A few weeks ago, Kari wrote a very thoughtful entry titled “Things I Wish I Had Known in My 20s“, which I linked to from this blog. Kenny left a comment on my blog that, as someone in his early twenties just entering the workforce, he had hoped there would be some career advice.
I’ve spent the past few weeks mulling over the lessons I’ve learned in twenty years of working and would like to share these things I wish I had known when I started working. Of course, I don’t claim that it is comprehensive. What things do you wish you had known when you started working?
Lessons About Myself
I am responsible for my own growth and development. My manager, the training organization and HR are all resources to help me, but ultimately I am the responsible party.
As such, I should always be learning. Learn from each situation: ask what went well and what could be done better next time and then apply the lessons.
Step up and volunteer for things. Timid and shy people who are afraid of new assignments and more work, are the ones who miss out on the opportunities.
Manage expectations. “Under-promise and over-deliver”, as they say. By setting realistic expectations with others, I avoid some of the the stress of trying to meet unrealistic deadlines. That doesn’t mean that I won’t have tough deadlines to meet, but at least they won’t be tough deadlines of my own making.
Lessons About Companies
Yes, it is my job and yes, I am paid to do that. My job is to help the company succeed and as long as I am not breaking any laws or violating company policies, then I’ll enjoy greater success by doing it, even if the task is outside my normal job description.
“Up” isn’t the only way to get ahead. Lateral moves and moves into other parts of the organization can sometimes be better for my long-term prospects than standard promotions. Consider alternate routes to get where I want.
Sometimes it is better to have to wait for a promotion. Each time I didn’t get a promotion, I took the opportunity to be much better prepared for it when it I did finally get it. As a result, I always performed very well in my new role. Had I been promoted before I was really ready, I would have struggled and possibly failed.
Lessons About Customers
Treat customers the way I want to be treated as a customer. I had a manager who was an expert at empathizing with customers. No matter how angry the customer, she won them over and made them feel that she was on their side. She did the by treating them with respect and caring and by truly listening to them.
Related to that, I wish I had known that I can’t “win” an argument with a customer. While there may be customers I choose not to do business with, feeling any sense of satisfaction after trouncing a customer in an argument is pointless. What have I won? I have lost their business and have sullied my company’s reputation.
Lessons About Managers
Offer solutions, not problems. If I notice a problem or opportunity, think of at least one possible solution before approaching my manager. That way, I am welcomed as someone who brings solutions rather than being someone my manager regrets seeing at her door.
Managing and doing aren’t the same thing. I was a great widget maker but when I became the manager of the widget makers, I discovered that it required a new set of skills. Remember this when criticizing a manager or “the big wigs in HQ”. Remember this also before gunning for a promotion to a management or supervisory position.
Make my manager look good. Even if my manager isn’t perfect or has major flaws, trying to make him look bad will only reflect poorly on me and my entire team. My first manager was a tremendous a**hole and I almost quit because of him. But I decided I wouldn’t leave on his account. Sure enough, a few months later he had been fired and I went on to enjoy a very good 15 years with the company.
Lessons About Coworkers and Vendors
Treat everyone as a customer. When I respond to people with a “How can I help you?” attitude, I don’t necessarily get any additional work, but I do get the appreciation of coworkers and vendors who feel like I am a nice person and someone who helps them rather than hinders them.
Related to that, success in business (and maybe life as a whole) is based on good relationships and strong networks. Treating people well – not bullying, intimidating, yelling, name-calling or back-stabbing them – paves the road to success. Because, sure enough, at some point in the future that “little person” I treated well will hold the key to a door through which I want to enter.
Lessons About Retirement
Start investing in my 401(k) or other retirement savings from day one. Even if I can only afford to invest a small amount – even $20 a month – it is better to get into the habit from the very beginning. The benefits of compound interest and time (forty or more years until retirement) can only accrue if I start saving. I’ve done well with this, but wish I had started much earlier.
Reviewing these, I feel like there are plenty more things I could share, but these are the most critical ones that, had I known them on March 17, 1987 when I entered the workforce, life would have been a whole lot easier and working a whole lot more enjoyable.
What additional advice would you give Kenny?
christao408 
Exellent post. Thanks!
Cool! A lot of us need these lessons, especially those who are just out into the workforce. No, I did not just step into the workforce.
i’m glad you wrote this. i know what you mean with so much of this, deffinetely things i’ve learned. it’s great to see a meaningful blog.
I’d have to add that it’s ok to vent about work, but once you’re done to not discuss it again. It also helps if you can laugh about it later. I work in retail and people there can really irk my nerves. I continue to treat them with respect, even when they disrespect me but afterwards I do vent. It prevents me from taking it to the next person and from getting upset later on. I find blogging about it helps too.
