I want to level here, I’ve been subbed for quite a while. This sub has gone mental to cope with its issues, and I don’t blame you guys. The system can and WILL fuck you if you don’t know how to navigate it. But, if you put in the effort to change your mentality and navigation skills, your career experience will differ GREATLY. Here’s what I mean:
The Past:
I grew up in a poor family in America. Due to my mothers health complications growing up, and bad financial practices, my life was looking pretty bleak from the get go. My dad worked countless hours and I didn’t see him much, parents separated.. blah blah. Rough childhood stuff, and like many of you, I grew up disadvantaged. I didn’t have family, didn’t have connections, barely finished high school, didn’t get to do the college life thing.
Instead, I got to work my ass off in shitty jobs many of you have experienced. Bosses taking advantage of me, abusive work environments, toxic relationships, no chance at promotion. I was miserable.. this happened for years. Fuck the man, and I wanted to be rich.
Like many of you, I started out literally from the bottom with disadvantages rather than advantages. No wealthy family, not white, not educated, no connections, etc.
The Present and how it affects The Future:
We all live in the present and have a direct outcome on our future. What you spend time on today will define where you are in the future, and there is no point hating on the way things are. Doing that makes you feel better in the short term, but greatly hinders you in the long term. At some point, I decided to stop focusing on the past and on the things bringing me down, it’s a lose-lose mentality. Once I changed my mentality, my mentality changed the outcomes of my each and every day. Today, I am 26 years old making $250k+ a year in tech. That’s a long ways from $7.50 an hour washing dishes and driving a Nissan Sentra. The thing is, if we dwell on how shitty The Man is, or actively put our energy into hating anything at all, it will only turn us into the those same types of people and bring us down. We need to FOCUS our energy. The thing about this system is if you aren’t growing, you’re going backwards.
You, as an individual, will never stay stagnant. There is either forward or backwards. If you don’t improve your health, your health will bring you down. If you don’t educate yourself, the world will go on without you. If you don’t increase your pay, inflation will eat it away. Therefore, I can’t stress this enough, YOUR PRESENT IS YOUR FUTURE. Things don’t just magically happen for you. If you don’t invest in yourself now, the future will bear no fruit.
Things I changed in my mentality:
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Stopped complaining.Don’t complain, but acknowledge where you came from and the trials you face along the way. You can visit pity city, but don’t live there.
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Stopped spending money on dumb shit. No need for the newest anything, and live within your means. No more drugs. No more alcohol. Treat yourself to keep sane, but don’t be frivolous. All that money spent on stocks or investments will make your future self much happier than your present self.
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Realized how lucky I am. Don’t be entitled. If you can hold a job and chill with your friends, you’ve got it good. It was not that long ago that people were eating shit and fighting each other for a piece of bread. Slavery was rampant, murder common, mass starvations around every corner, no logistics, AC, or technology. Even today people suffer greatly outside the West.
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Be wise with time. Is smoking this joint going to get better me as a person next year? Or will reading this book on an educational topic you enjoy better me as a person next year?
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Fuck the haters. The ultimate revenge is success. You know how many of my haters are still working at Wendys? Haven’t finished school? It took me 8-9 years for my bachelor while working full time. They weren’t willing to sacrifice.
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Be willing to sacrifice. Do you want success? Do you actually want it? Then stop wasting your time on things not contributing to it.
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Be RELENTLESS. Relentless in the pursuit of education, the pursuit for better pay, better life style, better relationships, and better self esteem. If you want a bright future you have to actively be thinking about how to get there.
Things I did to improve my career success:
EDUCATED myself. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, why would anyone listen to you? The more you know, the more you’re worth. It doesn’t matter what level education you are NOW, you simply just keep learning. The only reason I make a quarter million a year is because I learned as much as I possibly could about computers and sales, and SHOWED my employer I was willing to learn more. If you become really, really good with one specific thing, and become an expert at that thing, people WILL pay you more. If they don’t appreciate you, then leave to someone who will.
Got a LinkedIn and took a nice picture of myself for it. Advertise yourself, people love that shit. There are so many damn jobs out there.
Worked with my managers. They are people too. Some people are pieces of shit, others are angels. We all know them. If you work for a piece of shit, then leave if possible. If not, just work with them! Show them you want to learn and want to help them, because their job is looked at just like yours is, and anyone willing to help is just not that bad of a person… the only reason I am where I am today is because I found a GREAT group of managers that wanted to see me succeed as my as I wanted to. So I helped them, and they helped me.
Apply, apply, apply. 100? 200 applications I’ve sent out? 99% rejection rate, even nowadays where I am very marketable because of my knowledge. Just keep going dude. If you stop, you go backwards. Keep looking for the next best job for you and ASK FOR MORE money. What’s the worst that can happen if you get rejected? Your life stays the exact same as it was before?? Also, I highly recommend work from home.
Finally, associating yourself with only those who bring you up. I’ve lost a lot of friends over the years.. whether to death, drug abuse, lack of ambition, or respect. You should be a positive influence to those people, and change them. And if they aren’t ready for it, don’t let it bring YOUR life down. A loyal friend would only want the best for you, and if they don’t, they’re selfish. You shouldn’t feel bad walking away from unloyal people. If there are people around you who hold you back, it’s time to move on.
TL;DR
Your life/work life can absolutely become better, even in your unique situation.