Perception

Being a hard worker is not always the best thing for your career.  What I've found among office politics is the fact that you have to learn to play the political game, and play it well.  You also have to socialize well in order to be perceived as a team player.  Keeping your head buried in your work, effectively completing your job, can ruin your chances for advancement if others complain about it.  It shocks me that the business world prefers to award those who play the game well rather than award those productive workers who don't have time to socialize.  It is what it is.  You just have to know how to manage others' perception of you along with working hard.  Once that is done, the sky's the limit!

Upcoming Annual Convention

I'm very excited about attending the upcoming NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants) convention in Dallas/Plano in July.  There will be a Corporate Institute, an Essential Skills Institute, an Estate Planning/Estate and Trust Administration Institute, a Litigation Technology Institute, a Personal Injury Institute, a Real Estate Institute, and a Social Security Institute.  Wow!  So much to choose from!  It is going to be a great, educational week with lots of time for networking. 

The Fear of Change

Working for the same company for over ten years can become very comfortable.  So comfortable that you don't want to start over again.  However, what do you do when you become bored?  Is there an easy way to advance in your career within the same job?  My experience as a paralegal has made me realize the difficulty in growing within the same company that doesn't understand how to utilize the changing needs of ambitious paralegals.  There are paralegals who love what they do and don't want to change a thing.  That is wonderful!  But for those paralegals who want to continue to learn and grow, a decision may need to be made as to whether to "rock the boat" and make changes to their career, or to retain their loyalty to their company/firm and stay put.

Any type of change is stressful.  Searching for a job is extremely stressful.  You have to determine if you are ready to go through these changes and face the uncertainties of the future.  Only you can make that decision.  But when is a good time to make a change?  You are the only person who can answer that.  You have to feel it in your heart, that it's the right time to do it.  Don't make the change for money alone.  Make the change only if you have lost your passion in your current job and don't enjoy going to work any more.  You don't want to live with that feeling day in and day out.  Change is scary, but sometimes it's the best thing you can do to boost your passion and your career.

Good luck!