I started working when I was 14 (mowing lawns) and am now, 52 years later, working as a trial lawyer in a phased retirement program.  My career suggestions are also life suggestions because careers have become so dominant in all aspects of our lives.  I’ve worked for public and private employers and have also run my own business.  Here’s what you should know for career advice–

1.  Career Advice–do something that challenges you.  People advised me to “do something you love.”  Pretty hard to find work that you love all the time.  Every job has its ups and downs.  Instead, look for something that challenges you, that causes you to get excited often, that makes you grow in skills.  It will keep you young, interested, and employed.
2. Career Advice—balance, above all, balance.  It’s harder than ever to balance your private life with a work life.  Employers demand more time and effort every year and even provide ways to get you to stay longer hours—coffee bars, day care, free meals, etc.  And if you’re ambitious like me, you want to advance your career and make more money.  How can you slack-off and leave work early?  I still caution you to guard your personal life and family.  When you get to my point, you see two things clearly:  employers will come and go and don’t care, in the end, about the sacrifices you’ve made or the wreckage this leaves behind at home.  Secondly, when our kids are born we mistakenly think we have lots of time to get to know them.  We don’t.  By 14, most kids are breaking away to raise themselves.  If you miss this small window, it’s much harder to create a good relationship later.  Having an adult-to-adult relationship with a child is wonderful.  Your career will end but the bonds with kids never do.

3.  Career Advice—save more money than you can afford.  Every person I talk with at the end of their career, says: “I wish I’d saved                more.”  The fundamental benefit it gives you as you get older is freedom—to change jobs, take risks, not work, and freedom of choice to          do what you want.  So, how do you “save more than you can afford?”  At the start of a career most people began to accumulate stuff: a             house, cars, furniture, and all the expenses of living and paying for those things.  After paying, people say there’s nothing left to save.

Reverse this.  Save first before paying any other bills through automatic deductions.  “Pay yourself first,” as you’ve heard.  Make yourself          rich before you make everyone else rich.

How to start:  Deduct $25 a month to start.  Everyone can do that by skipping a few lunches at restaurants and a few lattes.  Once you              get comfortable and don’t miss the extra cash, raise the deduction to $50 a month.  Keep doing that until you’re saving/investing about              15% of you income.  What I’ve learned is that investor behavior is more important than investment performance.  Start making                  yourself rich—it’s not that hard if you start today!

More advice in the next post!!