Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Get Ahead in Your Career

This guest post was written by Dean Vella

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Get Ahead in Your Career

People can be really good at getting stuck and staying stuck. Sometimes the rut becomes familiar and even comfortable. This comfort zone can hold people back from achieving their goals and living their dreams.

If you’ve been thinking you’d like to get ahead in your career but feel stuck and unsure about what steps to take, these tips might offer some motivation and guidance.

Tactics for Career Improvement

You may find it difficult at first but speaking up at work shows that you are interested in and enthusiastic about your company and its goals. Be sure to take part in meetings and add value to the conversation; bring ideas that are worth sharing.

It’s equally important to show management that you’re a team player by going above and beyond your work duties. If you find co-workers need help with a project, volunteer. If your own workload can handle it, take on additional tasks and duties, such as training new hires or organizing team events.

Take pride in your appearance. Dress for the part you wish to play. If you want to advance within your organization, project that in your attire. This will affect how you feel about yourself and draw positive attention to you.

Educational Opportunities Online

One of the best ways to realize your professional goals is to continue your education. Getting an advanced certificate or a bachelor’s or master’s degree could set you apart from the competition and advance your career and salary.

In that regard, earning a degree or certificate online can offer great flexibility in scheduling. Learn at your own pace from the comfort of your own home.

Before signing up for a certificate or degree program online, it’s vital to make sure the college is accredited. The accreditation process evaluates whether educational programs, both online and traditional campus settings, meet the highest standards.

It is important that the program you choose is accredited to ensure you get the best possible education and also because it’s common for employers to not recognize a degree or certificate from an unaccredited school.

To find out whether a program is accredited, check the U.S. Department of Education’s institutional database at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx.

Stay Motivated and Achieve your Goals

Setting goals is easy but reaching them is an entirely different matter. How can you stay motivated long enough to advance your career?

One powerful method is to realize that nothing in life is perfect and that includes your journey to a better job and salary. Many people wait for the perfect conditions in which to act or don’t act for fear of not doing things perfectly. This mentality will keep your goals out of reach every time.

Nothing is perfect. So don’t attempt perfection, just act.

Staying motivated also means staying in the present. It is common for people to get lost in thoughts of how they could have done something better in the past or how they will do something amazing in the future. In order to get where you want to go you have to stay focused on the task at hand.

The best intentions and efforts can be ruined by disorganization. Although your path toward a better career won’t be perfect, it doesn’t mean you should allow sloppiness to creep into your environment. Keeping things in order will make necessary tasks easier to tackle.

The future can be yours if you’re willing to put in the work to get there. Show others you can be given more responsibility, seek to better yourself through education and stay motivated.

BIO

This guest post was provided by University Alliance and submitted on behalf of University of San Francisco.  USF offers online marketing certificate courses including SEO training, search engine marketing, social media training, mobile marketing and more.  To learn more about University of San Francisco’s certificate programs visit www.usanfranonline.com.