Thanks for sharing. I find it very useful and hopefully i wont forget to apply it in my life. =) i welcome any advices coming my way
this is a very nice blog– not to mention good tips that everyone should always know and keep in mind.sadly though, lots of people like yelling at their managers, or making them look bad, but it is most definitely true that in the end the person will only end up making themselves look bad.unless everyone else in the office/workforce agrees that the manager sucks, but it still looks bad, though some people (as i’ve heard a couple times before) cheered for the yeller. ><but props to you for keeping at your work and a cool head, and seeing a while after that that manager got fired, and having a successful work. (:especially, do not vent out at work. so many people have made that horrible mistake that nearly cost them their jobs. @_@but yes; wonderful blog. (:
passing by…what do u mean by HR? all i can think of is human rights…but of course it doesnt make sense here.
definitely be keeping this is mind in the coming years. thanks.
@christao408 – Once again, thanks for the lessons.
I just can’t understand “personal growth and development” in the context of a corperate structure.
It’s a bit of an oxymoron, isn’t it?
The corperation exists soley for the benefit of itself and if they ever wanted to cut costs, they’d drop you like a bad prom date.
I always see your blog.I am looking forward to renewal of your blog. Please take a look my site, if it’s possible.
@dropsofjupiterihh – Excellent suggestions and thanks for adding them to the discussion. I don’t get it when people complain about their job. There are millions of jobs out there. If you don’t like the one you are in, go find oneyou do like.
@Mista2Silent – Excellent. I’m glad you’ve found “rules” like these to be helpful in your career. Thanks for visiting my site.
@MsReesa – @XXKimPossibleXX – @JayTrinh – @Desert_Eagle_AE – @barbbbb – @lala_land86 – Thanks for your kind comments on my post. I’m glad you found the information interesting and useful. Thanks also for stopping by. Cheers!
@sandelion23 – Sandy, thanks. I’ve aspired to Xanga Featuredom ever since you were featured the first time. All I’ve ever wanted is to have your kind of fame. LOL!
@hislilarmybrat – Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation. You’re totally right: it is okay to vent and complain. We need to get things off our chest. The key is – as you mention – once you’ve vented, get over it and moe on.
@GotMango_15 – Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation. Glad you liked the entry. Cheers!
@VoiceOfPatriots – Thanks for stopping by. Sorry for abbreviating. HR in this context is Human Resources. I should have not assumed that everyone would get that. Cheers!
@dcballer12188 – Thanks for stopping by; glad you liked the entry. Best of luck in your carreer. Cheers!
@lotta_valdez – Hi there – thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation. I don’t think that personal growth and development in a corporate context is an oxymoron at all. Think about it this way: you hire an employee, which means you’ve already expended a lot of time, energy and money in finding and training the person for their new job. It is in your interest as an employer to continue to develop that employee and give them the opportunity to learn new skills, perform at a higher level, and advance through the company.
I also don’t find it an oxymoron based on my own personal experience. People spend more time working than they do in any other single part of their life, except possibly sleeping. If you aren’t learning new things, gaining new experiences, and growing during that 2,080+ hours a year, then you’re wasting your time. Just my opinion, of course. When companies start trimming headcount, they usually keep the most experienced and most skilled employees. Possibly some exceptions in a unionised environment, but generally that is true.
Thanks again for contributing to the conversation. Cheers!
@出会い喫茶 – Hi there. Thanks for reading my blog and leaving a comment. I checked out your site and I’m sorry to say that I don’t read Japanese. Cheers!
This is such great advice that I’ll definitely be practicing when I enter Corporate America. I am actually 26, but I’ve been a perpetual student my entire life and have never held a “real” job before. (I always interned or worked in academic settings, which are very different from corporate offices.) I’m anxious about finally entering the workforce when I graduate, so thank you for offering such pearls of wisdom.
I just finished my internship. I will saw it is God’s will, but I did not get an offer. However, I am going to leave being a more mature person. I have grown professionally, technically, and mentally.Your article touched on many great points and I will have them posted somewhere so I can be reminded everyday.Thank you!
very awesome attitude of constant learning. big ups!
I am graduating this year and will be working as an intern from this September. Its great to know so many things from your blog! It will definitely be a help for me!nice one!
Here’s one I had to learn the very hard way:Don’t become bff with your boss. It is too easy to do when you work in small companies, but in the long run it is a HORRIBLE thing. When I left my previous job, I had someone there who was telling me what my boss was saying about me. Horrible, personal things and things that she KNEW weren’t true. (and things that she would have 100% gotten fired for) This was a woman in her 30’s, acting like a 15 year old. (I seriously contemplated taking action against her, but did not want to drag my source into it since they are still with the company, just in a different place now) The job I am at now..I don’t know a thing about anyone I work with, and I like it that way.I’ve also worked with someone who just couldn’t understand why all her customers were rude to her or asked for someone else. She was rude to begin with, and even if it wasn’t every day, the customers remembered that experience.I’ve worked in customer service for 6 years now. People are going to be rude NO MATTER WHAT you do. It’s not your fault. Especially at one job I had working with sick people, they are the meanest!!!!!! I was having a horrible day one day (didn’t feel well, my gma had just been put in the hospital), it was right around lunch time and this guy just snapped at me about his wife’s bill or something. I calmly explained it to him several times and finally couldn’t help it, I just started crying and walked off. He apologized to my boss several times (he didn’t know what I was going through) and was the nicest man that came through there after that! :)Also, EVERY SINGLE PERSON ALIVE SHOULD HAVE TO WORK IN A RESTAURANT. I’m not even kidding. They are the rudest second only to sick people. I have SO many stories I can’t even choose just one. I really wish it was a requirement though.
