Having a job unrelated to your career can be frustrating.  In truth, it’s like spending your day at a money factory collecting all the money you can and going home.

While this prospect might be appealing to some, there are others who prefer a job they love more than a paycheck. In my experience, it feels like no matter how many career related projects I do outside of my job, there’s a void that needs filling. For those who have experienced this, I’ve found the perfect solution!

But it takes practice

Of your skills that is. Sure, the job is less glamorous than you’d like. Use it as a platform to practice your soft skills. Soft skills are the icing on the cheesecake when working for an employer. The hard skills are those tangible abilities that you use to complete projects on a day-to-day basis. Programming, testing, planning, etc. The soft skills are everything else that you use to create an aura of reliability and assertiveness in your role.

Showing up on time, wearing clean and ironed clothes, showing respect and accountability. These are some of the basic soft skills that can help you build strong professional bonds with coworkers and bosses. Punctuality, hygiene, and respect, can help you appear serious about working at the company and contributing to the team.

Yep…”appear” serious…

Now, I am not an advocate of brown-nosing. But the fact of the matter is you’re bound to bump heads with different people in the workplace. Disagreements are a part of life, but the best method for dealing with social challenges in the work place is to treat everyone with respect and come to a peaceful conclusion. Spin it in your favor.

“Appear” serious. Put on your hero mask and wear it well.

Even if it seems others are undeserving of your respect and greetings, get into the habit and don’t fold. This will prepare you for networking in life as you’ll be better able to spot those who are serious about building their careers and building professional bonds.

If you wait until you’re in the right job or in a more appealing position, you’ll be years behind folks who have already adopted these practices!

Even with your first position in your career, there’s no guarantee you’ll be there for ever. You need to be able to market yourself to other audiences. Building your soft skills will help you to do just that.

“The important thing is, Hiro, that you have to understand the Mafia way. And the Mafia way is that we pursue larger goals under the guise of personal relationships. … This is how we avoid the trap of self-perpetuating ideology. Ideology is a virus. So getting this chick back is more than just getting a chick back. It’s the concrete manifestation of an abstract policy goal” – (Stephenson, Snow Crash)

Not arguing sociopathic behavior or organized crime, but the practice of seeing the bigger picture and how it’s bigger than the moment.

That low ranking position, antagonizing coworker, rude customer…Compared to the larger picture, it’s so small. A pixel on an image with 5K resolution. But it can be used to your advantage as well. Who knows, in addition to the growth opportunity, it might put you in a higher ranking position and provide more chances for growth in preparation for the big picture.

If anything, you’ll be a step ahead of where you were yesterday!

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Coding Fanatic

Check out Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash! An awesome cyberpunk tale about a tough ass skating courier, a sword toting pizza delivery merc, and their mission to stop a new virus (IRL)!
http://www.nealstephenson.com/snow-crash.html

Link to Steam Big Picture Mode image can be found here