Your Money_ The Missing Manual - J. D. Roth [52]
Your Money And Your Life: Finding Your Sweet Spot
In his book Good to Great (HarperBusiness, 2001), Jim Collins describes how successful businesses are built by finding the sweet spot where passion, excellence, and economics meet. You can apply this idea to your own career. To help decide what you want to do, think about what you're passionate about, what you do best, and what people will pay you to do.
Figure 6-1. Finding Your Sweet Spot
There's a sweet spot where these three things overlap. In real life, that spot is where you find work you love, are good at, and can earn a living at. But if one of these pieces is missing, you haven't found your sweet spot. For example, if you're good at something and people will pay you to do it, but you're not passionate about it, you'll still hate your job.
Once you find your sweet spot, try to organize life so you can spend your time doing that thing. Whether you work for yourself (Working for Yourself) or somebody else, this is the key to a meaningful, rewarding career.
Tip
The Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/oco/) lists hundreds of different jobs and describes their educational requirements, earning potentials, future prospects, and typical working conditions.
Start at the beginning. Once you've picked a field—and received the required education or training—find a job, but be patient: Don't expect to graduate with a degree in library science and immediately be the head librarian at a prestigious university. It would be great if we could all have our dream jobs by age 21, but that's not how it works. You have to start low on the totem pole and work your way up. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll reach your goals.
Get the most from the grunt work. Since entry-level jobs are unavoidable, use them to your advantage. If you're a receptionist or a file clerk, make the most of it: Use your time to learn the jargon, make connections, and understand the industry. To excel in any field, you have to be in it every day. So do the drudgework, but make it count.
No matter what career you choose, follow the age-old advice: Keep a good attitude. Learn how to deal with your boss and coworkers. Rise above the gossip. Help others succeed by sharing credit and taking your share of the blame. Know when to ask for help and when to take charge. Be curious. Solve problems. Learn from those around you. Work hard and be professional. Do these things and you'll gain knowledge and skills you can apply to every job you ever have.
Tip
For 20 tips on how to nail a job interview, visit www.howtonailaninterview.com.
Starting on the Right Foot: Salary Negotiations
Your pay doesn't necessarily reflect your performance or seniority. In fact, your buddy who does the same work you do (and just as well) may get paid twice as much. Why? Because he's a better negotiator.
One of the best ways to increase your income is through salary negotiations, either when you're first offered the job or when you have a performance review. Salary negotiations make a lot of people uncomfortable, but they're extremely important.
"We spend years thinking about what we'll be when we grow up," Jack Chapman writes in Negotiating Your Salary (Ten Speed Press, 2001). "But when it's time for a raise, most of us just accept whatever we're offered. How many minutes do we spend negotiating the money? Zero."
Chapman argues that with just a little effort, you can make the case for a higher salary during a review or a job interview. Asking for what you're worth during those few minutes can make a difference of hundreds