I find the Unicorn metaphor thought-provoking. What is the opposite of a unicorn? Probably a workhorse. And the better you are at being a workhorse, the more convinced your employer will be that you will create the most value for them by remaining a workhorse. The problem is, while unicorns don't need to eat, workhorses do, and the longer a workhorse takes to grow its horn (develop expertise, find its niche, build its own community, etc.), the more likely that something bad will affect its livelihood. Maybe the workhorse gets replaced or laid off (unlike unicorns, workhorses are a dime a dozen); maybe there are now more mouths to feed (who says workhorses can't keep pets?). I completely understand the need to play the long game when money is an issue, but how long is too long? What advice would you give to me, a workhorse that can't gallop but also does not want to simply trudge along?
Thanks for the comment. First, I wouldn't assume that you're a workhorse who can't gallop. Your view on how much potential you have might be based on performance in the wrong environments. If you find the right environment, you may thrive more than you ever imagined. Years ago, I forced myself into entrepreneurship because I figured I could never thrive in regular W2 employment--turns out I'd only worked for large orgs, and was meant for a startup.
Second, as to time horizon, I would assume that we can all work productively until age 70. So "too long" is probably in the order of decades. I just made up age 70 honestly, I mean, plenty of people work into their 80s and 90s. My point is that careers are longer than we think, and if you're plugging away enjoying the work, you don't need for that "one big success" to hit--you can just do what you do forever.
I find the Unicorn metaphor thought-provoking. What is the opposite of a unicorn? Probably a workhorse. And the better you are at being a workhorse, the more convinced your employer will be that you will create the most value for them by remaining a workhorse. The problem is, while unicorns don't need to eat, workhorses do, and the longer a workhorse takes to grow its horn (develop expertise, find its niche, build its own community, etc.), the more likely that something bad will affect its livelihood. Maybe the workhorse gets replaced or laid off (unlike unicorns, workhorses are a dime a dozen); maybe there are now more mouths to feed (who says workhorses can't keep pets?). I completely understand the need to play the long game when money is an issue, but how long is too long? What advice would you give to me, a workhorse that can't gallop but also does not want to simply trudge along?
Thanks for the comment. First, I wouldn't assume that you're a workhorse who can't gallop. Your view on how much potential you have might be based on performance in the wrong environments. If you find the right environment, you may thrive more than you ever imagined. Years ago, I forced myself into entrepreneurship because I figured I could never thrive in regular W2 employment--turns out I'd only worked for large orgs, and was meant for a startup.
Second, as to time horizon, I would assume that we can all work productively until age 70. So "too long" is probably in the order of decades. I just made up age 70 honestly, I mean, plenty of people work into their 80s and 90s. My point is that careers are longer than we think, and if you're plugging away enjoying the work, you don't need for that "one big success" to hit--you can just do what you do forever.
Best of luck!