9 Life Lessons from 9 Years of Working | Life Lessons from the Workplace

As I enter my 9th year of working, I reflect on all the life lessons I’ve gained.

At the risk of revealing my age, I’ll be sharing lessons gained from years of hard work as well as painful experiences.

About Me

Before we begin, let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I’ve worked in the traditional finance and financial technology spaces for most of my career. Recently, I’ve been getting more into the Web 3 space as a product manager and content writer.

In between, I’ve attended graduate studies abroad in Singapore and Tokyo.

Here are the life lessons I’ve gathered so far.

Life Lesson 1: Learn new skills

Diversifying my skills into Web 3 set me up for the next stage of my career.

As Web 3 increased in adoption, traditional organizations needed talent capable of bridging the skills gap between Web 2 and Web 3. I’ve fulfilled such a role over the past two years. Whether it has been by building Web 3 products or educating colleagues on Web 3, I have been adding value to my company.

With new skills, you’re able to increase your value within the organization.

Life Lesson 2: Lead from all sides

I used to think leadership started when a person moved into a people-leading role. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Leadership can be exercised from many angles:

• Leading upwards by helping and giving feedback to your direct manager

• Leading sideways by mentoring teammates

• Leading downwards by creating an effective environment for direct reports

And it’s not just in the workplace.

The greatest life lesson when it comes to leadership is to lead at home.

Your children, spouse, friends, and family all need leadership.

Life Lesson 3: Network > Networth

At The Mega Maxi, we’ve dedicated a guide to building a solid network. We can’t stress it enough.

People assume success in the workplace comes when you:

• Are technically good at your job

• Work hard with long hours

• Meet targets

While these are important, you also need to:

• Develop strong relationships with people (not just your boss)

• Attain buy-in when presenting ideas

• Earn respect from colleagues

You make your life easier when you have supportive people around.

Life Lesson 4: Remember what’s important

In my first workplace, I witnessed how executives dedicated themselves fully to their careers. When they left their homes for work, their partners and children were asleep. They ate dinners alone and only spent meaningful time with their families on the weekends.

Not everyone is willing to live that life. I would be regretful if I missed significant family time.

As you continue in your working life, remember what you value the most and don’t lose sight.

Life Lesson 5: Soft skills matter

Whenever I looked at executives and higher management, I noticed that they were not the best, technically, in their roles. While hard skills are important, soft skills rule once you go up the company hierarchy.

Leaders and managers no longer execute on the same level as individual contributors. Instead, they must create safe environments, communicate the strategy, and ensure their people execute.

Great soft skills are also harder to replicate, and thus more valuable.

We go to schools and universities that teach us about finance, writing, and computer engineering. There are barely any training grounds for soft skills.

Life Lesson 6: Find your passion

We are often told to find what we love and create careers around it. That’s one of the greatest myths known to man.

We do not need to love our jobs or careers. Sure, it helps a lot if you at least like what you do. But there are many ways to live life.

You can be passionate about hobbies, family, travel, and advocacies. These can be pursued outside of the workplace. Use the income from your job to support these and live a fulfilled life.

Find your passion, wherever that may be.

Life Lesson 7: It’s Okay to Make Friends

While many employees choose to separate friends from colleagues, friendships do form in the office. In fact, you may even find love.

In a 2018 study, 15% of people found their significant other through the office. Note that this number may go down due to today’s work from home and remote work setups. This goes to show that we build close relationships with those who are frequently around us.

If only employers used these statistics to attract employees, lol.

Life Lesson 8: Ask and You Shall Receive

Most mistakes happen due to miscommunication, misalignment, and an inability to speak up.

Workplace culture plays a big role in enabling people to speak. Employees could be afraid to ask due to the risk of appearing dumb. Higher-ups could also be generally closed-off and unfriendly. This is harmful.

No one understands everything in one single communication.

Asking questions also displays interest. If you care about getting the job done right and about the work, you learn by asking.

Whether you’re a new or senior employee, ask away. There are no dumb questions.

Life Lesson 9: Fearful Growth

Throughout my career, I’ve been offered new roles, promotions, and special projects. Each and every time, I was afraid to take them. But I took them anyway.

While it’s acceptable to stay still, for those who are chasing growth, these opportunities take place where you’re most uncomfortable.

You will never be fully prepared, and you may be fearful. These are signs you’re about to grow.

In the End

These are just some of the lessons I’ve learned, and I’m sure I’ll encounter more as the years go by.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Web3 careers work, check out our guides.