Recently, I had an opportunity to provide counsel for a young friend of mine about possible career goals and expectations. I talked for an hour or so about being a Realtor, and the various paths you can take within real estate. As I poured out the information, I also thought back to when I was his age (30-ish) and trying to find my way towards an early retirement and the "Good Life". I thought about what advice I had received, and how hardly any of the advice had actually worked out, and decided to set my thoughts down for anyone considering "climbing the ladder".
Non-Truism #1 - Work hard and you will be rewarded with promotions, additional income or other material factors.This is number one on the list for many reasons. It should be re-worded to "work hard and you will not be fired".
There was a time when hard work was a requirement for promotion or bonuses. When if you out-worked the other guy, you would be chosen for advancement. This was true when companies had loyalty to their employees, and companies hired from within their own work force. It is a principle that helped the entire country grow as a result of confidence in one's own future, and caused those who believed in it to plan their lives around a personal conviction that good, hard work will provide for a person and their family. Companies actually wanted you to stay and work until you retired. They provided pension plans, family picnics, and other loyalty-building activities for their employees. Working for a company meant that you had an extended family that you could rely on for help and assistance in times of need. Chances were the boss knew your name, your spouse's name and at least how many children you had.
What we have now no longer reflects anything of the nurturing company of yore. Companies provide jobs with no career paths attached to them. Your job is where they put you and expect you to stay forever. You can not expect to grow with the company, or expect that your hard work will be rewarded with a promotion or bonuses. There is no company loyalty, because there is nothing that the company can provide that doesn't cost the shareholders points on their returns. Your worth to the company is only the work product that you put out today. If your boss is moving up, retiring or otherwise leaving the position, chances are that the person who fill's the vacant position will come from outside the company. Working hard allows you to keep your position when a "downsizing" occurs so that you can take on more work than you had before without additional compensation. Your continued employment is to be considered your reward for putting in long hours and coping with the additional workload. Companies no longer consider experience an asset, and they don't want to acknowledge that the more experience you have, the more valuable you are.
There was a time when a person would be considered a hiring risk if they had more than 1 job in two years. This is also a consideration when a person is applying for a mortgage. I have recently met many people who have held up to 5 jobs in 3 years. When asked why they changed jobs so frequently, the answer is nearly always the same: "I couldn't move up in the job that I had, so I took another that either paid more or had better benefits or both".
There is no company loyalty, so why should a person be loyal to a company? Working hard only gets you a little experience to enable you to change companies for a better job. This encourages a mindset that is now preventing middle management to change companies instead of looking within a company for opportunities. Benefits are dwindling and morale is in the toilet.
Without the possibility of a secure future, how is a person supposed to cope? What are the rules supposed to be now?
