Be careful about following career advice from highly successful people. They will tend to believe that their way is the only path to success and will distract you from your career destiny based on your own talents and interests. They will quickly dismiss any career path differing from theirs as being a complete waste of time.
The truth is, successful people don't want other people to be anywhere near as successful as themselves, especially younger people. They want to be the only genius in the room.
My Dad was a successful insurance man. If you weren't out there going door to door every night, selling insurance, you were a failure. He'd been doing it since he was 18 years old. He had discovered his path early in life, something that worked for him. If you asked him, "What should I do Dad, for a career?", he'd say, "go sell insurance. That's the best way". Problem is, not everybody's cut out for that particular business. Timing can also be a major factor, in what works. I remember when bookstores, video and record stores were very profitable businesses.
Meanwhile the guy down the street had become just as successful from the steel fabrication business. If you asked him for career advice, he would recommend going into the steel business. Somebody else we knew who lived in a mansion before he was forty years old, got rich from the advertising business. If you asked him about getting rich, he'd say, "advertising is the way". Problem is, he was a gifted salesman. He was a natural. He combined a gift with the knowledge that he had it, so he knew exactly what business to go into.
Not everyone will get rich, or whatever your definition of success, but your best chance of getting there will be to follow your own path, based upon your own talents and interests. Start early, if at all possible. Even if you don't get rich, at least you will enjoy the ride.
The truth is, successful people don't want other people to be anywhere near as successful as themselves, especially younger people. They want to be the only genius in the room.
My Dad was a successful insurance man. If you weren't out there going door to door every night, selling insurance, you were a failure. He'd been doing it since he was 18 years old. He had discovered his path early in life, something that worked for him. If you asked him, "What should I do Dad, for a career?", he'd say, "go sell insurance. That's the best way". Problem is, not everybody's cut out for that particular business. Timing can also be a major factor, in what works. I remember when bookstores, video and record stores were very profitable businesses.
Meanwhile the guy down the street had become just as successful from the steel fabrication business. If you asked him for career advice, he would recommend going into the steel business. Somebody else we knew who lived in a mansion before he was forty years old, got rich from the advertising business. If you asked him about getting rich, he'd say, "advertising is the way". Problem is, he was a gifted salesman. He was a natural. He combined a gift with the knowledge that he had it, so he knew exactly what business to go into.
Not everyone will get rich, or whatever your definition of success, but your best chance of getting there will be to follow your own path, based upon your own talents and interests. Start early, if at all possible. Even if you don't get rich, at least you will enjoy the ride.
