How can I advance my career faster? How can I develop more influence and raise my importance within my company? How can I increase my salary?
These are questions that I hear my engineering colleagues say all the time.
Unfortunately, when it comes to career wisdom, there is an issue in America. Unless you read a lot of career and personal development books or literally invest in a career coach, you may never discover the things you can do around the workplace to accelerate your career.
The premise behind this post comes from Cal Newport’s “So Good They Can’t Ignore You,” where he says, “If your goal is to love what you do [and have a good career], you must first build up ‘career capital’ by mastering rare and valuable skills, and then cash in this capital for the traits that define great work.”
And not only is this self-serving — but your company will thrive because of this approach. Your colleagues will recognize you and you will feel more connected to them. Your boss may even tell you how great a job you are doing — maybe, right? And if you can garner these skills, you can command higher pay along your career journey.
