Do you ever feel like you've worked hard but haven't gotten promoted, and therefore haven't received recognition?
In the workplace, "job title" really matters. Your position in the organization determines what kind of opinions you're qualified to express. This is a common flaw in traditional and large companies, stemming from a lack of trust in newcomers or the belief that junior employees "cannot grasp all the information comprehensively," which leads to their voices being excluded.
For junior employees, sometimes all the company expects is for them to silently comply with decisions. There's no absolute right or wrong here—supervisors certainly have their own considerations. But from another perspective, the closer you are to the bottom of the organization, the better you actually understand the detailed operational issues. You can discover organizational defects by solving small problems one by one, finding the clues that could improve the organization. Of course, this requires you to be proactive enough.
"Opportunities often disguise themselves as problems and appear before you." If you're proactive enough, before you even encounter a problem, you've already prepared solutions and contingency plans in advance, keeping yourself ready with solid competence. When the right opportunity comes, it's your moment to showcase your abilities.
So why do we say competence is earned by yourself? Job title is given by the company, but it often relies on luck, not just ability. Sometimes, simply joining the company early means everyone perceives you as senior, and with no other candidates available, you get promoted. Yet you may lack the actual competence, making it hard to gain others' respect. Conversely, if you're someone with real ability, willing to learn and improve, and open to others' opinions, thinking holistically about everything you do, even with limited experience, your competence will still earn you respect.
But competence takes time to develop. Everyone's timeline is different. Some people gain recognition after two or three years of effort, while others might need ten years to have their moment to shine. Regardless, remember this: as long as you continuously work to build your competence, waiting for your moment to come, and seize the opportunity to showcase yourself, society won't let you down, and you won't let yourself down either.
