The Long View summary

Would you rather be given a dollar today or be able to save two dollars next month? Many of us would choose the first option, and we tend to make similar choices when it comes to our career by focusing on immediate rewards over long-term success.

However, if you are serious about securing a fulfilling career, you’ll eventually need to look at things from a long-term perspective.

There’s an old adage that says good things come in threes, and this applies to the three best ways you can spend your time in order to help create opportunities at any stage in your career.

These three pillars are transferable skills, meaningful experiences and enduring relationships.

Now, let’s look at that third category of time well spent: enduring relationships.

Whether you know it or not, work relationships offer the biggest source of support for your career, because no matter what field you’re in, the smartest and most successful people all got there with advice from others.

Careers last an average of 45 years, which is such a long time that it can be helpful to think of it in three separate stages, each of them lasting for about 15 years.

The first stage is all about getting yourself in the game, so this includes putting together a plan for your job search and building connections to land that first gig.

Just as stage one is about finding what you’re good at, stage two is about becoming an expert at it by building upon your core strengths and making sure you stand out from the rest.

A great way to set yourself apart is to find your “sweet spot,” which is the intersection between what you are good at, what you love doing and which service you can provide the world.

Remarkably, the average life expectancy for those in first-world countries has grown by 30 years over the past century, which means a person’s career can last longer than it ever has before.

But there are still preparations that need to be made, which is why the third stage of your career is all about setting the stage to pass your expertise on to the next generation.