The one career aspect no school will teach you

and how to fix it this weekend

I’ve been lucky to be so poor I couldn’t afford free college. After high school, I had to go straight to work to meet my life needs. I couldn’t follow the typical path to a career as a Software Engineer, but I’ve been set on becoming one. I’ve been playing Life on the hard mode, so one more challenge didn’t make a big difference, and the potential payoff was worth the effort.

Unable to pick the traditional path, I had to find another way. All I had was time after work. All money was going for paying the bills — a great environment to learn creativity and resourcefulness. Those constraints forced me to carve my career path differently.

The typical career plan

School and work teach us to think small. We know small tasks work well as they let organisations scale the work necessary to achieve their goals. It also enables a certain level of predictability. If you can finish 1 task daily, you deliver 20 monthly. If a teacher runs a test twice a month, they can document student’s knowledge progression.

Simple and measurable goals work well. I do not doubt it. What I ask - for whom? Are they for companies and schools? Or are they for careers and students?

Context is king — small and measurable goals are great for reporting and delivery at scale. When it comes to careers, they can be helpful, but what’s often missing is the big picture.

Schools don’t teach how to have a vision, which leads to feeling like running in a hamster wheel — a lot of movement and no progress.

The vision

If you want to get anywhere, you need to know the destination. Travelling from London to Berlin without a map is possible, but it probably will be faster with GPS. It can be even quicker if you hop on a plane instead of driving.

Having my vision through the years has always shaped what I do. Back in factory times, I knew not to waste time trying to get promoted as factory team lead. If I wanted, I could, but it wouldn’t align with the Software Engineering plan. The blue-collar jobs were essential to survive the winter. The big goal helped to endure them as an inconvenience on the way to success.

And by any means, having a vision doesn’t guarantee achieving your goals. Not having one guarantees staying in the same place forever. Failure is also an option. I decided I’d rather fail at 80% of my big goals than 100% win at being a factory worker.

How to find the vision?

I always keep my long-term vision at the back of my mind. It helps me prioritise what I do with my time. It guides me on what to learn next. It helps me decide what job to pick to align with my goals.

And the most important over the years is that it keeps me grounded when I hit a difficult season. That’s why I call it a Lighthouse in my coaching, as no matter how violent the storm is, I can see it on the horizon and find my way back on the correct course.

It’s Saturday so you can decide your vision this weekend!

What a good vision is:

✅ It’s seemingly unachievable
✅ It’s at least 10 years from now
✅ Forget for a moment about who you are today
✅ Focus on who you become, not what material things you’ll have

💡 If it doesn’t sound silly when you say it out loud, you haven’t gone big enough

I end with my favourite Henry Ford’s quote

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't — you're right,”

P.S.

👉 If you feel like you lack vision
👉 If you feel like your career plateaued and you’re stuck
👉 If you’re worried about changing jobs, if it will help your career plans

I have 2 spots open in my Career Coaching program where, in less than 2 hours, I can help you solve those problems and put your career on the fast track

DM me “CAREER” on LinkedIn to learn more