“You are protecting your employability and ensuring that you are on the path to career satisfaction if you can answer yes to the following questions:Are you feeling stretched in a positive way?Can you describe what you have learned in the past six months?Can you describe what you will learn in the next six months?Are you aware of the most recent trends in your field and their implications for your longer-term success?Do you know what skills and knowledge you need to develop that are critical to your future success and employability?Are you strategic in your learning, focusing on something you are good at rather than on your weaknesses?”

“Do you feel you are doing something important or that you care about deeply? Do the content and challenges associated with your work enthrall you? Do you often find yourself surprised by how much time has flown by when you are working? Do you feel passionate about your work? If you have answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are in the fortunate position of being fully engaged by your work.”

“Ask yourself what you like to think about. Problems associated with your technical specialty? Would you be unhappy making a career shift into a new area? Do you see yourself, in the future, as more of an individual contributor or a manager?If you do think you want to specialize, here is the acid test: Your skills and talents are sufficiently deep and leading-edge for you to be able to complete a sentence that sounds something like this: "I am uniquely qualified for this because I am one of a handful of people who have the depth of knowledge to…”

“When was the last time you were so completely engaged and absorbed by your work that all of a sudden you looked up and said, "I can't believe it-five hours couldn't have passed!" This is what psychologists are calling "flow." When you achieve a state of flow, you feel a sensation of confidence, of being in control, of being engaged and focused. Flow is achieved when your work is performed in sync with your aptitudes and values.”

“The fact is, passion is not a commodity, it is the by-product of doing something that really engages you. Look for what will truly hold your attention-psychologically and technically-and the passion should take of itself.”

“The secret of success is to try always to improve yourself no matter where you are or what your position. Learn all you can. Don't see how little you can do, but how much you can do.”

“All your questions can be answered, if that is what you want. But once you learn your answers, you can never unlearn them.”