Even today, there’s so much griping about the opportunities we don’t get, the hierarchy and the job titles and all that nonsense.
Here’s an idea – why not be so darn valuable that you can write your own ticket? Take whatever they’re asking you to do, double that, and do it without breaking a sweat. And on top of that, do what you want.
It’s true, this isn’t a shortcut. If anything it’s a “long cut.”
No one said you’d get there without working really hard. And at the end of all this you’re exactly where you want to be, which is way better than complaining about all that cool stuff they’re not letting you do.
Along these same lines, I’ve learned that even asking can get you somewhere you may have never imagined yourself – in a good way! Ask for more work, ask to come to a meeting, ask for one-on-one face time, ask and then ask again. In the past, by identifying what I want, going to the person who can help me reach that goal, and asking them for, in a way, more opportunities to reach said goal, has always been more fruitful than not. I think the worst answer you can get is ‘No,’ but at least you still show ambition.