Career Myths and Pitfalls to Avoid

 

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Note: I'm writing this primarily as a reminder/advice to myself. Posting in public is just in case anyone else finds it helpful.

Myth 1: You focus on your work and you will be taken care of.

I have been in situations where this was a truth and also in situations where it was not. Instead of assuming it to be some gospel truth, it is better to check frequently who (if anyone) is looking out for you.

Myth 2: Setup for failure + pep talk = Setup for success

Since when did icing on cow dung make it a cake? But people will sell you such cakes. Ignore the icing, pay attention to the cake. Stop being in denial.

Myth 3: Everything you do in an organization adds up.

Not always. You can find yourself in square one after many years. Shocking but true. Possibility of black-holes is real.

Myth 4: Organizations hire and keep you for your strengths.

Organizations can be surprisingly clueless about your strengths, let alone using it for creating meaningful impact. It's possible that you are incessantly utilized as (wo)man Friday for myopic/tactical tasks deemed urgent but of no long term value.

It's on you to figure out the right organization for you and not on the organization to find out the right work for you.

Pitfall 1: When you are given higher roles and responsibilities without equivalent organizational position/recognition.

This indicates one of two things - they don't care about you or they don't care about the role. Both are dangerous. Attempts to perform the role without being equipped/setup sufficiently will cause pain, misery and failure.

You will not ask a nurse to operate on a patient. If you truly believe the nurse is capable, you will accept, and treat her as a surgeon first.

Pitfall 2: Your success and growth depends on the success of what you are building but you don't decide what you build.

Someone else does.

This is deadly because you can get set on the wrong path and sometimes not get a path at all. The result is frustration and disappointment.

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If it's all sounding gloomy, let me end on a positive note. One of my manager once told me: "Look there is more to life than career."

He is right. I don't feel good about my career but I feel fantastic about life itself. I wouldn't trade one bit of my spiritual life for anything else.

As far as career is concerned, I want to learn from my mistakes and do things differently and get a better experience. Life is good.