#66: What's important in your next role?

And why we often focus on the wrong things

Jul 20, 2024

Hey friends,

Welcome to the 66th edition of the “Level Up Ladder” newsletter.

Temperatures didn’t shrink in Bucharest in the past week, so I spent most of my time indoors again. It feels like I’m living in Dubai or Doha. At least I’m spending a few days on the seaside next week and I hope I’ll benefit from that sea breeze that will let me sleep without the AC on. I’ll let you know.

One of the best things, if not the best thing, about doing an MBA is the networking part. And this is where the organizers of the MBA that I’m following excel. They throw parties and there are several opportunities to meet Alumni and people from the ecosystem. This being said, last weekend we had our summer party, on a rooftop in downtown Bucharest.

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It was a great time to meet new people or catch up with some. The atmosphere was a bit “hot” until the sun came down but afterward, there was music and dancing and people were having a great time. I left around 2, but I heard that the party continued for a couple of hours more.

As I already told you, there are several “clubs” associated with the MBA too. I’m already active in the “running club”, which is probably the largest and most active, but recently I joined the “book club” and the “wine-tasting” ones. I’ve never been part of a book club before and I always associated it with old ladies in an American suburb meeting once a week to drink wine and gossip. I know, it’s an ageist thought, but I couldn’t help it.

As I can’t stand the heat, I am not going to the gym as often as I would like to (CrossFit gyms usually don’t have AC). I feel like I’m not in top shape, so I can’t wait for autumn to get back on track. Especially since I have another Hyrox coming up in November and might also do another half-marathon by then. I’ll think about it.

What’s important for your career?

This week, I wrote a LinkedIn post about why it’s important to know beforehand how your next manager considers some relevant aspects of your career.

Here is the initial post with the questions:

You know how I got this idea? Because I didn’t ask any of these questions until I was in my mid-thirties.

It’s because I was not focusing on the right things.

Let me be more blunt: I only cared about the money.

Every time I went to an interview, I only had one thought in mind: How much will they offer me?

As you might know, there is a correlation between the money you earn and your happiness level until a certain point.

https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/14/money-can-buy-happiness-but-only-to-a-point.html

Ok, around 75K in the US, that would mean a lot less in Romania, relative to the standard of living.

In my opinion, I was earning a lot above the average income since I was 28 or so. Still, for many years after that, I only cared about money when going to an interview.

Also, if I went to my boss with an offer for another company, the first thing I would mention was “I’m earning 30% more” or something like that.

Not:

I’m working with these technologies
It’s a big company and I can benefit from that ecosystem
I will lead a team, and that can boost my career in the long term

But this is not unexpected. Because in Romania, as in other countries, I’m sure, money is not only about money.

It’s about status.

There are countries around the world where your profession dictates how respected you are.

You'll be highly regarded if you’re a teacher in Finland, a dentist in the US, or a football coach in Spain. I don’t know that about Spain, I just know that they won the Euros, so they must have a great football culture.

In other countries, people might admire you if you're doing what you love. They wouldn't care that you're a poet in France, they would probably admire that you do what you love.

In Romania, it's not like this, at all. Here, people couldn't care less what you do for a living. They only care about how much money you have. This comes from the fact that we were a communist country for almost half a century, and everyone was poor. We didn't have color TVs and would wait for 2-3 years to get a car from the state. So, when capitalism replaced the old system, we were all hungry for money and for stuff.

Anyway, the issue is a lot more complex than that but the overall idea is this: money is very important in itself, not only as a means to an end.

Still, switching jobs only for money's sake is not a good idea. It's a very limited way of thinking. Because I wouldn't think long-term.

I would often say, "That's fine, I would work here for a couple of years, get some money, and then move to another company." And a lot of people stay in jobs they hate, just because the money is good.

Unfortunately, the job doesn't get any better, and the longer you stay, the harder it is to let go.

But I have gone too far.

The main idea is this: don't focus on the job that gives you more money, focus on the job that will help you grow easier. Because that job will eventually make you a lot more money than you would have made in the first one.

So, if you are in one of these categories:

in your twenties, with few responsibilities
with responsibilities but with a financial cushion to rely on

Go for that job that can give you that 10x in the long term.

What do you look for in a new job or role? Please let me know in the comments section!

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