What I Wish I Understood When Starting Out In My Career
From learning to “time travel” to good habits, here are 10 pieces of advice for young workers.
What those starting out in their careers should know.
Photographer: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images
The best part of my job as host of the Masters in Business podcast is that I get to sit down with an incredibly talented and accomplished person each week to discuss their life and career. I save my favorite question for last: “What do you know today about your chosen field that you wish you knew when you were first starting out years ago?” Answers like “I wish I bought Apple shares when they were at $2” are not what I’m seeking.
I am aiming for something along the lines of what hard-won insight they gained over the course of their careers that would have been useful had they learned it earlier. It is not a “time machine” question, but rather one of process. This is probably why it is also a hit among listeners. I previously addressed why I ask the questions I do, but this one deserves a deeper look. So, I spent some time thinking about it and the result is 10 things I wish I understood when I first started out: