Basic Guide To Getting Most Out Of Your Corporate Career
120: Doing less and getting more.
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Welcome reader! Career-oriented read after a long time. At this point, we are sure that corporate and career material is not as popular as it was back then. The younger generation is waking up, or there have never been more ways to make money. It's hard to say, but it is a mix of both. Being a professional is not as attractive as it used to be. For those listening to our advice? We are bringing you basic and practical advice you could implement starting from tomorrow.
Navigating The Jungle - Basics
Before going any further, read and understand the corporate cheat sheet.
Don't Sleep On 9 to 5: We don’t want to repeat what we already covered in the corporate cheat sheet. At the same time, we never understood the hate 9to5 has received over the last couple of years — the main reason is that we might be in a different position at this point. Another reason could be that we started our journey at a different time when not everyone could crack the code and start making money online. Today, things are different, and we don’t blame anyone for thinking differently. The reason we won’t stop recommending 9to5? Safety net, network, work ethic, skills, predictable income, and understanding of operating under pressure. The reality is that if you spent a few years in a solid career position and were not let go for some critical reason — one that might blacklist you in other companies. There is a huge chance that you will never be in a position where you will not have a predictable income.
The Most Important Resource: There is only one correct answer - it's time. We mention time being precious because it will allow you to think about momentum. Once you start moving things forward, momentum applies to everything — career, fitness, side business, and lifestyle. What you should remember with a career is that you always want to look for performance-based income. Why? Higher pay plus a specific skill set that comes with it. This will also depend on what kind of character you are and what kind of vision you have for yourself. We know a bunch of engineers who never went for performance-based roles, yet they took it easy during their 9to5, which allowed them to start their own business and exit in the end. Others went the start-up route and took equality - technically making it performance-based. Leaving it up to you to decide what’s working for you. Remember — you can’t escape from time. Once you catch the momentum, do everything you can to use it fully. Momentums are limited, and they often go hand in hand with time.
Industry: Another crucial factor in your success. The industry you are operating in affects your ability to achieve large sums of money. Keeping it as practical as possible here. What you want to aim for is the balance between industries that are still growing but have been around for years. The perfect example? Technology and semiconductor sectors. Following this pattern, you should be able to face challenges yet to be solved. Meaning that there are opportunities and money to be made. At the same time, we don't recommend a completely new industry because you will miss the benefits of those who made the hardest steps before you. How can we impact an industry that is growing yet has already been semi-established? First, you want to go to the biggest logo, where the action is happening. Second, you want to specialize as much as possible. Both will be enough to give you space to grow and make a name for yourself. Don’t mind taking risks? A startup game is something you should be thinking about. How beneficial is it for you in the long term, and what can you get out of it? Leaving it up to you to decide. Different games bring different rewards.
Good Organization: Being well organized and having a streamlined schedule is something you must have to get the most out of your day. The time you are giving to your employer is valuable, and those 8 to 10 hours per day accumulate. Your daily schedule must be optimized to achieve big things or make money on the side. Gym? Requires schedule. Work on your side business? Requires schedule. Having a social life? Requires schedule. You won’t have much choice but to become as efficient as possible. Give yourself no excuses for not having enough time to do what you have planned. This might sound funny to some, but it is unsurprising how many people struggle with a schedule and waste their days achieving nothing. Finding out what works for you and sticking to it is the only way to move forward.
Building A Business On A Side: Where all the magic happens. During your corporate career, you will come up with an exit plan and figure out what works for you. Assuming you are not planning on doing this until old age. There is nothing wrong with that except that you are undervaluing your time. Eventually, you will realize your time is worth more than your employer pays. Job hopping would not be advice being preached if it was not true. As you grow in your professional career, start questioning things more. There is an "aha" moment when you realize you are underpaid. Luckily, all those reading us know that the best thing you can do for yourself is to start your business while having a backup in case things go south. By doing that, you are removing the career equation based on time. Whether you operate in a performance-based role, running your business is level above both in terms of effort and rewards. WSP used to preach that you should wait a few years working in a corporation to start your business, allowing you enough time to build skills. We would disagree with that since it has never been easier. Leaving you with zero excuse not to act on it.
