Significant Career Lesson From a Senior Product Owner at Pacific Gas and Electric
Jake's most significant career lesson centers on "determination and self-belief," emphasizing the importance of investing in people and cultivating positive relationships rather than solely focusing on technical skills. This approach, Jake explains, involves being "flexible, be fun, be positive," ultimately leading to stronger professional connections and career advancement.
Positive Attitude, Networking, People Skills, Resilience, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jake Carlisle
Senior Product Owner
Pacific Gas & Electric
UCLA
N/A
Anthropology, Sociology
Energy & Utilities
Cyber Security and IT
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Determination and self-belief are crucial for career success.
2. A positive attitude and focusing on what you can give rather than what is owed to you are important.
3. Investing in relationships and building a strong network are more valuable than any specific technical skillset.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
For me, it's determination and self-belief. I think those are really important.
The main lesson I've learned, and I can take it across my whole career, my hobbies, work, and home life, is working on yourself rather than spending any time wishing the world were different.
It's about having a positive attitude and looking at what you are thankful for, not what things are missing. Don't look at what's owed to you; look at what you can give. By making things better, hopefully, something good comes back to you.
I think it's really about investing in people. Today's society is so tech-driven. Everybody's on their phones, everybody's looking down.
There was a time I thought I could get ahead, I could game the system by making an app or doing something like that, and then I wouldn't have to deal with people because that's hard and uncomfortable. But that's not true.
I really think the people you know, the connections you develop, and the reputation you make will carry you much farther than any knowledge you have. People like other people; they want to work with people they enjoy being around.
Often, if you had your own company and had to hire either person A, who's great at what they do but brings a cloud into the office every day, or somebody who's maybe not as good but is amazing to be around, smart, and eager to learn, it's easy to choose person B.
So, be person B. Be flexible, be fun, be positive, be adaptive, be smart, be curious. All those things will take you far, not just in your career, but in every part of your life.
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