While at work

January 31 was my one year anniversary at my first full time job. A few minutes of retrospection and introspection(this was while I was driving back home which tells you how many dangerous day-dreaming drivers there are out there!) makes me think the way I do -

Few thumb rules to creep up the career ladder -

• Talk! Talk! Talk! - even if you have absolutely no clue of what you are talking about!Give out your gratuitous criticisms/recommendations. To put in formal way, show your presence - tell the people in the meeting that you exist and you have a brain too. So, if you have nothing to talk about the topic then you can atleast chip in a comment saying - "Could you clarify me on this!" or "This is what you said and this is what I understood. Am i in the same boat?"
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• Brag! Brag! Brag! - Whenever you can. If you don't talk for yourself, no one will. Now, you need not do this so blunt, naive and verdantly.
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• Work! smarter but not harder(if you think you have done a good job on something, for that matter even if you don't, keep sending notes to the other team members about the discovery,invention you have made in the existing processes.....Make sure you CC it to your boss and his boss.)
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• Be happy - atleast look like you are happy :-).
  happiness begets success and success will bolster your happiness which then can breed even more success. A happy domino effect if ever there is one.
• Team get-together advocate - Make sure you organize atleast one team event by yourself- bring in doughnuts on friday morning, send out invitations for a reading phillies game - something like that will do.
• Be happening - Talk about the weather, last night't football game on the TV.
• You always hear this. Make sure you say the same too - " We did good. We have been doing good and we will be good BUT we can do better." - This is the corporate mantra.

Step up to the plate and don't you see - It's easy to get a promotion? albeit, this is something I can never allow myself to do. I hope - atleast you would learn the ropes.

If you don't like my cool tips, then read on for formal TIPS , from a manager in IT department, to help your career grow -

1. Think multi-platform - become the expert on some part or parts of it
2. Be open to possibilities - Management looks for people who are willing to learn and are flexible 3. Give and take - teach others what you know and be willing to learn
4. Don't be lonely - sign up for classes in the company, i.e. Public Speaking, Volunteer to join teams and participate.
5. Market yourself and your team - be a technology advocate for the client when you recognize a need - be positive
6.Go back to school - don't be afraid, you can do it if you want to
7.Look into Certificate programs if you do not want to go to a 4 year college. i.e. Security program etc.
8. Check your morale - don't complain, be a winner and find positive value in whatever you do
9. Be your own best Advocate - make correct choices with your Management and develop your own career plan and follow it
10. Learn about the business - take some classes specific to our industry, understand market drivers and talk about it with your peers

Good night and Good luck!