The Personal Finance Playbook

I feel like I’m always receiving career advice…and I love it.  I love hearing people tell me what their perspective is on how to be successful in this world, whether it’s based on something they have done or something they would do a bit differently if they could take it back.  I like hearing this advice, because I’m still sort of trying to figure out where I’m trying to go and how I’m going to get there.  I like hearing other people’s insights.  Advice is usually very hard to take.  People giving it were typically in different situations than you were, in different time periods, perhaps with different goals and values.

For instance, one distinction Penelope Trunk makes (again and again) between Baby Boomers and Generation Y, is that Generation Y job hops, while Baby Boomers would be more likely to stay at the same time for their entire career.  So with regard to when and how to move jobs, a Baby Boomer’s advice might be skewed toward his or her own experience.

I got a piece of advice from an experienced attorney when I was still a law student.  He said, (and I paraphrase), “Early in your career, get on your feet as much as you possibly can.”  He meant as a lawyer, the early experience you get standing up and talking in court, for whatever reason, will help you for the rest of your career.  Getting on your feet in court is scary when you’re young and inexperienced (I would know).  It pushes you outside your natural comfort zone.  Being pushed out of your natural comfort zone is good for your career and personal growth.

This week, I’m at a trial training seminar that’s actually pretty intense.  I’ve spent a lot of time on my feet, in a courtroom, in front of real judges, doing openings, closings, directs and crosses.  It’s been a good experience.

Obviously, not everyone that reads this blog is a lawyer.  As far as a I know, most of my readers aren’t lawyers.  So ‘get on your feet’ might not be excellent advice for you at this point of your life.  You’ll have to figure out what getting on your feet is in your chosen profession.  What experiences scare you that can help you learn things you need to know to get where you want to go?

I think the key is that you need to do things that are difficult.  You need to step outside your comfort zone on a regular basis.  You need to keep learning.  Turn your weaknesses into competencies, and your talents into legitimate strengths.  That’s all I’ve got for today.  I need to prepare for tomorrow’s closing argument;)  Thanks for reading.

The Personal Finance Playbook was included in this weeks Money Hacks Carnival posted over at the Money Beagle.  Money Beagle is a good personal finance blog.  Check it out while you’re over there.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Careers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.