Earning extra income has a profound impact on day-to-day living. When you get paid extra, those little luxury items you’ve wanted to buy but couldn’t justify suddenly seem to be within reach.

There are only so many ways to earn extra income. All of them are accessible by everyone, depending primarily on mindset. Those serious about raising their wages and willingly taking on the challenges associated with the task invariably achieve their goals. The process is simply a matter of adding more value. For people in a career with sufficient on-the-job experience, this is usually a case of adding more value to the base of existing value that accumulated over time. Only in rare cases will it be necessary to jettison all your work experience to begin anew.

Assess Your Career Advancement Opportunities

You must evaluate your opportunities to advance in your current career. If you see a clear path to advancement with your current employer, you have a direct line to extra income if you follow a clear plan. If the picture of the future conjured up by your current employment situation is not so bright, you must assess opportunities among other companies in your sector. It may be time to look for the proverbial greener pastures in your industry.

Your career advancement goals must align with a realistic view of your company, your place in it, and the industry you serve. Make simple tree-style logical decisions upfront. For example:

• If you’re well suited to your current career and company, make every effort to excel.
• If you find yourself in an employment situation that does not match your temperament or experience, career advancement may lie with another firm or industry. (We’ll talk about that in the next post. We’re concentrating on those with current employment that suits them well.)

If quickly climbing the ladder is your goal, these two concepts make sense. People who build on top of existing foundations reduce their time to advance. If you’re already working every day at a company that supports your future growth, it’s enough to double down and dedicate yourself to moving up the chain.

3 Steps to Level up Fast in Your Current Job

• Study your current corporate culture.
• Identify key players in decision-making roles.
• Play the game the same way it’s being played by those who are winning.

Moving up the ranks is no harder than this at most corporations. Management has built a specific culture. Their visions didn’t manifest overnight. It took years of dedicated work by a team of people to get the company to the point it was when you joined. You can’t be expected to change company culture from your current vantage point. As the old saying goes, you must “get along before you go along.” 

It’s not necessary to become a clone or a drone, either. You must respect the prevailing culture if you wish to get ahead. When you align yourself with the shared mores of those you work with, you’ll find doors open relatively quickly. Suppose you never fully embrace the gestalt of your work environment. In that case, it’s hardly surprising if you get passed over by those colleagues who have connected on a deeply emotional level with their corporate surroundings. Don’t make the mistake of looking down on those who “play the game.” Everyone does the same thing to one degree or another. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be getting ahead.

If you decide you can’t get your head around doing things the way others approve of at your present job, you’re back to square one and need to look for career advancement opportunities outside of where you’re at. When looking for a new workplace, though, pay particular attention to their corporate culture. You must immediately sync up with their philosophy when you start work.

Employers Have a Right to Expect Your Best

Not only do employers have an inherent right to demand your best, but you also must deliver it to them. Despite what many think, employment is a privilege and not the inherent right some expect. No company has to keep you on their books for any reason. They do so because you provide enough value that getting rid of you would be painful and expensive.

If you’re unwilling or able to give it your all, you’re shortchanging your employer and yourself. Despite this warning, there’s a silver lining. You can turn it around if you’re still working and committed to your future. If you’re not on the hot seat, it means you’ve been performing at a level above the baseline. Your advancement is underway if you want to dig in and make a few improvements.

You must also be prepared to improve the skills needed to excel in your chosen profession. That means you have to be willing to learn the technology and tools of your trade. If you stop learning, you’ll fall behind those who continue to press forward. They’re building a formidable arsenal of professional tools that keep them in demand. You’d be well served to do the same.

Consistently adding the tools, training, and tactics needed to do your job well will pave the road to career advancement opportunities. You become a rising star when you show an indomitable spirit to improve. You won’t just focus on career development to get ahead. You’ll also master personal growth as well. With excellent personal and professional habits in place, there’s no chance your momentum will stop.

In the next part of this series, we’ll look at jumping careers altogether. This is the nuclear option in every sense of the word. When you make this move, you’re making the statement that you’ve been spending time doing something you dislike. You’ll have to start over in many respects, but the increased enthusiasm you feel will offset any setback.

You’re in charge of your time. It’s completely your decision on how to spend it. Do what gives you the most incredible satisfaction, and you’ll never go wrong.

Updated 11/06/2023