“You are your own best career manager.” It was simple advice, delivered by a haggard major one night while we were both working late. I was a freshly-minted captain looking at assignment options beyond the school that awaited me later that year. He didn’t expand much more on his statement, other than to remind me that all kinds of people—many of whom didn’t have any stake in my future—would offer advice. Be selective who you listen to, he warned, reiterating his initial tranche of advice: “Just remember. You are your own best career manager.”
WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU
A year or so later, I was enduring what would prove to be the most frustrating assignment cycle of my young career. With just a week left in the course I was attending, I was attempting to maneuver my way out of the schoolhouse and back into the operational force. In the moment, I was vocalizing a desire to commit a court martial offense when my small group instructor offered a familiar piece of advice: “You have to be your own career manager. No one will look out for you as well as you do yourself.” It was sage counsel, delivered at the personnel office as I picked up my sixth set of assignment orders in five weeks.
The ordeal began simply enough. Along the way, I’d heard every conceivable standard line from my career manager as they tried to sell one assignment change after another: “Needs of the Army.” “Someone else took your assignment.” “You go where the Army sends you.” Through it all, I maintained an even strain, made plans, and changed them again. But when the sixth set of orders arrived, I’d had enough. My career manager’s response lasted seconds, after which they hung up on me.
“Priorities change. Don’t call me anymore.” Click.
MAKES YOU STRONGER
Overseas orders delivered that late come with a lot of consequences for your family. But, when the dust finally settled and we overcame those initial hurdles, we found ourselves in a remote Belgian village, enjoyed an amazing tour, and reinforced an important lesson from the experience: you really are your own best career manager.
In the years that followed, I learned even more. I learned to shape my career environment, engaging mentors early and often to gain good career advice long before I reached out to the people who ultimately decided my fate. Through meaningful dialog, you can build a better understanding of how to balance your personal goals with the needs of your profession. Clear communication also helps to avoid unnecessary ambiguity and ensures transparency. A good mentor can then help you to better see yourself: your strengths, weaknesses—yes, you have weaknesses—and unique broadening potential.
Then there’s the bad career advice. No matter where you go or what you do, there are people just waiting to dish lousy advice. We’ve all received our fair share, and we all remember it vividly. Too often, people offer bad advice because they lack self-awareness or the ability to reflect on their own experiences. Consciously or not, they’re usually giving the same advice they received, or trying to push you down the same path they took. Learning to filter that advice is important. Your career path is yours and if you follow someone else’s you’ll eventually be disappointed.
When you finally engage your career manager—even through an online assignment portal—you can do so with a better understanding of your aspirations and how to balance them with your professional requirements. That doesn’t mean you’re going to get what you want, just that you can help them to help you. If you take the time and put in the effort to build a good relationship with your career manager, they will usually work with you to balance your wants and needs. But experiences may vary.
BODY OF LIES
This morning I opened a notebook whose pages hadn’t seen the light of day since the last time I talked to a career manager. Early on in my career, I learned to take copious notes when talking to someone who controlled my next assignment. Those notes often came in handy, like they did today, when I found a short list of, well… mistruths passed on to me by career managers who weren’t as invested in my future as I was.
1. “This is a great job. If you don’t take it right now, someone else will.”
This is the same kind of hard sell that used car dealership will use to get you to buy a vehicle today that you will regret tomorrow. Never rush a major career decision unless you know with absolute certainty it’s what you want.
2. “This location would be a great career move for you.”
A shitty job in Hawaii is no better than a shitty job somewhere else, it just comes with better scenery. If a beach view is at the top of your priority list, then by all means, take the job.
3. “Are you kidding? This job is better than command.”
No job is better than command. And if it isn’t an actual command position, it won’t count for command.
4. “A training assignment will kill your career.”
Only you can kill your career, and it doesn’t matter if you’re in a training assignment or not. People commit career seppuku on a daily basis, and it has nothing to do with their jobs.
5. “A training assignment will make your career.”
Unless your name is Bradley, Patton, or Marshall, it’s unlikely that a schoolhouse assignment will make your career. It all comes down to manner of performance — or the lack thereof .
6. “If you take this job, I will guarantee your next assignment.”
Your only guarantee is that the person making that promise won’t be around to honor it when the times comes.
7. “Sorry, that job went to somebody else.”
When you lose a good assignment out of the blue, your career manager either took care of a buddy, returned a favor, or traded up for a favor of his own… at your expense.
8. “If you take this tasker, I won’t move you when you return.”
See number six. When you finally return from your tasker, someone else will be answering your calls and they will send you packing. So, technically, not a lie, but the fine art of smoke and mirrors.
9. “I don’t have a choice.”
One, they always have a choice. Two, this typically occurs when a career manager has to fill a job at the last minute. A good career manager will work with you, a bad one will roll you.
10. “Trust me.”
Trust, but verify. Don’t be a sucker.
No one can manage your career better than you. Consult your mentors, engage your career manager, and make informed career decisions about your future. Never leave your fate to chance, and never allow someone else to decide what your future should be. And when someone gives you a hard sell on a bad job, walk away.
