This is in response to one of our many Call for Submissions posts featured every day on the Good Men Project.
Dear Rob,
I am writing this letter to you as I approach nearly 15 years in online marketing and search engine optimization.
There are a few things I would like you to know and thought a letter might be a good way get it to you. Most importantly, your early fascination with things technological, like the Space program and the Commodore 64, will take you headlong into a field not even needed until long after you graduate high school.
I have compiled a list of other things below.
You will take the road a little less traveled.
But, that won’t bother you. You’ve done things in a slightly non-traditional way all of your life.
You will survive and even thrive after the first internet bubble.
Others will not be so lucky.
You should not compare yourself to those in your field that you perceive are in a more advantageous position.
That is the wrong yardstick.
Find mentors and allied professionals to create a network that you can reach out to when needed.
Likewise, seek to mentor those new to the field. Measure against yourself instead.
Long term employment will not be guaranteed.
Layoffs will be a part of your world of work. Instead, seek lifelong “employability” by reading voraciously and practicing new approaches and techniques.
Advancement in your field will require that you change jobs at intervals and even relocate.
The “last generation” perks (like a pension and retirement healthcare) will not be guaranteed to you.
You will have to plan for your own retirement.
A positive attitude and willingness to work are your best assets.
Best of luck Rob!
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Photo: torbakhopper/Flickr
This essay originally appeared on LinkedIn.
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