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Before Turning 35: The Ultimate Career To-Do Guide

The Ultimate Career To-Do Guide
As an eminent statesman and efficient lawyer in his heydays, Lincoln knew what he was saying.
In a rapidly digitising world, it seems like the only way to succeed is to pave the pathways to success oneself. While there is plenty of career advice available online that you can always look up and learn a thing or two, there are not many that will help you prepare a roadmap to success in the initial days of starting out your career. 
As a young professional just starting out in your career, there will be a lot that you have to take in during the initial days, and it is best to keep an eye out for all the learning opportunities that come your way.
If you are a young gun looking for ways to make it big in your career, then here are some sure-fire tips and tricks to help you in your endeavours for many years to come. Staying abreast with the latest trends ain’t so bad as long as it helps you soar high in your domain. Incorporate the following tips right from day one and you will be able to take your career to newer heights by the time you reach 35.
- Learn to own your spot:
In your 30s, the job that you do should do enough for you to exude confidence all over. So take that spot that you have rightfully earned and learn how to own it in style. Accepting credit for all that you do great at work takes courage. For a lot of us lack what it takes to truly come out of inhibitions and learn to handle accolades. While being complacent or resting on your laurels is not advised, it does not harm to have just a hint of cockiness in your attitude that speaks volumes about all that you have achieved in your career so far. This way, all the people that you encounter in your work sphere by the time you reach 35 will have a fair idea of the strong and confident personality that you are and would always wish to welcome you further into their professional circles, thus opening up newer vistas of opportunity for you.
- Nurture a fulfilling network:
In the age of rapidly developing telecommunication portals through digital platforms, it is time that you established a fulfilling professional network that you can fall back on. Try out social media platforms for professionals to connect like LinkedIn and take account of your Facebook friends up there too. Establish and build a professional network of peers, contemporaries, colleagues, bosses and industry bigwigs that you can tap into for expanding in your vocational realm a bit more towards the heights of success.
- Pick up email hacks:
You would have written thousands of emails by the time you reach 35 and it is high time you learn how to compose winning emails. Brush up on your writing skills with online tutorials for writing killer emails so you get communicating through emails mastered to perfection. Have an engaging opening and closing line for each professional email you compose according to the tone and that will get you going for starters.
- Ask for feedback (and give too):
Feedbacks are important in every industry; giving feedback is generally a way of opening up paths towards receiving some for yourself. Being open to constructive criticism is the way to go for receiving feedback. Listen to what others have to say about your work and learn the nuances of giving feedback too.
- Strategise effectively:
From manoeuvring critical situations in board meetings to tackling issues with colleagues at work, knowing how to strategise well will always do you a world of good. Strategising is one of the key skills to develop for a professional having great leadership skills. And it should be on your list of things to acquire before turning 35. Skilfully strategising your way up the corporate ladder, you will get to learn the tricks of the trade when the time is ripe.
- Enlist long-term benefits:
Now that you have considerable experience up your sleeve, enlist them so you have a clearly detailed plan for the days that lay ahead. It is also a time that you pause to make a list of the pros and cons that your work brings and evaluate which way to go next. Having an elaborate list of the benefits of your job will help you have a vision for the future.
- Spread goodwill in your professional network:
Having strong professional ties with your bosses and former colleagues will help you nurture the bonds that you have created throughout your professional career and will come to use when you need to look at your future and beyond. Spreading goodwill and staying away from creating bad blood in your work sphere will take you a long way in your career. Keep the people who matter and the ones that form your professional network in good spirits and you will be able to spread a world of goodwill that comes your way.
- Master the art of performing under pressure:
One of the harshest truths in this world is that there is no shortcut to success and we are all going by that norm. Learning to perform even when the hands are not fair is something that you should be able to do before turning 35 in order to call yourself a fairly successful professional in your industry. No matter however down the chips are, play your best game and give your best to make the tables turn in your favour once again. Power through the dark days by the dint of your determination and hard work and overcoming bigger obstacles will gradually become a walk in the park for you.
- Build your professional reputation:
Having a good camaraderie with your bosses and colleagues from the previous and the current firms that you have served so far, building a stable professional reputation within your network is an excellent way to go about creating opportunities for improving your career. Maintaining punctuality in meetings, having a low turn-around-time, being active on following up, returning professional courtesies, doing an odd favour or two from time to time helps to establish a sense of goodwill and build a robust professional reputation besides being really good at what you do and delivering on your word.
- Learn to accept your mistakes:
We all make mistakes as we proceed in our careers, and are no strangers to facing our fair share of flak for them. The most graceful way to go about this is to learn how to own up to your mistakes and vow to learn and come out as an enriched person at the other end of it. Let ego take a backside on this one and accept your mistakes when you make them. While accepting unjust blame is no good, it does one no harm to learn when to own up to one’s mistakes and having a heart to learn from the same.
