An Excellent Career Planning Article, Highly Recommended!

This article tells you how to choose a career, how to change jobs, how to face adversity, and how to grow in the workplace. Netizens have called it "the best career planning article I've ever seen." It may not make you a top figure, but it clearly tells you how to become an excellent ordinary person. In fact, most of us are ordinary. Choosing a Career Career choices, in general, are nothing more than a few major categories: sales, marketing, customer service, logistics, administration, human resources, finance, technology, and management. An interesting phenomenon is that among Fortune 500 CEOs, the most come from sales backgrounds, and the second most come from finance backgrounds; together they account for over 95%. In the modern IT industry, there are also those who become bosses from technical backgrounds, but in reality, they later engaged in a lot of sales and marketing work and performed well, which led to the company's success. There are almost no bosses who rely solely on technical ability. This is because sales is a discipline of dealing with people, and management is also a discipline of dealing with people. There are many similarities between the two, and their common goal is "to get others to do specific things." Finance, on the other hand, understands the essence of business from the numerical level, viewing the essence of business from a macro perspective, and has the deepest understanding of whether a business is profitable and can operate normally. When a company is small, sales dominates; when it is large, finance dominates. The limitation of sales is that it only looks at human relationships, not numbers; the limitation of finance is that it only looks at numbers, not human relationships. In the early stages of a company, operating costs are low, and with orders, it can survive. There are no conditions for negotiation with customers; if others are willing to give you business, you are already grateful. At this time, orders and customer requirements override everything, so of course, you need to consider human relationships. When the company grows, everything must be standardized to avoid unnecessary risks caused by non-standard practices. At the same time, operating costs rise, and profit margins must be increased, putting limited funds into the most productive areas. For listed companies, shareholders don't care whether your customers have recently gone abroad or whether a province is cracking down; when the time comes, you must show performance, or they will sell the stock. At this point, numbers override everything. A few days ago, I heard someone say something that made sense: at the beginning, we think "what can we do?" When the company grows and has scale, we think "what can't we do?" Many people wonder why their leaders are so conservative, saying this can't be done and that can't be done, missing many opportunities. Often it's because you are young and think about "what can be done," while as a company leader, you have to consider many aspects and are more concerned about "what can't be done." I am not advocating that everyone go into sales or finance. The choice of career is related to the kind of life you want to lead. Some people like to go home on time, read books, and listen to music; that's fine, but it's not suitable for a sales job, otherwise, it would be torment. Some people like to be in the spotlight and be the center of a group; if they choose finance, they probably won't last long, because generally, bosses don't like overly proactive or talkative finance staff. First, think about what kind of life you want to lead, then decide what kind of career to pursue. Many unhappiness stems from dissatisfaction, and dissatisfaction often stems from an unsettled mind, which in turn is because you don't know what you really want. Not knowing what you want results in wanting everything, and in the end, getting nothing. I think we work for life, not live for work. Life is the most important thing; work is just a part of life. I always feel that all aspects of life affect each other. If life itself is a mess, work won't go smoothly. So you need entertainment, socializing, exercise, and a harmonious family... Most importantly, be happy. My two salespeople came to chat with me, full of complaints. I asked them, "Two years ago, you had nothing: low salary, no customer relationships, no performance, on the verge of being fired. Now you are much better off than then, so why are you more unhappy? If the better you do, the more unhappy you are, then why do you work?" First and foremost, you need to make yourself happy and adjust your mindset. This genuine change will make you more patient, more confident, more charismatic, and more tolerant... Otherwise, look at yourself in the mirror; are you satisfied? Some might say, "That's easy for you to say. I work overtime every day; if I don't, my boss will fire me. I'm exhausted every day; how can I have time for entertainment, socializing, and exercise?" That's because people set their goals too high. If you are on the verge of being fired, you certainly can't set high goals. Do you expect to play golf every day? You don't have time to go to the gym, but you can walk a few more steps on the way to and from work, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and do neck stretches, shoulder rolls, and push-ups during work breaks. Who says exercise must be two hours a day at the gym? You don't have time for socializing, but you can go on a monthly outing, join a music or painting class on weekends, try to meet peers and find opportunities to communicate with them. It's a bit difficult at first, but taking that step will lead to a virtuous cycle. If you are miserable at work and spend the rest of your time chewing on that misery, you'll only fall into a vicious