Ten Tips for People Starting Out in Their Careers

[Celerity]

The most valuable and enduring thing from your work life are the relationships you make along the way

https://theliberalpatriot.substack.com/p/ten-tips-for-people-starting-out



The end of summer is approaching and it’s often a time of transitions when certain chapters of our lives close and new ones open. Many younger people are going back to school, and others are just starting out in new jobs or looking to carve new pathways in their work lives. Over the years in a career mostly in the ideas industry in Washington D.C., I’ve been approached by many just starting out in their careers for advice about where they can get a job or what they should be doing to position themselves to get where they want to be in a few years. I make time for these discussions because I’ve been helped in the past by other people further along in their careers and lives.

This summer I’ve worked with two bright, talented individuals who spent a couple of months in summer internships at my day job. Vanessa Igras and Leena Khan are still both finishing their formal education but will soon launch fully into their careers, and I’m certain they will make many important contributions in whatever work they choose for themselves. They are both smart, kind, and hard-working, the perfect mix of attributes to have a meaningful impact on the issues that matter to them and the world. I’ve been lucky to have former colleagues who worked with me who then go on to do some amazing things in the media, government, education, and other forms of public service. That’s one of the fun things about staying in touch with the people I’ve become connected with: watching them achieve the things they set out to do many years ago. But an important thing to keep in mind is to have balance in life as you try to make a difference in your career. We all only have about 4,000 weeks on average in our lives, and there’s so much about the world to revel in and relish.

Here at the Liberal Patriot we’ve been trying to offer analysis that supports the notion of an inclusive, liberal nationalism that remains open to working with the rest of the world without trying to control or dominate it. We’ve tried to promote an ethos of moderation at a time when many political and social forces promote and reward ideological extremists pulling the country and world apart. The dominant culture today is leading more and more people to tune out of public life, and that’s why those people who are part of the next generation who step up and want to make a contribution are treasures. We should give them our best advice and guidance based on our own experiences. I’m not quite done with what I’ve been doing in my work life, but I’m further along than I used to be, so here are my ten life and career tips for those just starting out:

1. Try a few different things in the early years and get experience in a range of fields.

Experiment in the first few years of your career and get out of your comfort zone. You may not realize it, but you don’t really know what you want this early along in your path. It’s too soon to know because experience in the world, and not just books and what you learn in a classroom, will be the things that help you define that. When I was starting out and trying to figure out where I wanted to hone my talents and dedicate my time and energy, I tried a few different things through early jobs and internships in state and the federal government, politics, non-profits organizations trying to do some good overseas, and for-profit ventures. What I found was that I really liked the realm of ideas but didn’t want to be solely wedded to universities. I also didn’t like bureaucracy too much, so I’ve shied away from government, but a lot of my job is currently offering thoughts on what the United States should do in the world. I didn’t know about myself just after I got my undergraduate degree. You probably won’t either. Go out and try a few different things and live in different parts of the country and the world if you can.

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