Deciding on a career is easily one of the hardest decisions in every individual’s life. Part of the difficulty of the question lies in trying to see into the future. We are faced with questions like, "Do I have an aptitude for the skills needed to be successful in this career path?” and nowadays even, "will this position still exist in fifteen years?” There is inherent risk in deciding on a career path, but with some creative thinking it is possible to find an abundance of guidance in unexpected places, one of which being startup literature.
Consider for a moment that most people’s career goals are relatively similar to that of every startup: make something from nothing. Today, startups are lucky to have access to amazing resources to help them create a business model and accelerate growth. As we will soon see, the average person is also able to use a startup framework to plan his/her career path and personal growth.
Getting Started: Ideation
High school and college can be considered as a sort of accelerator for people. It is during this phase of life that most of us are relatively certain of interests in a few topics. This period at the beginning of our professional lives provides us with the tools and guidance to begin building a career.
Chris Dixon: Climbing the Wrong Hill
In the same way that many would be entrepreneurs struggle to come up with good business ideas, most people take some time to find their true calling. Chris Dixon suggests randomly exploring a few career paths, but always keeping an eye on long term goals. After a while, a comparison can be drawn between interests and a conclusion can be made as to which path is best.
Paul Graham: What Doesn’t Seem Like Work?
In “What Doesn’t Seem Like Work,” Paul Graham points out that everyone has something they love to do that other people think of as work. For each person, this “thing” is his or her competitive advantage. The faster one can find her competitive advantage, the faster she can accelerate her personal growth.
The Next Step: Early Traction and Growth
Paul Graham: Do Things that Don’t Scale
The goal of this essay is to help founders realize sometimes you have to do the tedious, seemingly wasteful work. The same goes for those just starting a career. In this example, consider scalable things to be a knowledge base, technical skills, etc. Things that don’t scale, but are critical to future success are researching companies before applying, building networks, and starting personal branding.
Violeta Nedkova: Why Startups Fail and How to Build Interest Before the Launch
For both startups and career starters, it is important to build branding early. How both build branding is very similar. More and more startups and people alike are turning to blogs to generate content and engage their audience. As Violeta Nedkova points out, not every startup may use the same distribution channels. Similarly, career seekers should locate areas where future employers spend their free time and this may not be the same for everyone.
Armed with the above tips, entrepreneurs and aspiring early employees can find career guidance alongside startup tips. Just like startups, career seekers should locate a suitable career track, then focus on personal growth and branding. There are many more startup resources available online, all of which can give more ideas for those seeking new careers.