"Everything popular is wrong."
Oscar Wilde, the importance of being Earnest
This post continues the same topic as the previous one. How the following common advice, and doing what the majority of people does will NOT give the results that will make you happy.
Let's put an example of senseless advice that even the homeless across the street will give you.
- Don't change jobs often (less than 2 years), it will look bad on your resume.
Hold on a second, let's analyze this situation, this statement seems to be very absolute as if it were a rule of life. First of all, which is the reason for you changing jobs? If the reason of you wanting to change your job after a short period of time is because YOU HATE IT, you hate your boss, your tasks, your coworkers, your life... it will be just stupid not to move to another position and just continue being miserable.
But ok, let's rethink this in another way. Let's say you have just got hired on a new position and the following happens: (take in account that in this example I will take a salary as your motivation, but it could be several other things like more free time, a better schedule, more opportunity for traveling, etc).
- The next day after your first day on your new job, another company offers you 50% more salary. It will be stupid not to take it.
- You took the job earning 50% more, and the next day, another company contacts you offering you 100% more... Again it will be stupid not to take it.
- Again, you took this other job and the next day... guess what?... another company offers you 1000% more salary!!!! Again, it will be very very stupid not to take it.
- The next day after you took this last job, you won the lottery, you won´t need to work for the rest of your life. It will be very s.... you got the point.
So after this example, is it bad to change jobs often?, I don't think so. Remember, good opportunities always involve taking a risk (in this case a bad looking resume), but if the outcome is your happiness and realization, don't let common advice misguide you.
Well, let's continue with another example:
- You have changed jobs too often, no company will hire you.
This is not even advice, it is a judgment that I have heard several times.
I studied electronics engineering, and when I was fresh out of college, I had a friend that studied computer science. Both of us were looking for jobs and both of us found one. I decided to stay in a company for 2 years and in the same amount of time, he had been through 5 companies.
The reason for him being through all these companies was several, he did not like two of the jobs and he quit after 3 months, and the other two companies closed after 6 months of being hired. But the important aspect here was, which was the consequence for him of changing jobs this often????
Here comes the answer, prepare for it, wait a moment, ok here it comes: He was earning 90 % more than me, that was the consequence. He told me this: companies know that having the absolute very best talent comes at a very high price, they have to pay the best salary, and they know that you can go in any moment to a better-paying company. This guy was awesome, I wanted to be like him.
So again, don't let others define you how to go through life, it will not give you the best results. Don't follow common advice, life live at your own terms, and you will maximize your opportunities of yielding good results.
Stay tuned for the next post, goodbye.
