In America, there is one thing I realize more and more: Many people are successful not because they are better than others, but because they see opportunities that others don’t know exist.
1. The difference between walking in the fog on your own and with a guide
Let’s look at the reality around us:
- There are people who submit 100 job applications looking for an opportunity in the US.
- Some people only receive a short message: “My team is recruiting. Please send me your CV.”
There are students who have to grope their way step by step to find a way to enter medical school or pharmacy school. But there are other students who know very well from a young age:
- Who should shadow (clinical observation).
- When should I start doing scientific research?
- Which professor should I meet?
- And what fatal mistakes should you avoid?
These two groups of people are both intelligent. They are both hardworking and all possess big dreams. But one group is having to walk in the fog on its own, while the other group always has guidance and close support.
2. The power of the network: When opportunities step in and doors in America are not on Google
The biggest difference between the two groups of people above is the power of the network.
Network here is absolutely not a superficial social “acquaintance”. It’s a network of people who really know you, trust you, are willing to promote you when the right opportunity arises, and help you see things that outsiders cannot see.
In America, a lot of great opportunities never land on Google. They just appear and stay in conversations:
- A closed scientific research project.
- A job position that has not yet been publicly advertised.
- A special scholarship program.
- An opportunity to demonstrate leadership capacity.
- A direct referral to the right authority.
And sometimes, just a timely piece of advice from your network will help you avoid spending a few more years of your life taking a detour. If no one guides you, sometimes you don’t even know that the door really exists.
I say this not to blame those who have advantages, because everyone should take advantage of what they have. And seeing this is not to make us feel bitter, but to be alert. Be alert to focus your time, energy, and effort in the right place.
Lesson learned: Not only do you have to continuously accumulate knowledge and practice professional skills, but you also have to learn how to build a network of relationships for yourself. If we weren’t born into a beneficial ecosystem, we can still start building it ourselves.
3. Experience of self-discovery from the first days of arriving in America
When I first came to America I didn’t have many connections. No one sat down to draw a specific road map for the future.
While I was still struggling in ESL English class, my classmates had their names included in major scientific research articles. At that time, there was no one to show me who to meet, how to write emails, or how to enter those rooms of opportunity.
I had to figure out a lot of things and pay for them myself:
- There are emails that take forever to be sent and no one responds.
- There are good opportunities that I only know about when their deadline has passed.
- There are conversations that when I look back later, I realize I should have behaved differently at that time.
And because I once walked that lonely road myself, I understand one thing even more: Many times what slows down a person’s journey is not because they lack ability, but because they are walking alone.
4. Efforts in the right place will determine your future
Looking back later, the periods that helped me break through and advance the fastest were not the times when I tried the hardest, but were the times when I was lucky enough to meet the right person:
- A senior sister told me about a scholarship I should apply for – thanks to that, I received a full scholarship from Bill Gates to attend college.
- A professor showed me a research opportunity – thanks to that, I built a strong profile that will help me easily enter medical school in the future.
- A leader confidently introduces himself to a completely new position.
- A dedicated teacher shows me how to observe and perceive people.
Those lucky things are absolutely no substitute for your personal efforts. But it helps put all your efforts in the right place.
Effort is always a mandatory condition: No one learns for you, no one works for you, and no one can build your future for you.
However, you need to remember: A person who tries alone is rarely as successful as a person who is supported by an entire surrounding ecosystem.
You may not be able to choose the family where you were born, nor can you choose the starting point of your life. But you absolutely have the right to choose the people you will learn from, choose the environment you enter, choose the rooms you will appear in, and choose the ecosystem you want to build.
And many times, those directional choices will determine your future much more than you think.
What do you think about these shares? Have you started building your own ecosystem yet? Please leave a comment below to let me know.
If you feel this article provides a useful perspective, please share it with your friends!
Dr. Christina Nguyen
Phoenix Medical Academy
