Had my priorities been in order when I graduated, my career compass would have been:
Love what you do.
Love the people you do it with.
Love what you leave behind.
We live in a complicated world, especially when it comes to work. There are usually established, but not hard and fast rules, prerequisites to meet, such as obtaining an education, to begin moving towards your career aspirations. However, even when the prerequisite is met, success is not guaranteed.
Do not expect your degree to be enough.
After graduating from college, I stumbled through my twenties, unsure of myself and my place in the world. At the time, I did not fully grasp who I was or how my Social Science diploma would contribute to my career. Ultimately, I had to figure out the world and the workplace on my own.
Undeniably, the past three years have been tough. The pandemic redesigned student experiences, and social media became more “social” than it was pre-pandemic. You are not the first graduating class to face a world full of turmoil and uncertainty. Imagine graduating in 1942 and months later finding yourself fighting somewhere in Europe or graduating in 2008 amid what is known as The Great Recession.
You have challenges; a tight labour market, widespread layoffs, rapid technological advancement, particularly in artificial intelligence, technology that has the appearance of not being designed to enhance productivity but has an end goal of employee replacement, and hyperinflation making employers rethink how they do business.
Like every graduating class before you, you, and only you, are responsible for your career trajectory, so take full responsibility for it.
Talk to everybody.
Opportunities are all around you; there is just one caveat: they are attached to people.
The adage, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” is more relevant today than it ever was. Networking is the key to attaining a successful career. American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Jim Rohan summed up the importance of cultivating and maintaining a professional network, “Your network is your net worth.”
Recently I came across a troubling headline, Americans More Than Ever Have No Friends. The article’s author, Elizabeth Gilbert, states that Americans are experiencing a “friendship recession.”
Today, many people participate in digital communities but have few real-life relationships. Instead of talking to people, texting has become the norm. Many employees advocate working from home so they can work in isolation. As an escape, binge-watching has become a trend.
Human contact is decreasing as more people use technology to communicate or avoid dealing with their surroundings. As a species, we are rapidly becoming unsociable. Do not be part of this decline!
Do not think you are above anybody. Give someone your undivided attention, and you will be amazed at what you learn. As much as possible, talk to people who have been there and done that. The best conversations I have ever had have been with people who had already travelled the path I was on or were where I wanted to be.
Back to the job search and career thing, I can tell you from experience that opportunities pop up from the most random conversations.
When meeting new people, remember that showing interest is a massive gesture. Place your attention on the other person by asking open-ended questions.
TIP: When meeting someone for the first time, ask yourself, “How can I help this person?”
Do not feel entitled to anything.
Getting rid of any sense of entitlement is imperative; otherwise, you will be holding yourself back trying to fight the fundamental universal truth that the world does not owe you anything, not even to make a living.
PERIOD!
Having a sense of entitlement is a turnoff. Not expecting anything from anyone is how you become an independent adult and earn respect. When you stop feeling entitled, your self-esteem will soar, and you will start upping your game.
Become a person who adds value.
Make “Always add value” your personal mantra.
Employees who contribute measurable (keyword) value are highly regarded and likely to enjoy job security.
Regarding how rapidly AI is emerging, keep a close eye on it! Nobody, not even the Internet talking heads who are suddenly “AI experts,” knows where AI is heading. One thing is certain: Many jobs will be eliminated as employers identify which jobs they can delegate to AI. Hence, avoid positions that AI is likely to be able to do in the future.
Volatile economic conditions coupled with rapid technological advancements have created a job market in flux like never before; hence, my last piece of advice: Never lose sight of your career goals.
Despite all the job market volatility, building a career you love is still possible by focusing on what you are good at while embracing lifelong learning.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A linebacker at Division II West Virginia State was fatally shot during what the university said Thursday is being investigated by police as a home invasion.
The body of Jyilek Zyiare Harrington, 21, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was found inside an apartment Wednesday night in Charleston, police Lt. Tony Hazelett said in a statement.
Hazelett said several gunshots were fired during a disturbance in a hallway and inside the apartment. The statement said Harrington had multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they had no information on a possible suspect.
West Virginia State said counselors were available to students and faculty on campus.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jyilek’s family as they mourn the loss of this incredible young man,” West Virginia State President Ericke S. Cage said in a letter to students and faculty.
Harrington, a senior, had eight total tackles, including a sack, in a 27-24 win at Barton College last week.
