own and those of others I know.
The original question was if I'd know anyone who had an easy career. The people with the traits I listed tend to have it far easier than others. That does not mean that everyone with those traits has it easy - they merely have an edge, not a free pass in life.
I'm sorry you've had the misfortune of working for ignorant and troublesome companies, but that does not invalidate my own experiences: the "beautiful people" with good looks and high charisma are often given a pass in life, and those who have powerful connections never have to fear for their jobs, regardless of whatever stupid decisions they may make.
Almost everyone I've talked to that has had career success say they got their in one of two ways. (Or a combination of the two)
- Luck
- Knowing the Right Person
I can't count the number of individuals I know who got awesome jobs simply because they had a close friend or family member working at the company, the unfortunate fact being the individual was terribly unqualified for the job. It drove me up the wall seeing incompetent new hires come into the company above me just because they had a uncle on the board or something.
Luck is a state of mind. Every single thing that comes into our lives, whether good or bad, is there because of our own thoughts and actions. It may seem unlucky if someone loses a job for no apparent reason, but maybe it was for a reason, maybe it was because another, even better one is waiting for them, but unfortunately they are so hung up on the "bad luck" of losing the job in the first place that they can't see the opportunity right in front of them.
Those who believe in luck as the reason for things happening or not happening are generally not self-aware enough to realize that they make their own choices to get them where they are. Every day we make choices and those choices have consequences whether minor or major. The act of simply blaming things on luck and/or knowing the right person implies that unless you have one of those qualifications you will never get anywhere in life, which is absolutely ridiculous. Have you ever heard of Warren Buffet, John D. Rockefeller, etc?
Most people only take responsibility for the good things that happen in their lives and blame the bad things on "bad luck". People should spend less time blaming their circumstances on luck or whatever else and actually spend more time thinking about the decisions they make on a minute by minute basis.
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