7 Career Lessons From the Fast and Furious Movies

The seventh installation in The Fast and The Furious film franchise, Furious 7, debuts on April 3. While fans may say they love the action-packed series for the cars, the daredevil driving or the eye candy, PayScale is here to remind you that you can learn some important career lessons the adventures of Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, and the rest of the “Fast Family.”

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1. Be there for your team. Members of the #FastFamily know what work/life balance is all about. They’ll drop whatever is going on in their individual lives to support one another. Your team at work relies on you just as much — remember that by being a good team player and helping your co-workers when they need it, you are developing strong relationships and working toward a common goal that will help your career.

2. Don’t dwell on the past. Han (Sung Kang), the street racer who first appeared in Tokyo Drift, summarized the importance of focusing on the present when he said “Life’s simple; you make choices and you don’t look back.” Whether you find yourself fretting about losing a race or making a big mistake at work, it’s important that you take ownership of your actions and focus on improving the situation instead of obsessing on what you cannot change.

3. Work your connections. In 2 Fast 2 Furious, Brian (Paul Walker) succeeds by reaching out to a childhood friend, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson). Whether you are actively searching for a new job or just keeping your options open, remember to keep important business contacts current and maintain a strong personal network.

4. Stay focused. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) lives his life “one quarter mile at a time.” A productive worker follows that same philosophy when it comes to completing tasks at work in a time-efficient manner. Concentration, whether it’s a long stretch or focused in small bursts, is the key to getting work done in time to make home to see the kids (or in time for happy hour).

5. Celebrate your victories. After Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) gloats about “almost” beating Toretto in the first Fast and the Furious movie, Tettoro quickly shuts him down with this wise quote: “It doesn’t matter whether you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning.” Carry this attitude with you in the office as well, especially when it comes time to build a case in salary negotiations.

6. Leverage your passions to help your career. Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) would have just been another beat cop if he hadn’t leveraged his outside interests (his love of fast cars) into his career. This brilliant move resulted in a big career move, from police officer to FBI agent.

7. Diverse teams are winning teams. The diverse cast of The Fast and The Furious is a perfect example of how maintaining a diverse workforce pays off. Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) aren’t just eye-candy, they are valuable members of the team who contribute just as much as the leading men. The ragtag crew is made up of a variety of ethnicities with wildly different backgrounds, and as a result, each member brings a unique perspective.

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