It seems like some of the most brilliant entrepreneurs (Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Richard Branson) didn’t need a college degree to be wildly successful.
Although education gives you the upper hand, it doesn’t grant you a golden ticket to success. Meet Mike Curtis, a coffee shop barista who landed jobs at Yahoo, Facebook, and Airbnb.
So how did Curtis manage to move his way up the corporate ladder? By convincing people that he was worth it. In fact, Curtis landed his first job with a small tech company by asking one of his customers to give him a shot as an intern. Learning important skills like coding gave Curtis the skills necessary to land premier jobs in Silicon Valley. Handling programming at AOL, managing at Yahoo, and engineering at Facebook, Curtis was offered his most recent job: Vice President of Engineering at Airbnb.
Although it may seem like Curtis was granted incredible opportunities without much effort, he worked his way to where he is now. So here are a couple of tips to help you do the same.
First Impressions are Key
Prepare for those interviews! Employers want to see that you are interested in their organization and understand the general concepts of their mission.
Ask Not What You Can Do For Your Company But What Your Company Can Do For You
Make sure that the company you are working for is helping you grow into your best possible self. Your talented, which is why you landed the job in the first place, but make sure that your receiving just as many benefits from your hard work as your company is.
It’s not easy breaking into the top jobs in business. Taking all opportunities that come your way and networking with possible job employers is critical to moving up. But most importantly, stay true to you and your goals so that your career lifts you up, not weighs you down.
