Guess What? Your Job is Your Most Valuable Asset

Check out this quote from a CNN Money interview:

Writer Stephen Viscusi asserts that in this atmosphere, "You must understand that your job is your most valuable asset -- and your primary objective is to protect it."

Wow, wish I'd said that. ;-)

I'd say that in any atmosphere your job (I'd actually say "career") is your most important financial asset. Some say that your health is the most important financial asset you have (without it, your career could be worth nothing), but I'm assuming "health" in my career statement. Anyway, they are so interwoven (you need health to have a career and yet with great health you're going nowhere if your career stinks) that I put them together. Maybe it's just semantics anyway. But I digress.

What I really wanted to say in response to this quote is that while protecting our jobs/careers is important, we also want to GROW them. Here are some past posts that will help you do both:

• Five Ways to Protect and Grow Your Career

• Two Great Career Tips

• How to Demonstrate that You Deserve a Raise

• How to Ask for a Raise

Anyone out there doing anything special this year to grow/develop your career? I'm doing a few things:

• Regularly listening to some good podcasts in my chosen career field.

• Will attend a seminar and/or class to further develop some technical job skills I've wanted to add to my abilities.

• Networking at various social functions (you never know when this will come in handy.)

How about you?

Comments

[My Life ROI]

I have taken it upon myself to mentor with people who have been in the industry for 20+ years. Some have been with the company for that long as well.

Most of them have done my job and have since advanced up the ranks. They have a lot of valuable advice and it is very useful to find the balance between their knowledge and experience and my own.

Also helps to be on good terms with the people who will advance or halt my career progression :)

[a]

I'm a recent graduate with a highly specialized and technical educational background. Right now I'm working low-paying yet at least related-to-my-education job so that I can pay for things like food and rent.

This year, I'm working my tail off trying to land a job that will finally pay something near what my education and experience warrants. The current economic state is seriously making finding a job way harder than it would probably otherwise be.

[Scordo.com]

This is very provocative subject and I'm going to have to, respectfully, disagree. I think that regardless of economic environment the following attributes are your most important assets:

1. Skill set (what can you do that someone else will pay you for)

2. Hustling ability (or how hard will or can you work in any occupation)

A job is the end goal of course and you want to have one in an environment when everyone is loosing their occupation, but the above attributes will really help preserve your job and allow you to find another one if you get laid off.

[FMF]

Scordo --

I think it's semantics -- we're talking about the same thing.

I'd also lump in "your health" here. Some will argue that your career, skills, etc. are nothing without your health, which I agree with. But most people are healthy and hence their career (and the skills it takes to make it successful) is their most important financial asset.

[Scordo.com]

Sorry for the late response. Not sure about the distinction being about "semantics" - all arguments are based semantics and variation in meanins (just a logical point).

A "job" is a thing you go to each and every day and you usually get a pay check. Most average US citizens can find a job (outside of depression like periods, which we are currently NOT in yet). So, I would argue that most readers of this blog do not just want "a job" but rather a "good job" that pays well. And, in most instances, a good job is secured via an adequate skill set and the perception to your employer that you will(or are) work hard (in other words, hustle).

I think "job=best asset" is just too simple of an argument; it's certainly advice I would never give to a new grad or someone just starting off (it kind of smells of complacency).

Best,
Scordo