Less Money - Higher Efficiency: We could not help but mention it. Things have changed significantly in the last few years, but we have yet to witness fully what is happening. The economic climate is not as good as it was, and everyone having access to AI tools that are 30x more efficient and smarter than average white-collar workers doesn’t help. The idea here is not to spread panic but to warn you. You should do your best to get into the decision role or pursue a specialization that will help you separate from others. Not just that, but also the decision power that cannot be removed. AI tools will not cause a black scenario as everyone is predicting it - they used to say the same about Excel. AI tools will make those who are already productive more productive. Those who have not gotten a chance to become productive in the first place — won’t get it anyway.
No corporation has ever been more loyal to an employee than the market required it to be. - Cory Doctorow
Running Laps In The Jungle
Three-Year Plan: Three years should be enough time to give you a clear picture of what is happening and your current position. This applies to your role, company, and industry. Why are we mentioning this? Because your career should be structured based on those principles. The first year should be about maximum effort and building the reputation — setting up a foundation. The second year in your role should be about understanding what matters and which buttons you should push. To get forward, you want to leverage your free and "slow time" to take advantage of it and focus on building the business up. Time and effort to the market. The third year. It should be about taking it easier and living off the old glory while still enjoying the dividends from your early years. There should be the realization that you should spend more time on your business and that, most times, you are being underpaid. The third year is where you must choose: 1) slower growth and focus on the side business or 2) getting a role in another company or promotion — to get closer to fair market value. Both choices have their positives and negatives. One comes with unpredictability and potential burnout. The other ones come with another year of maximum effort, which means fewer chances of starting your business and losses in other areas. Everyone has a different situation, so there is no correct choice here. What you could do is make sure you understand the practical advice for aspiring business owners and the best business model.
Automation: Those who have been reading us for some time know the importance. For those who are new to this, it is quite simple. You want to automate as much as possible to spend your time on things with better returns. Offload as many cognitive tasks as possible to create a space that will allow you to think and innovate. It is crucial for the quality of life of those who have not started their business. How do you start automating? Create a list of your daily tasks and consider how to automate them. This should be considered as the basics of white-collar work. It has never been easier considering what technology we all have access to. If you don’t know where to start — read Python and how to automate your 9 - 5.
The most efficient way to get an employee to do something is to show them how it benefits them - Jim Barksdale
Social Intelligence: This is one of the most common topics we cover. We can’t avoid mentioning this topic in this context. It’s quite funny because it doesn’t take a genius to realize that social intelligence improves your quality of life across all areas. The career you choose has a huge impact on your social skills — the same way your social skills impact your career. Especially if we are discussing working in the corporate environment and what it takes to win. Learning when to stay quiet, when to agree with nonsense, and when to push is mandatory. Understand the basics, body language, and what is required. How you should view social interaction in such an environment is a good practice for what is coming once you exit your career and go all in on your business. In comparison, it won’t get easier, and you will find the confidence required for a corporate role laughable (how easy it was). The best part about social intelligence is that it is never easier to become better than others. The bar is low, and everyone scrolling TikTok is not doing themselves any favor. One of the most important skills for the future. If you are struggling with social dynamics and understanding them - being optimistic (positive individual) will put you at the top.
Learning Not To Be A People Pleaser: By the second year of your career, you realize who matters and who doesn’t. Those you want to impress and those waiting for your time. Along your journey, you will meet a specific corporate archetype who will do the bare minimum and outsource everything they can to others. As much as you will learn to hate them, the side of the story is that doing what they do is not easy — they are predators. Once you understand what is happening — you can’t be (ab)used anymore. Not only will your subconscious reward you in your corporate career, but this will transfer to everything else in life. After it does, you will wonder why you never paid attention to that stuff and will feel straight-up dumb, not realizing how others abused you and what was happening around you. We all know the most powerful word in the vocabulary. "No".