cycle, making life worse. Job Hopping and Accumulation First, it must be said that work is a matter of reason, so don't be temperamental at work. People on Tianya might applaud your individuality, but the gas company and phone company won't waive your bills because they think you're unique. When you stylishly quit your boss, or sarcastically mock the HR interviewer, the bills still need to be paid. You just have less time to earn money. No one loses except yourself. I don't oppose job hopping, but it is by no means a solution to problems. Moreover, frequent job hopping gives the impression of lacking loyalty and not being able to settle down. Many people now find jobs online, and many job sites often give bad advice. Remember, they are for-profit enterprises and consider their own profitability. The more frequently people change jobs and look for work, the better their business, so encouraging job hopping is their job. They often tell you that your salary is low, your benefits are poor, with "salary reports" and "praise for free-spirited souls." As for whether it makes you unsettled, whether changing jobs solves the problem, or whether you are happier, they don't care. If you want to change jobs, there must be a problem. Generally, when a problem occurs, you can't avoid it. Many people change jobs because of some unhappiness. If this unhappiness cannot be resolved in the current company, it likely won't be resolved in the next one either. You must believe that in 90% of cases, your current company is not that bad, and the company you think is good is not that good either. As said in "Fortress Besieged," "People inside the city desperately want to rush out, while people outside desperately want to rush in." Every company has its own problems; a company without problems doesn't exist. Changing environments, you don't know what problems you'll encounter. Rather than that, it's better to solve the problem in the present. Many problems, when you really try to solve them, may not be that difficult. Sometimes you think the problem is unsolvable, but in fact, it's just "you think." The curve of life should be upward with twists and turns. Occasionally, you hit a low point, but the general trend is upward, not like a pulse wave that returns to the starting point each time. I've seen many interviewees in their 30s with four or five job experiences, each lasting from one to three years. At 30-something, they return to the starting point, starting from an entry-level position with entry-level salary, competing with young people in their 20s. Isn't that a bit tough? Is that kind of life good? Capital relies on accumulation, including interpersonal relationships, experience, connections, and reputation. If you frequently change industries, it means years of accumulation are wasted, and you start from scratch. If you change industries twice, by age 35, you'll have less than five years of accumulation, while someone who hasn't changed industries has at least ten years. Who will have the advantage? When you've been at a job for 2-3 years, many people feel things aren't going well, as if hitting a bottleneck. They feel frustrated and want to resign, even change industries, thinking that all troubles will be left behind and things will be much better. But doing so just makes you start over, and you'll encounter the same difficulties as in the original industry. If you endure it, you'll take a big step forward. Remember, everyone goes through this process; everyone encounters several bottlenecks in their career. If you endure and others don't, you'll be ahead. Long-distance runners know that it's easy at first, but soon comes the first discomfort. After passing that, you can run a long way, then comes the second discomfort. If you persist, you can run another stretch, and so on. The discomfort gets worse each time until you can't go on. Most people give up at the first discomfort; some can persist to the second; by the third, although everyone can't hold on, few have gotten that far. That capital is enough to live a stable life. When you've been at a job for two to three years, most people become skilled. At this point, they often fall into repetitive work, and many feel bored. Some feel they've figured everything out and become lazy about seeking improvement. Often, job hopping is due to losing interest, feeling the race is over. But in fact, the race has just begun. After two to three years, whether it's customer relationships, connections, subordinates, relationships with leaders, or reputation in the industry, it's far from enough. But those with a little achievement always feel good about themselves, thinking they have solid relationships with clients and a great reputation in the industry. In fact, it's definitely not the case. At this time, you still need to maintain the drive of the first two years, be steady, and accumulate; it's just beginning. Do you know your customers well enough? Do you know their biggest worries? Do you know your boss well enough? Do you know his biggest worries? Do you know your subordinates well enough? Do you know their biggest worries? If you don't, how can you claim you've accumulated enough? If you don't understand them, how can you get them to help you and do what you want? If they don't do what you want, how can you succeed? Waiting This is the least favorite topic for restless people. I didn't want to talk about it because it causes too much debate, and I don't intend to argue with anyone. But considering long-term career planning, it's an unavoidable topic, so I decided to write about it. If you don't like it, please leave. Not every red light running gets you hit by a car, not every criminal gets caught, not every mistake is punished, not every corrupt official is executed, not every effort you make is rewarded, not every persistence is noticed, not every contribution