Your Own Brand/Why MBA?

Australian Financial Review BOSS, January 2001 p. 14-20

But the collective is far from the minds of many workers as they hurtle along the career path. Over and over, recruiters and consultants talk about the narrow window of opportunity for workers to succeed in corporations - and the short span of jobs. The five year position is coming to be seen as the norm.

Which is why Andrew Horsley, director of executive search firm Horsley & Company, says the best advice is to "invest in yourself and never fall in love with the corporation".

He advises "if you are 25 you should aim to work in larger scale companies which are well-run, well-managed organisations so that you can learn good habits and work with good role models. In your 30s you should have completed your education - anything after that is of questionable use - and you should be on the way to the top by the time you are around 35.

"By then you should be in a position of complete responsibility, have a good global grasp of what's happening, have travelled and be actively participating in the wider business community outside of your job. You should now be a contributor. At 40 you have run your race and you can then start getting ready for the fun part of running your own show and working on your own terms. By the time you are 50 you are on a glide path".