How to Find the Right Job for Different Stages in Your Life
As we age, we work through different stages of our careers. We have different needs, and we should choose work according to those needs. Otherwise, we are fighting against our natures, which will sabotage our efforts.
In order to find out more about choosing jobs that work better for different stages of our lives, we spoke to Philippe Warnery. Warnery earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Montpellier in 1994. In two short years, Warnery was the Trade Manager for Yves Saint Laurent.
Warnery has also worked for LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE as their key account director. He has held prominent posts in Japan and in Singapore. In Singapore, he served the regional travel director of retail travel for Estée Lauder for the Clinique brand. He moved his way up to senior vice president, general manager at Estée Lauder, moving from New York to Canada.
The following are some of Philippe’s tips based on his varied experience and the ups and downs of his storied career.
Learning Humility –
In order to be a better manager, employee or just a better human being, it really is essential for young adolescents and adults to work at some menial job. Everyone needs to have the opportunity to clean a toilet, sweep the floor, tend a cash register and deal with angry customers.
One of the big reasons for taking a low-wage and low-skill job early on is to learn respect for those who may have such jobs for the rest of their lives. If you have stood all day at a Walmart and your feet hurt, you will understand later in life how people who don’t have all of the same advantages feel, and you will likely have a lot more respect for them. As a manager, you will be better able to see things through the employee’s perspective and find ways to seek a middle ground.
Also, Monster.com suggests that seeking a variety of low-wage jobs helps us learn about different career fields before we are required to jump in the deep end and declare a field of interest.
Internships –
Hopefully, you will spend some of your time in college interning in your field. You will learn just as much, if not more, from this experience about how your field works. In some professions, such internships are really the only way one can expect to be hired after college.
College students who have not worked in their field are often shocked and disappointed that they have not learned essential skills to help them succeed in their field in their college coursework. A prime example is the teaching profession. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 50 percent of all new teachers leave the profession within the first five years of their career. Often, the reason is that their coursework did not adequately prepare them for the rigors of actual teaching and classroom management. Even their time spent as a student teacher is frequently inadequate to prepare them for all of the decisions they must make throughout the day.
Early Career Professional –
When you have completed college and your internships, it is time to get a job in your field where you are surrounded by mentors who can help you learn the ropes. They will help you learn from your mistakes as well as from your successes. Because you need mentors in the early stages of your career, Glassdoor suggests that you choose your boss wisely.
Advanced Training –
If you are happy in your career choice and are succeeding, there will come a time when you are ready for advanced training and added roles and responsibilities. Maybe you will take on a more rigorous job, work on committees that solve problems at your workplace, pursue your master’s degree or train to become a manager.
Utilize Your Advanced Skills –
Hopefully, your company is grooming you for greater roles and responsibilities. Otherwise, you will need to move on if your present company will not allow you to utilize your new-found skills. These skills will atrophy if you do not get to use them. The modern workplace has made a seismic shift, and it’s now commonplace for the best and brightest employees to seek a new role with a different company as a means of earning sought after promotions.
Mentor Others –
Eventually, you will have mastered all of these advanced skills. At this point, it will be satisfying to mentor others and teach them from your well of insights. You might become a trainer.
Inc. Magazine reminds us that mentoring others is a means of giving back and showing gratitude for what we have received from others.
By the way, professional development is forever. No one can know everything about their profession. It is simply not possible. If you think that today, you are already beginning to stagnate professionally.
Become an Entrepreneur –
When you have advanced skills in your field and are at the top of your game, Glassdoor suggests that you might want to consider being your own boss and starting your own company in your field. This could mean doing what you have been for years, or it could mean launching a consulting enterprise.
The Big Caveat –
Sadly, there was a huge mistake that many educators were urged to make as the last two generations worked their way through the public school system. They were taught to give everyone a gold star, even when they did not deserve it. So, we have an entire younger generation that did not understand the hard work they would need in order to succeed in any field.
Literally, there are young people out there in the workplace who are disappointed and discouraged if they, as new career professionals, are not being considered for advanced roles within a few months. This is a truly sad situation.
Thus, the caveat is that this list of career stages is not going to happen in a matter of months. This growth pattern happens over many years, and it takes strong attention and reflection upon your performance at work every day. When you are taking coursework, you need to find ways of applying what you are learning in your present situation. Only application of the learning and working out the kinks will help you to grow in your field.
Philippe Warnery hopes that we all carefully consider where we are in our career cycle and choose jobs that support our current level of expertise.
