What Doesn’t Kill Your Career Only Makes It Stronger
The philosopher Nietzsche was the one who said, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." (His exact quote was actually, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger.")
And a new study found it might hold true when it comes to your career success.
Researchers at Northwestern University looked at how people's careers progressed over the course of about a decade. And they found that suffering setbacks at work might actually make you more successful in the long run.
They looked at scientists who tried to get papers published early in their careers, but got rejected. And it turned out they were more likely to publish a major scientific paper down the road.
The ones who had papers rejected were 6% more likely to publish a major study within the next 10 years, compared to scientists who didn't have their papers rejected.
They specifically looked at scientists, but it sounds like the same trend probably applies to other jobs too. And it suggests that setbacks tend to encourage us to try even harder to succeed.
The study found that suffering a setback really early in your career might make you quit and pursue something else. But people who stick with it and keep trying tend to be more successful long term.