FANTASTIC ENTRY! I loved it! Very wise advice!~~Mary~~
Congrats on being featured, Chris! =D
good info, wish i knew about all this 10 years ago. good job.
@christao408 – ah i see. not ur prob, it’s just that i’m not used to thinking in that aspect. i’m a science and human rights person…so when i saw that it just struke me there and blocked out all the other possibilities. 😛
What about “Don’t stick with a company that doesn’t treat you respectfully”I’ve had managers come down hard on me for not being able to pick up an extra shift, even if I’d already picked up one or two that week. Everyone deserves to be recognized for their hard work, not just given even MORE work.
I most definately need to start saving up.good post! =]
Congratulations on the featured weblog! I am the first Xangan to recommend this weblog entry. Now you know that I meant business when I said: “I am older but not wiser than you. I will recommend this weblog entry.” I was sincere when I said this.
Congratulations on the featured weblog! I am the first Xangan to recommend this weblog entry. Now you know that I meant business when I said: “I am older but not wiser than you. I will recommend this weblog entry.” I was sincere when I said this.
Good tips. I’m only 18 and I’ve been working since I was 16. And I’ve experienced a lot of this. I don’t, however, put money into retirement. I put it into a college fund.
@spiritedsherry – Thanks for the nice words; I’m glad you consider these pearls of wisdom. I hope they are some help to you when you do enter the workforce.
@aznguyjeremy – I’m glad that you found them useful. No doubt, if the internship didn’t lead to a permanent position, it is because something better is coming. Cheers!
@mooks_dayoo – Thank you for your kind words and thanks for stopping by the site. Cheers!
@introvertdreams – @Pawleeen – @wewong – @two_days_until_forever – Thanks for your nice words. I’m glad you enjoyed the entry. Cheers!
@sadlypoetic – Thanks for adding so much to the discussion. You make some really good points, especially around the idea that there are going to be rude people out there – that’s just a fact of life – and we have to decide how we’re going to respond to them. If we are rude towards others, even if they are rude first, we’ll only get rudeness back from them. Thanks again!
@La_dolce_vida – Thanks, Kari. Was just trying to follow in your footsteps, considering how I borrowed your winning format!
@flann00 – Thanks for commenting. Glad to see you’ve already had the opportunity to start seeing these lessons in action at such a young age. Of course, it makes perfect sense that your savings are for college rather than retirement. Once you finish school, though, start contributing towards your future! Cheers!
@The_Melancholy – Thanks for adding to the conversation. You have a really good point about being respected. I’d like to add one thing that may sound cliche, but is true: companies don’t respect or disrespect people; people do. If you’ve had a manager who you feel wasn’t respectful, is it the manager him/herself or the company’s culture as a whole?
When I first started working, my boss was a very disrespectful ass, swearing and demeaning employees. He pushed me to the point of quitting, until I realized that the problem was him. Not me, not the company, but his attitude. It didn’t take long before his behavior got him fired and I went on to many more years of good experiences.
Now, it may be that for you, leaving the company was the best choice. But I’d generally caution people against equating the actions of individual people with a company as a whole, unless we’re talking the CEO of Enron! Cheers!
@choyshinglin – You are a truly the spotter and starter of trends. I will never doubt you! =)
You are taking the job a little too seriously. The way you describe your job, it sounds as though you are doing customer service/retail. That’s fine, but do you really plan to work at this company for the rest of your life? If you do, keep up the brown nosing. If not, chill a little bit. The people who keep their jobs are the ones who don’t give a fuck. It’s like dating. Guys are attracted to girls who act like they could care less, and employers promote slackers. Have you ever seen “Office Space?” I know that is just a movie, but it really hits the nail on the head in the way that it portrays the corporate atomosphere.
Those are all good things to learn.You are never too old to learn and grow more.Great entry.
@Rainbow_Brite_Beth – What a funny response. Thanks for adding a bit of levity to the conversation. I don’t necessarily plan on working for this company for the rest of my life, although I have already been there going on nine years and plan on many more. The thing is, a lot of success in business and in life is achieved through networking, building connections with people even as you move through different companies and even industries.
Treating people well and learning to communicate with them is hardly brown nosing. Far from taking the job too seriously, having those great connections with others makes the job a lot more fun and makes it easier to be successful at it.
“Office Space” and “Dilbert” are both a lot of fun, but neither of them fairly represent the companies I’ve worked for, nor the people I’ve worked with. Sorry if you have yet to find a place to work that you enjoy. Thanks again for your comment.
@EuphoriaUnplugged – Thanks for commenting. I’m glad you enjoyed the entry. Cheers!
You ar my favorite person, and for this i love you.
@christao408 – yeah, she was horrible! she never got anything done, she would slack off, trying on clothes and flirting with the guys, unless the general manager was there and would make us do a ton of stuff in a small timeframe, including things she was supposed to do herself. it sucked hardcore.