gets fair returns, and not every kindness is understood... This is the way of the world. Well, the world isn't fair, but do you have the courage to overthrow it? If not, do you have a better solution? Many times, people need a little patience and a little faith. Everyone will encounter unfair things a few times, and usually, waiting patiently is the best approach. Many times we need to wait, to endure loneliness, and wait for your moment. Chow Yun-fat waited, Andy Lau waited, Stephen Chow waited, Faye Wong waited, Zhang Yimou waited... Seeing their current success, have you seen their waiting and patience back then? Have you seen a Golden Horse Award winner setting up a street stall? Have you seen Deyun Society performing crosstalk for a single audience member in a theater? Have you seen Stephen Chow's roles without even a single line? Every successful person has a period of low and bitter times. I can almost imagine them drowning their sorrows in alcohol, and I can imagine their struggles for survival. In the most brilliant and beautiful days of their lives, they longed for success but had nothing, just like you now. No one guaranteed they would succeed, but their choice was to endure loneliness. If they had kept saying "success only belongs to the privileged class," what do you think they would be today? I used to not understand why some people, no more capable than me, sat above me. Does age necessarily make them my leader? Why do some bad people make money without effort? Why could people easily make money at the beginning of reform and opening up, but when it's our turn, everything has to be standardized? One day, I suddenly thought: when I was still in school, they were already struggling in society. They had been accumulating for ten or twenty years. When we newcomers arrive, I want everything they have. This isn't asking for fairness; it's robbery. Because I was too impatient, because I couldn't stand loneliness. A man in his 20s has no money, no career, but has vigorous desires. People always encounter setbacks, have low periods, times when they are misunderstood, and times when they have to humble themselves. These moments are precisely the most critical in life because everyone faces setbacks, and most people can't get past this threshold. If you can, you succeed. At such times, we need to wait patiently, wait with confidence, and believe that life won't give up on you, and opportunities will come. At least you are still young, not in prison, not suffering from an incurable disease, and not in debt you can't repay. There are far more people less fortunate than you than more fortunate. What are you afraid of? Take one step at a time. Although the final step is exciting, most steps are ordinary or even boring, but without these steps, or if you can't endure the boredom, you'll never reach the final excitement. Adversity is where God helps you eliminate competitors. Remember, if you feel bad, others do too. If you can't hold on, others can't either. Never tell others you can't hold on; that only gives them confidence to persist. Let competitors see your smiling face, lose confidence, and quit the competition. Victory belongs to those who are patient. In the most desperate times, I watch movies like "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Jerry Maguire" to rekindle my courage, because no matter when, we always have hope. When everyone leaves, I don't lose hope; I don't give up. Every day after work, sitting in the car, I like to hum "Invisible Wings" and look out the window. I know I am quietly waiting for my moment. I like a netizen's words, and I copy them here: Everyone hopes to be a unique special one Born with a silver spoon, born into a good family, assigned to the power bureau with a monthly salary of 10k—such small probability events, of course, better to happen to oneself The Long March of 25,000 li, being labeled as rightist or counter-revolutionary, struggling with calloused hands and sacrificing dignity—better left to ancestors, parents, and others Naturally, not everyone who suffers gets rewarded But in any era, behind every vested interest, there are ancestors and parents who struggled, bled, and even sacrificed their lives It's okay to envy others for having a good father The question is, will your next generation have a good father? As for why you can't have the same winning odds? I can only ask: why in species competition, can't humans and monkeys have the same winning odds? Survival of the fittest. A monkey's soul may not be more humble than yours, but behind you are hundreds of thousands of years of hominid evolution. Enter the Right Industry and Follow the Right Person In China, few people stay in one career for life, but even so, there are some things to note about the first job. Two things are especially important: the first is entering the industry, and the second is following the right person. The biggest impact of the first job is entering the industry. Modern division of labor is very detailed; we can basically only become experts in one industry, not multiple. Many cases prove that even if a person is very successful in one industry, in another, it's often completely different. "Do you want to change the world, or do you want to sell soda for a lifetime?" was what Steve Jobs said when inviting John Sculley, president of PepsiCo, to join Apple. As a result, John, who was very successful at Pepsi, performed mediocrely at Apple. Actually, no industry is particularly good or bad. Perhaps reports say some industries have higher average salaries, but they don't mention that the average pressure in those industries is also higher. An industry that looks beautiful may turn out to have many imperfections once you enter; outsiders just can't see them. To be honest, I haven't made a fortune myself, so my advice is just advice for happy work, not