INVESTING IN YOUR FUTURE
I’ve been told a thousand times that you should sacrifice a little bit of dollar on your paycheck if it means you’ll get good training. This isn’t a step backwards, but instead an investment for future roles. Yes, your lacking salary may mean you get major FOMO when you can’t casually go and spend £100 on tickets to see Drake like your more wealthy friends, but by the time you’re in a secure, high-end role because of what you’re learning now, you’ll have enough money to book a flight to to Canada and see him there. Slow and steady wins the race, so take this time to be humble with your lifestyle in order to reap the benefits later on.
BUILDING CONTACTS
Network, network, network. Good grief, I cannot stress this enough. Throughout my entire career, I’ve used every opportunity I can as a way to meet people. Could I just be a social butterfly? Maybe. Is it working for me? More than you could ever imagine. Though some people find it easier to talk to new people than others do, a good connection can get you a very far way. I’m not talking about going for coffee every Tuesday morning for a weekly chinwag, but making a bit of effort when messaging/calling/meeting connections will not go unnoticed. For example, have you ever wanted a new role and seen someone who has taken the exact path you’d like to take? Connect with them on LinkedIn with a personalised message. The worst they can do is reject it, the best they could do is give you valuable insight to how they got to where they are today and how you can do the same - it really is that easy.
DEVELOPING NEW SKILLS
Do you stick your nose up at a low paid jobs because your pals are making a good few extra grand in theirs? You may think you ‘deserve’ a higher pay because that’s now your so called norm, but old Frankie boy with the huge starting salary may still be stuck in that dead end role in 5 years time, whereas little Paddy with the less than desired salary to begin with is now set to become Director, with a six figure sum comfortably in his pocket. If you genuinely want to learn the hardcore way of what is required from a business, joining a startup should definitely be considered. The pay may be low and the risk high, but the growth and progression opportunities will be through the roof. Trust in your own ability to learn and build something from scratch that you can call your own, rather than becoming a cog in the works of a bigger operation.
