Tasha Johnson went to college with high hopes.  She had dreams of being the CFO of a Fortune 500 Company, being seen as the leading authority on Finance and being one of the “financial experts” interviewed for commentary on the nation’s debt.  Tasha, for as long as she could remember, had visualized her first real job: she would be fresh out of college, new degree in hand with two job offers, a starting salary of $65,000.00 annually, a healthy benefits package and a corner office on the top floor with lots of windows.  So, for the life of her she could not imagine why she was sitting in her fourth interview, six months after graduating at the top of her class getting ready to turn down another “entry level” job that paid too little and wanted too much.  Tasha, though a fictitious character, symbolizes what many go through at some point in their career: the discouraging point where expectation and reality meet. 

Some of the best life quotes and life advice come from movies.  The new movie Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon has a scene that speaks to Tasha and many other’s career situation.  There is a scene where Sam Witwiky, one of the main characters, is very frustrated because of the difficulty he faces finding the job he wants.  Witwiky has been instrumental in saving the world twice and has a medal of honor from the President to prove it, however, these credential do not serve him well in his job search.  On his last interview, when he is ready to decline the job, the hiring official tries to discourage Witwiky from declining the job and says “The job you want is the one after this one but this job is in the way.”  The hiring manager went on to tell Witwiky if he performed well in the job he was being offered the position he wanted, the higher level, better paying, more prestigious position was eminent. This same scenario is lived out in many careers except, unlike Witwiky, there is often no one to communicate that “this job is in the way of the job you want.” How different would your job search, work ethic, perspective about your current situation be if you viewed your current job, the job you hate, as the job you had to do and do well before you got the position you wanted.   

What is so important about the “Job that is in the way”?  The answer is simple: preparation for sustained success.  Another movie reference is Karate Kid.  Whether you remember the old Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, or the new Karate Kid, Jaden Smith, you remember that the teacher did not start the student off with a full fight or any real karate moves.  The teacher started the student out doing things that seemed completely unrelated to fighting which frustrated the student.  Everyone can quote the famous line “Wax on, wax off.”  It was the elementary, seemingly unrelated moves that developed the Karate kid into the best fighter in town.  Sure, the famous crane kick won the fight but it was the “wax on, wax off” that kept the Karate Kid alive long enough to do the famous winning kick.  The “wax on, wax off” was what ensured and sustained his success in the fight. In the learning process the teacher would not allow the Karate Kid to move on to become a prize fighter until he mastered the most elementary move.  For the Karate Kid “wax on, wax off” was the job that was in the way.  The same is true for most careers; the job that is in the way is the “wax on, wax off” of your career.  You must master it in order to go to the next spot.

There is a seasoned professional reading this article and thinking “You tell those young folks.  Please get them straight about paying their dues.  But I have paid my dues and am tired of being overlooked.  I have mastered ‘wax on, wax off’ I have also taught it to other people and they mastered it and moved on.  So this article cannot be for me.”  You are the exact person this article is for. 

Every rung of the career ladder requires a mastery of additional skills.  Careers are limited, slowed down or even ended because many professionals, particularly season professionals, don’t recognize when to shift skill sets.  There are two things that employees are paid for: people skills and technical skills.  At the beginning of a career organizations pay for technical skills; the actual job itself.  As a career progresses organizations begin to pay more for people skills; managing people, networking, getting contracts, making deals.  Let us look at another movie character to make this a Trifecta of character references.  One of the most amazing and intriguing superheroes of all time is Batman.  It has been said that Batman has no real superpower but that could not be further from the truth.  Batman has no real physical superpower but Batman has superhuman knowledge.  He is a genius and as a result he can create and build gadgets that make him able to do most things the other superheroes are able to do.  This is what puts Batman in the top five of Superheroes.  What sets him apart and makes him the most powerful is his knowledge of people.  Batman knows his friends as well as his enemies inside and out and has an intricate plan to either promote or destroy them.  He has mastered the business of people.  Many seasoned professionals are stuck and frustrated because they cannot fathom why their careers are not moving: they are good at their job, have a sought after expertise, get glowing evaluations and phenomenal raises.  So why are their careers stagnant?  They have not mastered the Batman career philosophy. The Batman career philosophy is…