A Declaration of Independence for Your Career!

July 4th is celebrated in the United States of America as a day of independence, in remembrance of that day in 1776 when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence announcing that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire.  These colonies were free from the empire and were given the ability to make their own decisions.

This is how we should look at our careers.  Yes, you may work for a company or government agency, but you still have the right and responsibility to make your own career decisions.  Your company certainly may support you in your career but they are not going to tell you what direction or what path you should take, you must decide that.  If they do try to tell you what path to take, remember, you are not part of any empire, you are an independent professional.

How many of you reading this article are small business owners?  I would make an argument that every person reading this article is a small business owner and your business is YOU!  In today’s economy, no company is necessarily stable, no job is safe, no paycheck is guaranteed, and therefore we are all working and making decisions for ourselves.

The second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, which has been called “one of the best-known sentences in the English language,” reads:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

So always remember that along your path of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, continually advance your career wherever and whenever you can, because no matter where you go professionally your career always comes with you!

Anthony Fasano, P.E., LEED AP, CPESC, CPSWQ, CPC

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