The 10 Most Practical Career Advice for Fresh Graduates in the 21st Century

In the book <Rich Dad, Poor Dad>, the author Robert Kiyosaki had a “Rich Dad” who taught him the principles of getting rich. I am lucky to have an uncle who is successful from a secular perspective and built his wealth by working as an employee. He has shared a lot of valuable lessons with me, and I hope they inspire you as much as they did to me. No matter if you want to start up your own business, or starting a career path, these principles will help you become successful in this new age.

1. Have an adaptive mindset

“ Change is the only constant thing in the world”. The earlier you accept the fact that the world will be changing more dramatically and frequently, the more prepared you are to adapt to changes in the future. Such changes could be (trade) wars, the rising tide of unemployment due to AI, overthrown of governments due to the rise of populism, etc. Not only do you need an agile mindset, but you also need to live and pursue your career in a way that makes you adaptive and equipped for the new era. It might mean leaving your home country for work; it might also mean you have to be constantly learning new skills and languages. The process is painful, but the good news is you get to survive in this unstable world. The more stability you want to hold on to (like fantasizing about working in the same banking job for 40 years and retire), the more instability and frustration you will face in your life (like suddenly getting laid off because AI could do you routine day job better and faster).

2. Complete as many impactful projects as possible

There’s only one type of person who is always being offered a great job during downtimes- Problem Solvers. To demonstrate that you’re part of the league, you need to accumulate as much project experience as possible in implementing solutions that resolve concrete business problems. The goal is to build up a portfolio of stories about the projects that you have accomplished, the impact of it, and the challenges and difficulties that you have overcome. These stories will become handy when you want to switch to a new job or get promoted.

Every project goes through these 3 phases: The first phase is to pick a project that creates a real impact on the business. Next, you deep dive to research and analyze the business problem, and identify the root cause. Finally, you dedicate yourself to completing the project, despite any obstacle. A key principle here is always to remind yourself: “I will not do the same project twice because I have done everything I could to resolve this business problem perfectly”. Work ethics matters.

3. Work in the area of Digital Transformation

Do you want to be the change maker or the person who’s always worried about being replaced by technology? Finding a job that uses tech to resolve real (business) problems can ensure that you stay competitive in this era. Digital Transformation isn’t an industry, it is basically a field of work that can be applied to every industry, from logistics, banking to retail. It requires you a combination of industry knowledge and basic tech knowledge. Digital Transformation breaks down into several phases: first, there’s the development of tools and systems that track processes and generate useful data, next is conducting data analysis to make better business decisions, lastly, you use machine learning and automation to make more accurate and efficient decisions based on the massive amount of data. Of course, it also may also involve the development of new apps and machines to resolve specific industry problems. The key take-away is to have part of your job related to tech.

4. Learn Data Science

As mentioned above, we are in an era with a massive amount of data. Every employee should have the ability to analyze data and generate new business insights. We need to acquire statistics and data analytics knowledge, from theories (e.g. linear programming, regression, algorithms, machine learning) to applications (e.g. programming language: Python, SQL).

5. Build a network of trustworthy people

The so-called “Career path”, after you started your first job, is mostly a game of referral by people who trust your ability. Through working with different people on multiple projects, you get to know who can deliver results and are trustworthy; while others would judge you the same way as well. We want to always work with a tremendous work ethic so that when the times come, people will refer you to join new teams, new projects, and new companies with a better prospect. Keep in touch with well-trusted (ex) teammates from time to time.

6. Be able to lead a team

Having 1 – 2 great teammates is good enough to accomplish a project, but you need to have the ability to lead your team, include I.T. staff.

To motivate your team members, you need 3 things: Objective, Methodology, and Rewards.

Objective: you explain the business value of the project.

Methodology: you explain why we choose to resolve the problem through such a method.

Reward: you explain what they can take away by committing to this project (1. Learning & growth opportunity for them; 2. the result is a strong recognition of their ability and could be shown to CXO as an achievement for resolving a business pain-point)

7. Have client-facing experience

Be able to face clients and pitch. Create powerpoints with real substances, that can relate to clients’ pain points and scenario. Through multiple pitching with clients, you get to know the market needs and modify your product to fit them. Another way to know the market is by talking to salespeople. Understanding what their clients need and what products they are looking for.

8. Be where the fast-growing market is

You want to be in a market that is fast-growing and large in size. It could be China, Southeast Asia or Africa, etc. Because you can create an impact on a larger population, and resolve interesting business challenges that are only be seen in these big markets. Plus, this is where the BIG money is.

9. Be open to work in startup projects, that may raise funding or go public

That is how you earn a large amount of money, but there is also a higher risk that you might fail.

10. Work on your niche & strengths

As a Hong Konger, my only niché working in a Chinese Company is language. The ability to speak fluently in English and Mandarin allows me to help Chinese Companies expand to global market. Using English to understand market, and Chinese to communicate requirements with developers. If I don’t leverage my niché, I would be easily replaced by others. Work on your strength, period.