Don’t Stress, Success Happens when you least expect it.

I was talking to two young lads at football practice this morning and they were completely stressed out about what kind of careers they will have after they finish college. My advice dont worry about the future, I co-founded a startup in my forties, I am not stressing.

So for anyone who has kids sitting the Leaving Certificate in Ireland or A Levels or any final school exams, or if your in University or College and just don’t think it’s for you. Don’t stress, you can be hugely successful without a college degree, masters or PhD . If you are hungry and driven enough you will succeed at whatever you are passionate about. Happy to give any free career advice.

Think outside of the box! There is no box.

Life and in particular a career is all based on chance, right time, right place, right people, right attitude.

My five simple rules.

1. Other people do not define your future

You are young and decisions you make now do not have to define your life ahead. Do not put yourself under too much pressure to make other people happy, do what makes you happy. Enjoy your life when you're young. If you do not get into college, don’t worry there is plenty of other opportunities out there for you. If you go to college and either your course just isn’t for you or drop out, don’t feel dejected. Opportunity can appear at any time, just have the guts to grab it.

2. Work Hard/Work Smart

Employers value employees who understand and possess a willingness to work hard. In addition to working hard it is also important to work smart. This means learning the most efficient way to complete tasks and finding ways to save time while completing daily assignments. It's also important to care about your job and complete all projects while maintaining a positive attitude.

3. Fail Forward/Make Mistakes

A mistake will be your greatest teacher, you will learn from them. We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up sometimes- understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, its; part of success.

4. Pick the leader, not the company

Yes, working for a company like Facebook or Google is cool, but that does not make them great companies. Define who you want to work for, who you want to lead and mentor you. Avoid companies with blame cultures.

5. Be adaptable

You need to be able to pivot, you need to adapt and move with the circumstances you find yourself in.

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#careers #opportunity #success