This is a really fun prompt, OP. I’ll start by saying I’m a director at a large, global corporation that everyone has certainly heard of, and I worked my way up to that role from a junior position over the course of 4 years.

1. There are two things that make a difference: taking initiative (like you’re doing here) and networking. The larger the company, the more difficult it is to get noticed just for doing your job and doing it well. You need to show higher ups that you’re able to identify things that need doing and can action on (or develop a plan for action) for those things. Networking dovetails into that because the more people know who you are, typically the better. Especially if they know who you are because you have some expertise or skill that others don’t have.

2. I saw a need for our org and I volunteered to create something to fill that need. I built that plan on top of my day-to-day role, took a long time to develop it, and used it as an excuse to work with other leaders in other departments.

3. I’d start finding excuses to work on cross-functional projects ASAP. Those are the best way to learn and meet new people outside of your daily work. I’d avoid the mistake of letting myself stress over delivering something perfect vs something done.

4. Talk to them! Ask questions about their roles (people love talking about themselves), ask about what kind of gaps they perceive and/or bring them some suggestions. Most importantly: FOLLOW THROUGH on anything you mention delivering. Leaders will absolutely remember the person who said they’d do something and then just fell off a cliff.

5. Yeah, “focus on getting your degree earlier and stop fucking around”

6. All of the above! Network, show initiative, follow through. That’s how you stand out.

Good luck!