How Fresh Graduates Can Grow Instead of waiting for the Company to help

Bangalore: As a small experiment, I had put up a skribit sidebar where anybody can suggest what I can write about. Little did I know that it would actually be used seriously. Someone posted the topic 'On how fresh graduates can learn independently and grow. Instead of waiting for the Company to help' and today, there are 9 votes on it!
To be honest, I think I am not qualified enough to answer this question. I am certainly no role model. But since 9 people have voted on it, I feel obliged to write something useful. I have jotted down some thoughts on what ideas and habits have helped me, it may not necessarily be useful for everyone. I hope these fresh graduates who voted will pick the best ideas and habits suited for them.

Is social media more addictive than cigarettes?

	YES
	NO

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Character and Lifestyle

Instead of focusing on building a career, why not focus on building a character? The career will take care of itself.

* 'Sow an act, reap a habit; Sow a habit, reap a character; Sow a character, reap a destiny - George Dana Boardman
* As Cal Newport would say, 'Fix the lifestyle you want. Then work backwards from there'. Too often, we confuse the medium (lawyer, doctor, engineer, etc.) with the message (what is important to us, what we want to do). So it is far more important to figure out what you want out of life, then figure out how to achieve that rather than the other way around. And only you can figure this out for yourself.
* I would recommend reading First Things First by Stephen Covey to help you understand your priorities in life.
* Most important of all, find your inner peace. Remember that 'Satisfaction is within'.
Career Building.

Basically, you need to take initiative in what you want to achieve, no one can tell you what you have to do, life is not that simple. I am glad the original question poser said that he/she wanted to grow 'Instead of waiting for the Company to help', you have got that part right already.

I recommend reading:
* The Pmarca Guide to Career Planning, part 2: Skills and education
* Career Advice presentation by Garr Reynolds
* How To Get A Job Like Mine by Aaron Swartz

Get Results
* 'Results, Jay. Results. Otherwise you cant expect rewards.'- Vertigo novel, by Ashok Banker
* Do deliberative practice, not just 'a lot of work.'
* Stick to the 10-year plan. There are no shortcuts to success.
Ultimately, you need to take action and get results. It is not enough to just plan and hope. As Morpheus would say, 'There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.'

Read
My personal slogan is 'I read. Therefore I do. Therefore I am.' If I compare myself to my school days and today, there has been a major transformation in character and outlook, and I attribute that purely to reading.

A great part of my learning also comes from writing, hence the blog, wiki, books, and twitter. It might seem like a waste of time, but I learn more by communicating. But that is just me.

* Read, Read, Read, the single advice given by Warren Buffett (one of the worlds richest men)
* Tactics For Reading, by Trent Hamm
* 25 Articles Every Student Should Read
* For every hour that you read, you must gain 3 hours of experience-Scott H Young
If you dont know where to start, I would suggest The Personal MBA Reading List.

Friends
Make valuable friends. This is the most important tip I can ever give you.
Equally important, make the right kind of friends. Yes, it is tough to let go of friends who you intuitively know are not the right influence on you, but speaking from experience, it is worth it in the long run.

As a wise man once said, 'Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.'
Learn Your Trade

For example, if we are talking about a software engineer: