Early in my career as an EHS pro, my peers and I believed that joining an association such as ASSE or AIHA, obtaining credentials such as CIH and CSP, getting an advanced degree, followed by progressive increases in pay, usually by doing similar work in another organization, defined career success. But is that progress the most important career objective to pursue?
I was so naïve in the early part of my career that I graphed the above. On one axis was a timeline of achieving credentials matched with the other axis showing expected pay. What I was paid for what I did was my sole measure of success. It was not until a career mentor entered my life that I learned that measurement by pay distracts from higher career fulfillment.