“Jyilek truly embodied what it means to be a student-athlete and was a leader not only on campus but in the community,” West Virginia State Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Nate Burton said. “Jyilek was a young man that, during Christmas, would create a GoFundMe to help less fortunate families.”
Burton said donations to a fund established by the athletic department in Harrington’s memory will be distributed to an organization in Charlotte to continue his charity work.
West Virginia State’s home opener against Carson-Newman, originally scheduled for Thursday night, has been rescheduled to Friday, and a private vigil involving both teams was set for Thursday night. Harrington previously attended Carson-Newman, where he made seven tackles in six games last season. He began his college career at Division II Erskine College.
“Carson-Newman joins West Virginia State in mourning the untimely passing of former student-athlete Jyilek Harrington,” Carson-Newman Vice President of Athletics Matt Pope said in a statement. “The Harrington family and the Yellow Jackets’ campus community is in our prayers. News like this is sad to hear anytime, but today it feels worse with two teams who knew him coming together to play.”
DETROIT (AP) — Joe Schmidt, the Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the Detroit Lions win NFL championships in 1953 and 1957 and later coached the team, has died. He was 92.
The Lions said family informed the team Schmidt died Wednesday. A cause of death was not provided.
One of pro football’s first great middle linebackers, Schmidt played his entire NFL career with the Lions from 1953-65. An eight-time All-Pro, he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and the college football version in 2000.
“Joe likes to say that at one point in his career, he was 6-3, but he had tackled so many fullbacks that it drove his neck into his shoulders and now he is 6-foot,” said the late Lions owner William Clay Ford, Schmidt’s presenter at his Hall of Fame induction in 1973. “At any rate, he was listed at 6-feet and as I say was marginal for that position. There are, however, qualities that certainly scouts or anybody who is drafting a ballplayer cannot measure.”
Born in Pittsburgh, Schmidt played college football in his hometown at Pitt, beginning his stint there as a fullback and guard before coach Len Casanova switched him to linebacker.
“Pitt provided me with the opportunity to do what I’ve wanted to do, and further myself through my athletic abilities,” Schmidt said. “Everything I have stemmed from that opportunity.”
Schmidt dealt with injuries throughout his college career and was drafted by the Lions in the seventh round in 1953. As defenses evolved in that era, Schmidt’s speed, savvy and tackling ability made him a valuable part of some of the franchise’s greatest teams.
Schmidt was elected to the Pro Bowl 10 straight years from 1955-64, and after his arrival, the Lions won the last two of their three NFL titles in the 1950s.
In a 1957 playoff game at San Francisco, the Lions trailed 27-7 in the third quarter before rallying to win 31-27. That was the NFL’s largest comeback in postseason history until Buffalo rallied from a 32-point deficit to beat Houston in 1993.
“We just decided to go after them, blitz them almost every down,” Schmidt recalled. “We had nothing to lose. When you’re up against it, you let both barrels fly.”
Schmidt became an assistant coach after wrapping up his career as a player. He was Detroit’s head coach from 1967-72, going 43-35-7.
Schmidt was part of the NFL’s All-Time Team revealed in 2019 to celebrate the league’s centennial season. Of course, he’d gone into the Hall of Fame 46 years earlier.
Not bad for an undersized seventh-round draft pick.
“It was a dream of mine to play football,” Schmidt told the Detroit Free Press in 2017. “I had so many people tell me that I was too small. That I couldn’t play. I had so many negative people say negative things about me … that it makes you feel good inside. I said, ‘OK, I’ll prove it to you.’”
VICTORIA – British Columbia’s Environment Assessment Office has fined Coastal GasLink Pipeline Ltd. $590,000 for “deficiencies” in the construction of its pipeline crossing the province.
The office says in a statement that 10 administrative penalties have been levied against the company for non-compliance with requirements of its environmental assessment certificate.
It says the fines come after problems with erosion and sediment control measures were identified by enforcement officers along the pipeline route across northern B.C. in April and May 2023.
The office says that the latest financial penalties reflect its escalation of enforcement due to repeated non-compliance of its requirements.
Four previous penalties have been issued for failing to control erosion and sediment valued at almost $800,000, while a fifth fine of $6,000 was handed out for providing false or misleading information.
The office says it prioritized its inspections along the 670-kilometre route by air and ground as a result of the continued concerns, leading to 59 warnings and 13 stop-work orders along the pipeline that has now been completed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