- Put social media to good use:
Let us not even try to deny that we enjoy the virtual fame and attention that our social media accounts bring. So why not put it to some great use and bring your career to focus at what can literally be called the world stage. You can use social media for your career in a number of ways: to boost opportunities, open up newer avenues, exchange innovative ideas, learn newest industry trends, establish and maintain a stable network to name a few.
- Test your energy levels:
Thirties are the time to slow down a bit from the high-speed lifestyle of the twenties and is beneficial for reasons more than one. While you pause to gather yourself about and get back to speeding off with your work once again. The thirties are the good time to evaluate your tested energy levels and putting them to good use. Using your schedule and smart to-do lists in this digital era, make good use of the resources at your disposal to analyse your energy levels for your work. Use the varying range of your energy to distribute personal and professional tasks throughout the day and you will be good to go.
- Be brave enough to quit:
By the time you turn 35, you will have gone through the roller-coaster days of switching jobs. That is why it is time you learnt that it is okay to quit at times when you feel the pressure is getting the better of you or that there are no new learning opportunities left in the job that you are currently doing. Learn to be brave when the time comes and quit with your head held high and zero bad blood so you can move on to greener pastures in your professional sphere.
- Play Good Samaritan and volunteer:
Volunteering has its own benefits besides evoking the feel-good factor in your senses. Most non-profit foundations offer certificates of companionship to their volunteers that look stellar on CVs and attract the crème de la crème of the employers. With more and more corporate honchos looking to hire dynamic employees with a universal and towards-the-future outlook, it is time to step into the role of a Good Samaritan and help out those less fortunate fellow beings.
- Devise a damage-control strategy:
Knowing your way out of or around tricky situations and career hurdles is something that you will have a world of knowledge in once you cross the initial struggling years in your twenties. As you grow in your career with age, so does your experience and that is the way to go for having a great damage-control strategy in place. Much like your route out of a fix or the way you overcome hindrances, your damage-control strategy is something you should well be aware of by the time you hit 35.
- Keep at pace with times:
Staying abreast of the latest trends in the industry is something that we all are keen at in our twenties but tend to slack off when we hit the other side of the thirties. It is time to keep a conscious eye out for the ongoing affairs in your domain and beyond that helps you to learn a lot more about your field. As the saying quite often goes, knowledge is power and it is not too far from the truth in this aspect either. So gear up and hold on to that inquisitiveness of the twenties right down to your thirties as well.  
- Take time off for yourself:
Self-indulgence is perhaps one of the best ways that you can unwind after a busy work week. Giving you the much-needed strength to bounce back to work with a rejuvenated soul, taking some time off may at times work for yourself. Head off to a retreat, book a spa session, snuggle up with your favourite book, go on a Netflix marathon, or binge-eat on your favourite meals – treat yourself like a King/Queen to get those endorphins swimming in your brain. As happiness leads to a better functioning and more productive brain, the week after you treat yourself to a nice something is going to be one that you remember for many days to come.
- Have a great sleep schedule:
By the time that the torrid twenties are over, you will gradually warm up to the importance of having a sleep schedule that works for you. Packing in as much sleep that you can after a busy day, gradually start building up you own schedule that helps you stay at your best during work hours. Studies all over the globe conclude that having a healthy sleep cycle helps in enhancing the cognitive and analytical abilities in the brain. That in turn helps you to make better decisions at work every day and strategise in a cleverer manner. Stick to your sleep schedule by the time you hit your mid-30s and you will never have to worry about being underslept when turning up for those important meetings at 8 in the mornings.
- Make room for Plan B:
Having a two-way perspective always helps, and by the time you hit your 30s, you are going to realise that the only constant is change and that it is universally true. It is precisely for that you need to have a plan B for your career from the very beginning if you wish to make it big in the corporate jungle. Things do not work out at times, and learning to accept that is one of the first steps towards success. Have an alternative career roadmap ready in your mind for those times when you feel the time has come to switch jobs.
- Start saving up:
Being prepared for the future is one of the first steps towards growing up and you better start saving up by the time you reach 35. So buckle up and save every penny that you can. Despite the youthful recklessness that ensues with the late-20s, do your bit to save as much as you can before you hit 35. Because you never know when a lump sum rainy day fund can look up and save you from unforeseen disasters.
The professional realm is full of many twists and turns at every intersection that you come to, and it is best to be wary of both the good and the not-so-cheery sides of your work sphere at all times. Grab the opportunities that you feel will be worth it, go by these live-saving tips, and you will be sure to have a clearly outlined plan to take your career to newer heights by the time you are 35.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Abraham Lincoln (16th American President)


Author bio:


Jijo works as digital marketing expert in the UK and has taken up blogging and assignment writing as his part-time profession. With over seven years of experience in the domain, he likes writing informative blogs for the young marketing professionals looking to soar high in their careers. His enriching blogs have helped many a young marketer master the tricks of the trade and make marketing a piece of cake for them.

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