how to get rich. We only discuss the situation of ordinary workers. I think the choice of industry doesn't matter much; you can't just look at the immediate. For example, starting the year before last, the state began to rectify the medical industry. Many pharmaceutical companies couldn't survive, and many salespeople in the industry started changing careers. Actually, the downturn in the pharmaceutical industry affects all companies, not just one. Everyone is having a hard time, so running away at this time is very unwise. Most legitimate pharmaceutical companies can survive for two or three years even without new business, and most pharmaceutical salespeople can survive on their salaries for two or three years. The state can't keep squeezing the pharmaceutical industry forever. After two or three years, things will improve. At that time, others have run away, but you haven't, so your days should be much better. Sometimes you feel your industry is declining, but the problem is that even the worst industry becomes good when few people are left. When everyone thinks it's bad, it's often the best time. Everyone thinks the finance industry is good, but not only is the barrier high, but countless people are trying to squeeze in, competition is fierce, and once in, you must be constantly vigilant; a single slip and you'll be pushed out by later arrivals. The pressure is enormous, so how can you talk about happiness? It may not be a "good" job. Solar energy hasn't yet reached practical application, but already seven solar-related companies in China are listed on the NYSE. Gome, Suning, and Yongle are actually trading companies, yet they can list. Luthai Textile has had profit growth exceeding 50% for 10 consecutive years. Tea shop "One Tea One Seat" and clothing company "HLA" can list... Actually, the choice of industry really doesn't matter; what matters is how you do it. Things are done by people; the key is people. One thing to remember: in this world, from history to the foreseeable future, successful people are always a minority, rich people are always a minority. Most people are average, ordinary, and not very successful. Therefore, the practices and views of the majority are often not the closest to success. So what most people say is good may not be good, and what most people say is bad may not be bad. When most people are buying stocks, it indicates that a drop is just a matter of time. The more enthusiastic people are, the closer the drop. When most people buy houses, prices won't rise; when prices have risen enough, most people start buying. There won't be a thing that makes everyone successful and rich; it hasn't happened in history and won't happen in the future. Even if you get something by luck, you'll lose it elsewhere at another time. Young people at the beginning of their careers should especially pay attention to doing the right things, not making the next few decades of life full of anxiety, and not worth sacrificing your youth for a job. My company is one that doesn't bribe. Many people didn't understand before, even our own employees. But now, we are the largest enterprise in our industry. Customers are willing to deal with us, especially when the country is cracking down on corruption. Everyone knows our reputation for not paying bribes, so they dare to do business with us. Companies that are willing to pay bribes have either collapsed, fled, or can't sleep well every night. People should look at the long term. Many times, the seemingly shortest path is actually the longest, and the seemingly longest path is actually the shortest. Following the right person means that after entering the industry, you should follow a good leader and teacher. People new to society often lack experience and need guidance. For a person's development, a good leader is very important. The standard of "good" is not that he makes you work less and earn more, but the following three points. First, a good leader must have a broad mind. If a leader loses his temper every day, it's almost certain he's not broad-minded. A leader who can lose his temper but doesn't is often very formidable. The biggest problem with Chinese leaders is that they can't tolerate subordinates who are more capable than themselves. So a common phenomenon is that the leader is very capable, but his subordinates are a bunch of mediocrities or idlers. If you see such an environment, it's better not to go. Second, the leader should be willing to think from the subordinate's perspective. This can be discovered during the interview. If the leader always thinks from his own perspective and hardly listens to what you say, that's dangerous. Thinking from the subordinate's perspective doesn't mean agreeing with the subordinate, but he must understand the subordinate's position and why they think that way, so he can persuade you. A leader who only cares about his own thoughts often fails to gain subordinates' trust. Third, the leader must dare to take responsibility. If he shifts blame downward when problems arise and takes credit for himself when there are achievements, such a leader is not worth following. When choosing a leader, choose one who can withstand pressure at critical moments and take responsibility for subordinates' mistakes, because that's his duty as a leader. It's possible you won't meet a good leader, because in China, leaders often have "butt decides head" mentality. Because he sits in the leader's position, his words carry weight. This is a misconception of traditional officialdom. There may be many ignorant and incompetent leaders, but this is actually good for you. If one day you want to surpass him, would you prefer him to be smarter or dumber? Relatively speaking, such leaders are not hard to handle; you just need to lower your posture. Meet more people, interact with those stronger than you, and you can find