A Google Executive Shares Her Best Advice for Young People

A Google Executive Shares Her Best Advice for Young PeopleIvy Ross is a tech executive heading up Googles top-secret wearables division, but she didnt follow what you might consider a traditional path to get tzu siche. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Shes been a jewelry designer, with her work appearing in some of the worlds best museums, and she has worked at multiple companiesincluding both Mattel and Gap Inc.When she gave a recent Commencement Address at FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology), Ross explained how it welches because of and not in spite of her unorthodox career path that she gained the success and fulfillment she currently enjoys.Here is her best advice for young peoplejust starting out.Ignore Your EgoAfter Rosss jewelry designs hit their 12thmajor museum and shed won the De Beers Diamonds International Award, Ross realized her heart just wasnt in it like it used to be. Shed worked so hard to achieve the kind of recog nition she was receiving, but now that shed attained the highest heightsaccomplishments any designer would spend an entire lifetime working towardsshe had nowhere else to push herself.Having her egos biggest desires met helped Ross to let go of those desires to try and see what other desires lay beneath them. And she found she gained a lot more satisfaction turning her talents to gruppe work and the joy of creating things collaboratively with others.Stop Planning Too Far OutPlans are always necessary in some form or another. But the ubiquitous 5-year plan that everyone insists upon? Ross says ditch it. Could she possibly have predicted 5 years ago, for example, that shed be spearheading a secret Google project? Of course not. Would she have been too restricted to try had she laid out a stringent 5-year plan in another field? Probably notand thats her point.Ross thinks 5-year plans are the way of the past, particularly given the rapid pace at which industries and technologies are cha nging and how often new opportunities present themselves. Staying open to different possibilities is difficult, but doing so can shape the fruchtwein rewarding careers.Appreciate theHere and NowRoss maintains that following the ideal career path wont necessarily get you where you want to go. Donttake jobs with the question, Where will this get me? in mind. Try asking instead, What can I learn here? or Can I do what I do best in this environment?Take your eye off the end game and ignore the destination. Figure out who you are an what youre good at, and just follow your heart.