A career is an essential thing in your life. Everyone wants to jump to the upper ladder fast enough that soon he starts earning six figure income. Different people are resting on different career ladder steps; some have kickstarted their work lives while others are somewhere in between startup and retirement. I don't know what step of your career ladder you are at this very moment, but what I know with surety is that you will have to avoid the ten biggest career mistakes. This prevention is crucial for ultimate career development. Let's unravel these career mistakes one by one.

1.Making Peace with Job Unhappiness

Do you feel unhappy or bored at your job? Many people feel the same way. For some people, this situation is pretty worse. They literally hate their job. So, if you are allowing yourself to remain unhappy on your job, it's a wrong career move. When this unhappiness scenario is long-term, please become a bit kinder to yourself. Polish your LinkedIn profile and start tapping on new job opportunities. There is no need to feel unhappy when you can find a job you will love the most.

2.Not Making any Work-Life Balance

A career is the most crucial aspect of everyone's life, but it doesn't mean that you focus more on work and forget about your social life. One of the biggest career mistakes is to focus less on your lifestyle and more on your work. Yes, your career requires effort and energy at first, but it doesn't mean to skip family gatherings and friendly parties. Remember, you are a human being who strives for social connections. So, please try to create a work-life balance.

3.Not Asking for Pay Rise

Often, people feel unsatisfied with their jobs as they are not getting reasonable compensation for all the efforts they are putting into the work. If you are feeling the same way and doing nothing about it. Indeed, it's the biggest career mistake that will affect your career growth sooner or later. 

Please fix this mistake by researching the average pay of your designation in the industry. Write some convincing points in a notepad and make a good case in front of your HR Manager. Know how to ask for a pay rise.

4.Not Learning New Skills

The world is super dynamic, and significantly IT World is changing every second. If you are not learning new skills, then you are missing a great job opportunity. You should polish your portfolio and work on some career aspects that help you jump on your career ladder's upper steps. 

5.Not Thinking about Transition

You don't have to do the same job for years when you can make more money with a bit of transition and career change. If you think that career change isn't possible at your 40 or 30, then you are walking on the wrong road.  Even when you don't want to leave your current job, start some side hustle to revitalize your work life.

6.Not Asking Help from Mentor

Every industry has influencers, mentors, and coaches. All you have to do is to find them and ask them to guide you. I know it won't be pretty straightforward. However, you need to take an intelligent approach to reach out to a renowned mentor. Learning from industry Pros means taking steps toward ultimate career development.

7.Not Taking any Risk

If you are a risk avoider, you won't be able to flourish your career quickly. Remember, big rewards are only possible when you take significant risks. So, if your occupation demands some risks, then please step out of your comfort zone. If you keep avoiding risks, it's hard to get the reward. Sometimes, it may not work out fine for you, but other times you may see surprising career results. So, step up to make the impossible possible.

Check: 5 Signs That Tell you to Take Risk in Career

8. Not Working on Self Image

It happens many times that you are so much invested in your work that you forget to groom yourself. You don't update your wardrobe and don't care about your hairstyle. If you want to get promoted and plan to get noticed in the workspace, you need to refresh your style. Buy new clothes every month and revamp your look. Get perfect professional appeal to impress your stakeholders and clients- it's how you will get what you desire the most in the practical world.Check tips for grooming yourself.

9. Not Expanding Your Network

Another biggest career mistake you need to avoid at any cost is kept a professional network short. Go out there, meet with other professional and industry drivers. The more you plan meetup, the better career opportunities with pop up. You can't underestimate the power of networking. Thereby, go and make the most of this power. You can easily connect with tons of professionals through LinkedIn. It's suggested to go for informational job interviews, so you can inquire all about a job before thinking of getting it.

10. Allowing Others to Make Career Decision on Your Behalf

Commonly, parents make career decisions for their children. However, once you get complete control of your work life, don't let anyone make career decisions for you. Every decision you make must be yours. The reason is that other people can see it all from a third-party angle. It's you who knows what's best for you and what won't work. 

Here are some signs that tell you that others are taking your life decisions.

Others can only suggest, and they may or may not be helpful. It's you who will have to face the consequence of a career decision, so it's always suggested to evaluate every situation on your own. Don't rely on others.

Conclusion

We all make some career mistakes that can have a significant impact on career development. If you are serious about growth, then you should make sure that you always avoid the top 10 career mistakes I mentioned in the post. Did you make any mistake that cost you a lot in your career? Share your life experience with us. Maybe some other person can learn from your mistake.