Some quick careers advice from a VP at Goldman Sachs

We stand accused of writing too much about Goldman Sachs. This may be true. However, our own data suggests GS is a popular subject, and we haven't actually written anything focused entirely on it for sometime now. So...

A few months ago, Samuel Ramos, a little known-VP and associate general counsel at Goldman Sachs, stood up at his alma mater and preached some 'common sense advice for future success' to all the students.

None of it is revelatory, much of it is directed at aspiring lawyers, some of it is waffle, but in several ways Samuel has a point. His advice for career joy is worth noting. We have distilled it as follows:

1) "Listen and execute"

Listen to exactly what people tell you to do. And then do it. Simple.

"If you listen and execute, you will succeed," says Samuel.

2) "It's a slog, you have to put in the time"

There are no short cuts. There are no revision books which can help you get through your exams. There are no ways of getting ahead in banking (although Samuel doesn't actually state this) without putting in the hours. Face it. Accept it. Success isn't a necessary outcome of working hard, but working hard is a necessary precursor to success.

3) "Leverage your uniqueness"

Samuel was a law student with an engineering background. This made him unusual. It also made him unique. By focusing on the differentiators in his erratic career path, he was able to persuade people to hire him. Unusualness can be good.

4) Always think, "What is important to me as an individual"

Samuel accompanies this point with a laboured metaphor about libraries, which we won't repeat here. However, his point is valid: don't just move from analyst to associate or associate to MBA, or small accounts to big accounts because everyone else is doing it. You need to create your own career path and to focus on what you want and what you can do which no one else can (see point 3).