The Real World: The value of hard work

There are two lessons I continue to teach my students and preach to my mentees when discussing career choices. One involves adapting an unparalleled work ethic — work harder than the next person and you'll continually be rewarded. The second lesson lies in diversity: the more skills and experience you can offer an employer, the more valuable you will be to any company.

Of course, education is an integral part of today's pursuit of a desirable career. Prior to my first year of studies at Fanshawe College in the early 1980s, I worked at a high-paying summer job that involved little work and lots of time to put my feet up on my desk and read the newspaper. I think I spent most of my time on the phone with my friends, planning our next weekend of dancing and boozing. Despite the fact I only had a high school diploma (and apparently disguised my dismal work ethic), that firm wanted to hire me on a full-time basis.

Those days, my friends, are long gone. Without a college diploma or university degree, your chances of obtaining work that you love are about as good as the Toronto Maple Leafs winning a Stanley Cup. The job market is flooded, and thus you must have a strong educational background, admirable work ethic and a myriad of skills.

Thankfully (minus the aforementioned summer job), I had always worked hard throughout my earlier years — something that has paid off in spades as a selfemployed communications professional. At one time, I had one of the largest paper routes in the city of London. I flipped my share of burgers, sold useless services and products as a telemarketer, delivered miles of carpet to residential and commercial clients, worked at a local radio station, wrote freelance newspaper articles and sat on my behind at extraordinarily boring office jobs even before I entered college.

The biggest lesson I have learned in terms of work ethic is this: if you think you are working as hard as you can, then you aren't. You can always step up your game. If you don't, then the next person will pass you like Usain Bolt in the 100-metre dash.

So, where do you start when wishing to up your game? Begin with time management. Each weekend, I map out my following week while allowing some flexibility for new and exciting opportunities. On any given day, I can be writing, editing, interviewing, meeting with a client, speaking to a group, broadcasting on radio or TV, updating my websites and social media platforms, teaching and, of course, golfing. Without a game plan, my week would be about as erratic as Charlie Sheen after an all-night bender.

Next time you're chilling with your classmates at Sunday brunch and worrying about your workload, remember: be a planner, and, like Bolt (insert corny advice here) run past the finish line — don't let up.

Hard work, though, isn't enough in today's world. Diversity rules. One of the deciding factors that brought me to Fanshawe College instead of other schools offering journalism programs was the diverse program offered here in London. Writing, camera operation, ethics, law, interviewing and broadcasting all played an important part in my studies — they're skills I continue to use each day. One of the biggest reasons why I succeed as a journalist and media relations professional is diversity, stemming from my studies at Fanshawe. I am comfortable tackling an assignment from almost any business sector — news, sports, entertainment — whereas others may only work within their own comfort zone.

Many jobs in today's communication sector — growing annually — require a diverse set of skills. Strong writing skills are essential: write well and you will always be a valuable asset to your company. Despite the fact that so much of our daily communication involves e-mailing and texting, verbal skills are also paramount to becoming a valuable employee or successful entrepreneur. Nothing substitutes for a face-to-face meeting with a client, for example. And if you can educate and entertain a group during any type of speaking engagement, then your value as an employee will skyrocket. Write well and speak well, and you can bet you'll be a go-to person within your organization.

A final word of advice: don't spread yourself too thin. If you try to please everyone, you'll please no one. Been there, done that. It takes a considerable amount of effort to rebuild a business relationship once you've made a client feel like a second banana.

Award-winning journalist Jeffrey Reed is a Fanshawe College professor with the Corporate Communication and Public Relations post-graduate program and an instructor with Fanshawe's Continuing Education department. E-mail him at jreed@fanshawec.ca.