There have been several points in my career where I’ve been asked to give career advice to others. I’m lucky. My relatively successful, non-traditional career path perhaps incorrectly suggests I can offer meaningful insights. What I can offer is insight into my own career approach which, given the circumstances I have found myself in, seemed to have served, and surprised me.
That said, I’ve noticed that there are typically three conventional pieces of advice.
Advice #1: Follow Your Passion
The first is that you should follow your passion. With this advice you’re expected to follow what you love to do, whether that is knitting or playing computer games and create a career out of that particular activity. There’s some personal reward to following this advice.
Advice #2: Do What You’re Good At
The second is that you should not follow your passion, but instead connect what you’re good at with what others need. I really think there’s something quite thoughtful about this advice. Typically those things that you’re good at you’re also interested in. So passion is a byproduct (or pre-product) of skill.
Advice #3: Do What Pays Well
The third is mostly survivalist (or if I can create a word, thrivalist). It advises that individuals should do what pays the most with the assumption that wealth solves the problem of personal satisfaction and happiness. Typically this advice comes from loving parents with the best intentions, encouraging their kids to focus on hardwork and climbing the well defined ladders of success. Again, this advice also has a lot of merit.
The Vice of Advice
The advice above is often given while casting aspersions on the other two. The thing about career advice is that it rarely applies to everyone equally. Given advice often generalize principles without granting concession to individual uniqueness. Perhaps even more profoundly, career advice rarely acknowledges the role of luck in producing success – the right timing, right right place, the right family, the right schooling, the right level of competence.
Needless to say, I generally don’t like to give career advice based on any of those noted above. While I think they all have some validity, I also appreciate the variabilities in success. Instead, I think in terms of behaviour, approach, and attitude.
Alternative Advice #4: Be Curious, Largely Ignore the Rest
After thinking through my own career path, I find one consistent element: curiosity. At every stage of my career, I’ve let my curiosity carry me into my next role. The critical question has always been, what of the things I’m exposed to right now do I want to learn more about and build skills doing? Cross-functional dabbling has been a career strategy for me.
Cross-Functional Dabbling
Some people might call this learning. They’re right with one qualification. I’m learning in the context of those career areas I’m currently exposed to. For example, a long time ago, I was hired to write proposals in response to big public Request for Proposals (RFP). Having finished a Master’s degree in English, I had the capacity to write. I enjoyed writing proposals – for a while. But where others mihgt let boredom creep in, I let curiosity take over. Unrequested, I started doing contractual analysis and sending it to the Legal department along with the other RFP notes I already provided. I did my research; I researched contract law; I took the time to understand not only what each provision meant, but it’s impact on my company. The analysis reflected this. About four months later, I joined the Legal team as their RFP and Contract Analyst.
While it might appear that I was trying to get hired by the legal team, I wasn’t. I was just curious about contracts. So the most natural thing for me to do was to simply follow that.
Proof in Progression
Every movement in my career has been exactly the same. Contract analysis made me curious about the interpersonal part of contract negotiation. So I started negotiating contracts. Contract negotiation made me curious about the application of effective tools to make negotiation more effective and adherence more accessible. So I started doing operations. Operations made me curious about bigger picture team strategy and organization which brought me to an executive team function. So I started organizing team efforts across the legal function.
So, while it’s not the most traditional advice, my advice to others has always been: follow your curiosity. For me, I know no other way. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s OK. But following this (loose) advice has one thing going for it. In the worst case scenario, I can promise you, you’ll enjoy yourself in the process.
