Career Clues from your early career

A few weeks ago, I reconnected with a former colleague from one of my first jobs. Actually, he hired me into an ad agency digital producer role in the height of the dot com days – and it changed the course of my career.

I hadn’t seen him in nearly two decades and we were transported back to that –anything was possible– time of our lives.

Not only was I energized by spending a couple of hours with my old friend, but I was also brimming with a visceral delight to revisit someone else…

24 year old me.

It’s not like I haven’t thought about her much – but it’s typically in the realm of my personal life woes and the 20’something struggle to learn adulting on the quick.

Yet – when I think about the fierce, driven, risk-taker I was at that age in my professional life – I’m not only confounded by her, I want to take her to dinner and pepper her with questions.

According to cultural box-checking...the reasons I was finding success and momentum in my career were not obvious.

I didn’t ace college. I had zero connections. I didn’t have a one year plan, let alone a 5 year. In fact, I had no clue what I wanted to do short or long term. Some of you may remember I changed my major 5 times!

And while I may have been scared shitless often in my personal life, somehow in my early professional life…

I advocated for myself like a boss – even with colleagues and managers twice my age.

I built deep and meaningful relationships with people who spoke my names in rooms I wasn’t in.

I ran towards change when others ran from it.

I jumped into new exciting challenges, even when I had no idea where they would take me.

I brought joy and jokes that landed at least 70% of the time.

And in revisiting early career me, I see so many clues that could have led me to where I am right now in my career.

Not just in the work I enjoyed, but in the person I showed up to be.

In the qualities that have always driven my momentum.

I invite you to do the same with your early career self.

Take 24 year old you to dinner and bring your curiosity.

What do you have to learn from this person who may not yet be fully immersed in the high stakes of adult responsibilities that are currently on your plate?

And what can you do to embody that version of you – even for an hour this week?

I can’t wait to hear what 24 year old you made you do that you thought you would regret!