good teachers. Don't complain about society and bosses with a group of equally depressed people; that won't help you, only make you more negative. Interact with those stronger than you, see how they think and act, learn from them, and then interact with even stronger people. Choice The thing we do most every day is actually making choices, so when discussing career, this topic must be mentioned. I always believe that to a large extent, what kind of person we become is up to us. Every day we make various choices. I can choose not to write this article and instead troll others' posts, or I can write these words to help others and organize my thoughts. I can pay attention to formatting for readability, or write a mess. I can post it directly, or review it a few times before posting. You can choose to go to an interview unshaven, or look in the mirror before going out... Every day, every moment, we make decisions like these. We can be careless or put more thought into them. Thousands of small choices accumulate and determine what kind of person we ultimately become. In a sense, our future is not given by others but chosen by ourselves. Many people say, "I'm unlucky, I have no choice." If you think only "go to Microsoft or IBM," "go to Tsinghua or Peking University," "be a sales VP or a factory director" count as choices, then indeed you have no choice, and most people have no choice. But every day you can choose whether to serve customers more thoughtfully, be more patient with colleagues, do your work more meticulously, understand situations more clearly, and clarify unclear issues... You can also choose whether to persist in pain, abandon negative thoughts, forgive someone's mistake, believe what I've written here, and avoid repeating the same mistakes... Life gives you opportunities to choose every day, opportunities to change your life. You can choose to lie on the ground and throw a tantrum, or grit your teeth and stand up. You always have choices. Some choices don't show immediate results; they need accumulation. For example, a farmer can choose to water the fields often, or let the heavens water them. Of course, watering today doesn't make the seedlings grow immediately, but with regular watering, most seedlings will eventually grow. If you don't water, the harvest will certainly be poor. Every day, life gives you opportunities. It doesn't hand you a stack of cash or a good job on a silver platter, but it does give you opportunities. My family is ordinary, with no significant social connections. After graduating from university, my father was assigned to the frontier, a small county town with only one road. His generation had more reason to complain than we do. They got nothing. During their youth, the Cultural Revolution meant no books to read; they supported the frontier and settled in the countryside. When they got old, they had to give opportunities to the young. He had every reason to sit and complain about being born at the wrong time, like thousands of other youths. But ten years after being assigned to the frontier, the state resumed recruiting graduate students, and he passed the exam to return to his original school. After graduating with a master's degree, he was assigned to a small unit in Anhui. Three years later, the state recruited the first batch of doctoral students, and he passed the exam again to return to his original school, becoming one of China's first generation of PhDs. At that time, he was older than I am now. Life didn't give up on him, and he didn't give up on life. After ten years of waiting, he made his own choices. He didn't give up or let himself go, so when the opportunity came, he changed his life. What kind of person you ultimately become is determined by your every small choice. What do you choose to believe? Who do you choose to befriend? What do you choose to do? How do you choose to do it? We face too many choices, and among them, choices at the ideological level are far more important than choices of objective conditions. For example, choosing what product to make isn't that important; choosing how to make it is. Choosing whom to employ isn't important; choosing how to lead them is. Most of the time, choices about objective conditions don't matter, and there's no right or wrong in them. What matters is how you do it. A college graduate can go to Microsoft, sell pork, start a business, or be a game booster. As long as it's legal and doesn't harm others, it's fine. What matters is how you do it well after choosing. Besides these, you can also choose time and environment. For example, you can choose to face the biggest difficulties in life when you have the most strength and energy, or you can take it step by step and wait until you're 40. But by then, you'll be at the most vulnerable time in life, with both the old and young to support. If you face a career crisis then, it's really distressing. Rather than that, it's better to endure some hardship in your 20s and 30s so that you can live more calmly when you're vulnerable. You can choose to grow in a greenhouse or be tempered in the wild. You can choose a job in an air-conditioned office or meet clients in 40-degree heat. But all this will eventually accumulate and lead you to the future you deserve. I dare not say you have a choice in everything, but you have a choice in most things, only you often don't treat it as a choice. Take every choice seriously, and you'll have a better future. Editor's PS: From nearly 1,900 articles published in this official account, I selected 1,067 quality articles and divided them into 14 categories and 57 knowledge points, systematically organizing frontline marketing management content into a library for everyone's learning. From market to customers, covering practical tactics and management, all are valuable. 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