Sir Charles's Page

The opportunities available for young people today are greater than they've been in the past because society is more open in terms of not having a ceiling on what you can accomplish. I am a good example of that. I grew up with extreme poverty, and with a little application and a little luck, here I am.

There are different kinds of opportunities: There are opportunities in professions. There are opportunities in corporations. You can't climb a ladder from the top, so you have to start at the bottom. The question is whether you have enough ambition and can put enough effort into trying to accomplish what your potential commits you to accomplish. Going to school advances you in a society that is more and more demanding of intellectual capacity and the pressure to use your intellectual capacity. But the opportunities are there in any field you choose, provided that you apply yourself and recognize that the efforts you put in today will pay of tomorrow.

I don't have any magic formula as to how to get ahead. However, I would say that you should recognize that criticism is not always a put down. If you take it to heart, maybe it will guide the way you ought to be going. And make sure that, early on, you get a job in an area that is satisfying to you so that you get pleasure out of doing whatever you are doing with an eye on advancing in that profession. It's a lot easier to advance if you're doing something you like. Also, you should try to go outside the box and, whatever you're doing, try to learn enough about the area so that you're one step ahead of the person next to you. This is something I practiced a great deal - to try to really understand what I was doing and to understand the collateral implications, because those are ways you can distinguish yourself from somebody who's just in the pack.

Finally, I would not ignore the benefit of working with not-for-profit organizations which can use your services. Those are good for not only self-gratification, but also to give you access to other people in the community you can use for networking in terms of moving up.