Brad on career advice

Thought provoking commentary boys, nice work! I'm not quite at this stage yet with my kids, but I think your comments are directionally accurate. I speak a good bit about creating a culture where people want to come work for you and although this isn't the same as career advice I think there are some nice corollaries.

My three nuggets of career advice through alliteration are:

1. Focus on PEOPLE not profession. Perhaps the what you do for work is less important than the with whom you do your job. If we are searching for fulfillment and happiness in our careers I believe that is defined more by with whom, and I believe we have all experienced that during our careers. This also is a more realistic approach than do what you love. I'd rather do whatever with people I enjoy and respect. The work...ah I can muddle through it so long as I have awesome people around me. A good example: my jobs growing up. I chose to do some of the nastiest work imaginable. One big reason, I got to do it with my best friend. And that made some really crappy work fun.

2. Be flexible to PLACE. The concept of place is becoming increasingly important in job selection. Communities are becoming as focused on creating a desirable living environment as they are on creating specific job opportunity. There is a lot of literature on this, take a look at this TED talk about building place by Dr. Katherine Loflin. Dr. Loflin was the keynote at a conference at which I spoke last year.

Pivoting back to career advice, I would perhaps advise my child to choose a profession which provides the maximum opportunity to be flexible around place. Some professions are everywhere while others are more geographically contained. Do you really want to choose a career where you have to live in a place you really dislike? Me neither.

3. Be PATIENT. Probably the biggest piece of career advise simple: put it on hold because it can wait. One of my largest regrets is that I felt pressured to hurry up and get done with college so I could get going on my career. Barring any substantial adverse health issues you are going to be working for a long time. Your twenties, in particular your early 20s provide some very unique freedoms that will be difficult to replicate later in life. Take that time to dream, take risks, travel, be less than committed to a career, chase something. I didn't and I regret not backpacking through Europe for a few months. I regret not being a bartender in London and living in a squalid apartment with 2 other people (one of my buddies did that). I regret not chasing my irrational idea of moving to the West/Northwest and working in the outdoor industry doing trail maintenance and being paid next to nothing to carry and axe in the deep woods and clear trail. With my current career, family, and advanced age it is unlikely I will make the choice to do any of those things in my life. And that's a shame.

There will be a time for your career. Educate and invest in yourself, commit to it, be very good at something. All solid advice. I would also make sure to focus on PEOPLE, PLACE, and be PATIENT.