THE MAJOR DRIVE
So here you are in that job you so competitively secured after going through a drill of interviews that had been preceded with a kickass resumé/CV and you're finally in your dream job post (although these days some jobs are done because of necessity and not personal passion or drive). With it comes a truckload of responsibilities i.e. the dependents I had mentioned above as well as trying to keep up with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. You end up with two options:
1. Having a side hustle.
2. Wanting to advance your career by climbing the proverbial Corporate Ladder.
DIGGING INTO THE OPTIONS
So here you are trying to come up with a side hustle or a business idea that'll keep you ahead of this thing called life and its various demands it has on you. Only in your case you cannot find the time not the ideas necessary to begin. The risks outweigh the benefits and you're left with option 2.
This corporate ladder that you have to climb has to do with you working more hours and appeasing your higher ups amongst other things, to the degree that they take note and maybe throw you a little bone and you start to level up.
With this strategy it takes quite a degree of serendipity in addition to your hard work and dedication especially if you're working for large firm where one getting noticed is as often as lunar eclipse.
So what are you to do?
THE BAD AND THE UGLY
You've done everything possible with your limited free time to look into ways of advancing your career which in our case mostly takes a bit of googling and the search results pop up and they are all fine and dandy but those are just text book approaches and you are the only one who knows the realities of your firm and the work environment you're in.
Here's what I mean;
Most companies are operating on a profit and loss principle. If you can get those extra hours in and they get to compensate you cheaply or in some cases not compensate you at all, the prerogative of advancing you mostly lies with "the powers that be" in these companies. Try as you might, you can give your liver and spleen to them and they won't bat an eye because as long as they benefit you are just another robust cog in their machine.
There are other neferious ways to get to top like bribing, stabbing your co-workers in the back , being a boot licker - just engaging in office politics by switching your alleagience to your bosses...but this blog post isn't advocating for those.
HOW TO GRIN AND BEAR IT
The best way for one to get through this - although admittedly not conclusive- is:
a)Get to understand the that there is also an element of serendipity in life . Just as you got that job is also the same way you'd likely get a promotion.
b) Grow your skill set.
This could involve you maxing out on all the ins an outs of what you're specialize in at your current post and even if you can squeeze in some extra trainings by signing up for classes, do it.
This will make you more valuable as a person.
c)Know your value
Do not let the company you're currently working for missuse you for long because that could take a toll on your mental health and your loved ones need you strong. Look into competitor firms and see if they have openings for someone with your skills and experience and see if their compensation is better that where you're currently working.
d)Relook option 1 from above.
After what you've gone through, you can now easily assess your risks and look into options of investing in ventures that would not lead you into bankruptcy.
You can bulit a business humbly and from there just grow it slowly.