Maximizing Results In The Jungle
Internship: The basics of a corporate career and maximizing of the same would not make much sense without an internship. The best thing you could do (if you are part of the younger audience) is get an internship in a company with a proven track record. This requires you to know the right people, be a good student, and leave a good impression on those giving you a chance. It’s not an easy job and will require effort from you. What are the benefits of getting an internship early in your career? If it is a big logo that others find impressive — you are set up for life. A way you will leverage an internship is to get a job with another big logo. Not only that, you will also be put on a path that will allow you to develop skills that will make you money in the long run. Two big logos from an early age on your resume means you won’t have any problems building on top of that. Remember, social proof sells. Last but not least? Network. The environment you are in shapes you without you ever realizing it. That is why you always want to surround yourself with wealthy people and those who operate differently from the masses. Leaving you with a lesson from
Staying Close To The Profit Center: The Secret to a good career and a happy corporate life is staying close to the profit center and bringing in what matters most to your employer —money. There are also more chances for all the nice benefits, respect, and others to turn a blind eye to you if things go wrong or you mess it up. Since you bring in the cash, you are the last to leave the company in case things go south. Another positive aspect of staying close to the profit center? There is a higher chance of having a transferable skill set that will benefit you no matter how or where you try to make money. Being close to the profit center is a win-win and something you should consider when looking for your career positioning.
Embracing Technology: Only fools have slept on technology over the past few years - when talking about white-collar workers. There are zero reasons to underestimate what is happening around you and how it affects your life regarding technology. Technology should be embraced, and those who know how to implement it in their workflow save hours while their peers still use the same workflows they used years ago. If you can do something in 30 minutes, there are zero reasons you want to spend 3 hours on it. What you want to do is embrace it and adapt to it.
Sales: Job interview? Sales. Promotion? Sales. Salary raise? Sales. No, we are not talking about tech sales. It is a priceless skill to convince someone that it is in their best interest to do something or proceed with something. It's not just priceless. But skill that will allow you to get the most out of your life. When you put it into perspective, you realize that every interaction with the other side is a transaction. Learning to love interactions (we know we have engineers reading this) and treating them as a practice is a unique life hack that doesn’t get enough attention. If you want to take your career to another level, this is where a huge chunk of your priority should go, and the sooner you realize it, the easier it will be for you to get the most out of it.
Automation is not our enemy if we use it to liberate ourselves from drudgery and focus on what humans do best—thinking creatively and solving big problems. - Daniel Pink
Calculating Risk: A good career requires calculated risk-taking. The more you think about it, the easier it is to realize that there is no opportunity without risk. Want to start a new Uber? It requires effort and sleepless nights. Moving company because you were not satisfied with the salary? Maybe you will not be happy with the new management. You get the point. There is risk involved. What happens if you completely remove the risk? Stagnation is a nice way to put it. The opportunities and risks that come with them must be evaluated. Don't be afraid to do things others won't - think ahead and act accordingly. The younger you are, the more you should be on the risk-taking side. The older you are, the more you should be in the middle between wandering and risk. When should you be fully on the wandering side of life? Never.
Conclusion: We felt we had covered 80% of the basics. Other 20%? Other times, if we get positive feedback on this one - leave out traps and what you should not do for the next time. One way to look at your career is to bundle everything up and think about it in macro terms. Your career and position are the accumulation of everything you have done up to that point, a mix of the risks and opportunities you have given yourself. One of the key lessons you should be working on early in your career is finding out when you should push and take it easy. That is the key to long-term growth and getting the best out of it. This here? We would classify them as basics. One that will allow you to achieve what others around you won’t do. Others? You might classify them as something advanced and unnecessary. Those? They are often not worth your time and will hold you down in the long run.
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