Lessons Learned From Your First Job

Here’s some advice on learning from your job from the book “How to Survive Your First Job (or Any Job)” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $14.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“I don’t believe you’re good at just one thing. I used to be a writer, but now I run my own business and I don’t write at all. I feel like I’m a multitalented person, and so do a lot of people. It’s a question of where you want to put your energy to get the highest rate of return. You have to try different things to see what feels best. You may be good at many things, and they may not be the things you’re doing right now.”

“Keep in mind that every mistake you make is an opportunity to learn a new skill and find a better way to be successful in the future.”

“You pick up time-management skills by having to manage several tasks and not wanting to work until midnight without any overtime pay. When starting a project, I always take time to think it through before I actually take action. Then I leave all of my processes open to tweaking to maximize my efficiency.”

“People think ‘sales’ is a dirty word. I think it’s a really valuable skill. A lot of the day-to-day grind stuff is sales, going out and getting to know people and selling yourself.”

“Always be on the lookout for ways to learn new skills. I started out doing editorial work for a publishing company, but it was a bit dull for me. I always wondered what was going on up on the marketing floor. I asked my boss to introduce me to the head of the marketing department, who spent time with me explaining what his group did. I ended up taking classes at night and ultimately pursuing a career in marketing.”

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share.