Perserverence Leads to Success - Workology

Perserverence Leads to Success - Workology Perserverence Leads to Success Going from a college graduate to working full-time was not an easy transition for me.   My college was paid for and I never really understood the meaning of work.   I remember working for Foot Locker when I was in college and I really enjoyed it.      I enjoyed it until  there was an Ole Miss football game in Oxford and I abruptly quit.   No, work had never been a priority. Perserverence Leads to Success My first job out of college was in 1995.   I really struggled.   Wearing a tie daily, and understanding the competitive landscape of recruiting came as quite a shock to me.     My peers were excelling and I was just not getting it.   Yes, Aerotek was tough.  The average tenure for someone at Aerotek was less than a year.   For some reason though, I did not give up.   I remember having conversations with friends and they would always ask Why dont you quit? My father played a huge role in me sticking with it.   He encouraged me to persevere and work harder.   He told me to listen to advice and learn as much from the experience as I possibly could.   It was really hard.   I remember one Sunday I came into the office and we all talked about the strengths and weaknesses of the 50 recruiters that were in the Austin office.   I was probably sensitive, but it seemed like at least 1/2 of the afternoon was a discussion on my weaknesses. That confrontation was the best thing that ever happened to me.   I listened to everything that was said to me that day.   I took every piece of advice that was given and I  got better.   I started winning my peers over one by one.   A manager noticed some of the changes I was making and asked me to join his team.   I knew that until I changed teams I would never be successful at Aerotek. When I joined the new team, I had to start over.   I had been with Aerotek 1 year.     My goal was to be a Contracts Manager and in order to do that I had to be promoted from a recruiter.   It was hard, but it was worth it.   Whatever I did the year before didnt matter anymore.   I persevered. 5 months later, I was promoted to a Contracts Manager.   I quickly became one of the most successful Contracts Managers in the country.   I gained some of the top accounts and received awards quickly.   I was happy.   I was so glad I didnt quit.   I was proud of my accomplishments. .ai-rotate {position: relative;} .ai-rotate-hidden {visibility: hidden;} .ai-rotate-hidden-2 {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-fallback, .ai-list-block {visibility: hidden; position: absolute; width: 50%; height: 1px; z-index: -9999;} If I would have given up, I would have just been another Aerotek casualty.   Instead, I became a great recruiter and   what I learned I have applied in every aspect of my life today.   Now, I dont agree with all of the things I learned at Aerotek, but I have learned some terrific things.    It is because  if this experience, that  I believe separates me from other recruiters. There are a lot of times in my life where I have given up.   I have said I just cant take it any more.   I was right when I left some roles.   Other times, I wish I would have stayed.   Perseverance does pay off.   You can have success when you persevere. I have had a Cal Ripken poster in my house that I have had since the Aerotek days.   I think we all have a lot to learn from Cal.   He never gave up.   Never took a day off for 2632 days.   That is an astonishing feat. Before you make a change, is the grass really greener?   You will be amazed what will happen from sticking it out. .ai-rotate {position: relative;} .ai-rotate-hidden {visibility: hidden;} .ai-rotate-hidden-2 {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-fallback, .ai-list-block {visibility: hidden; position: absolute; width: 50%; height: 1px; z-index: -9999;}