16 career lessons in my 20's

Insights from my experiences working with 100's of companies building teams and exploring my curiosities.

I’m 30 next April. Yikes. Where has time gone?

This year marked 5 years of being a business owner. I’ve been lucky to meet 1000’s of interesting people, work with 100’s of companies on building teams and learned a thing or two along the way.

In my 20’s I’ve explored a lot. I’ve worked on a cruise ship, fishing boats in Australia (that was wild), recruitment and then built my own business, sold it, started again. It’s been fun.

Here is 16 things I wanted to share that is on my heart as we close out 2024 and look to a new year:

1. You're not a resume, you're a human

If you leave a company after 3 months because of a toxic culture or boss, change of life goals, unaligned to the mission etc, who cares? Stop worrying what it looks like on a resume. You deserve to be doing fulfilling work.

You will not get to your end days and think "I wish I stayed longer in a job I know I don't like" if you have the means and plan to leave a role, do it.

2. Career breaks help longevity

Career breaks are often not holidays. I rarely see someone go to Bali for months and chill.

They are:

• Taking time off to look after a loved one.

• Recovering from a toxic boss/company.

• Grieving a divorce/break-up.

• Learning a new skill.

• Looking for a job.

Anyone who takes time off the certainty of a pay check to add some balance and equanimity to their life are courageous and should be respected. Who cares if you take 6 months off in a 40 year career.

Take it to explore curiosities, spend time with family, travel and expand your consciousness by being a human being not a human doing.

If you can travel, do it. You will become a better person, you learn different cultures, different ways to lead communities, families and yourself.

3. You don't earn rest, you need it

In 2022 after I left my first business I took 6 months off. It was the first time in years I had days of no structured meetings, no commute, no one to answer to, and no work.

At first it was insanely depressing, my ego was hurting. I had wrapped up my identity and self-worth in the business.

I look back and wished I was more productive, mostly what I did was go to the gym, read some things. Nothing fancy, but I understand it's exactly what I needed.

I needed to just "be" for a period of time. As hard as it was.

I got my energy back, I got my love for my work back.

You can grind through energy dips hit the next goal, the next deadline, and the next workshop, but it's not sustainable long-term. We need long-term alignment, broken down into smaller chunks, for immense energy.

It requires creating from a place of inspiration, rather than a stressed nervous system.

You don't earn rest, you need it. The hustle culture narrative is madness.

Rest is not a reward for productivity. Rest is needed for productivity. Otherwise, you will burn out. Big time.

4. You NEED 2-4 hours focused time

You can't focus because:

• Your life is a mess.

• You say yes too often.

• Your priorities are wrong.

• You care what people think.

• You have shiny object syndrome.

• You can't find your purpose in life.

• You're bored doing the same thing.

I look back the periods of my life where I am most focused. It's when I am healthy, obsessed with something, prioritising the right things and submitting to God daily.

We need to become obsessed, we need periods of intensity working on something we love with periods of rest.

We can't keep being "consistent" if we're plateauing. So many people are endlessly scrolling on TikTok, doing a job they hate, eating and sleep poorly, stimulated on medication and caffeine to find their focus.

Life isn't meant to be lived doing work you hate, to pay bills for a house you don't own and doing anything to distract yourself from your life with quick dopamine hits.

5. Companies could do with more "overqualified" people

Lots of people feel their age goes against them and they are "outdated".

If they can do the job, and have other great experience, why is this a bad thing? Seek to ask WHY they are interested before ruling people out.

Not everyone wants a title. Not everyone with 20 years experience wants to keep climbing the corporate ladder. Let them make their own decision as to why they want a job.

Just a few reasons why you should consider "overqualified" people:

• Not everyone wants a title. Nothing to prove.

• You gain perspectives and ready-made mentors.

• Few people stay in roles for life anyway.

Some hiring managers don’t hire more experienced people because of their insecurities. If companies do this, it’s can be exclusion. The “overqualified" reason is discrimination in some cases.

6. Working on yourself never fails

• You need a habit that improves your health

• You need a habit that improves your career

• You need a habit that improves your soul

• You need a habit that improve your mind

If you're happy in yourself, you will do better work. Simple.

You need something to challenge you daily for your mind, soul, fitness and career.

7. Networking is your life blood in the job search

Looking for a job sucks 99% of the time. It’s full of self-doubt, hours of prep, poor interviews, ghosting, lots of rejection and applications.

You need to make it easier for yourself. How you find a job is radically different even a few years ago.

Remember this when job searching:

• It’s not “just” what you know.

• It’s not “just” who you know.

• It’s who knows you.

I often have 3 names instantly spring to mind every time I start a search.

Often, because they’ve checked in regularly, they pop up, I’ve met them for coffee, collaborated on content etc.

It’s not about being the loudest online, it’s about developing key relationships.

The best time to build these is when you’re in a job.

Get yourself out there.

8. People with fancy titles are just people

Do not be afraid to reach out to people with a fancy title.

We are all human beings, we are equals, we all leave this world in the same way, we all have fears, we all have insecurities, we all have dreams. They are just people.

9. Burnout is a killer

A huge reason people leave jobs is due to burnout, and they can't do their job effectively.

Many companies get in the way of good design through poor design operations resulting in overwhelming designers with meetings, admin, and general BS.

"I'm always in meetings" "I only have 4 hours of focus time a week" Common phrases I hear.

How can design teams be more efficient?

Some companies are scaling design teams to some truly huge numbers, but it seems to be creating duplication, more meetings, more politics etc.

10. Comfort is your enemy

Comfort is the enemy. Especially when building a business and any work. It’s amazing what happens to your level of output when you have a deadline, money to raise, runway to build to keep your dream alive. It’s not about working 20-hour days, it’s about working HARD for 8-10 hours a day, and then rest.

You must sacrifice instant gratification to achieve anything.

• Pick up the phone

• See the client in person

• Learn a new skill

11. Work relationships often go as far as "the work"

Harsh, but true. When you leave a job, you're replaced and people move on. Invest in relationships outside work. I've spoken with many who came to the same realisation when you leave a job, you often mean little to the company in the grand scheme, and the majority of those left. Build a life, not a resume.

12. Your job is not the source of your happiness

The happiest people I know all value simple things, community, exercise, nature, their faith.

What seems to be the norm for many in the West is caffeine addiction, hours and hours of screen time, addiction to instant gratification, climbing the corporate ladder to realise it’s not what it’s cracked up to be, obsession with material wealth.

Is this living?

We’re here to live. Make your job work for you.

13. Your passport should not determine how much you are paid

Just because you're based in a certain country does not mean you should earn less than people based somewhere else that deliver the same value. If you bring the same economic value to a company, it does not matter where you are based. This is 2024, not 1995. That is the beauty of building an online business or freelancing, YOU take ownership. Please in these times have in mind of the value you actually bring and ensure you’re getting paid your worth

14. You’re replaceable

Business owners can get worked out their own company. Employees can get fired for no reason.Everyone is replaceable. What isn’t replaceable:

• Your time

• Your mental health

• Your family

Get your priorities aligned, stop investing into companies (who will get rid of you when it’s convenient) and leaders at the expense of your health and family. Having a job and doing it well is of course vital, but do not let your job define who you are.

15. The internet has decentralized wealth generation.

• There are more creators than ever.

• More people are losing their jobs and turning to other ventures to secure their future.

• People with 0 educational background are making 100x more than some people with PHD’s

• Creators are building powerful education and media companies to teach people on certain skills in fast-changing digital environments. Universities cannot change quick enough.

• AI and software has made it easier for people to do what they want for a living.

• People can work less, earn more, leverage technology to remove themselves from the 9-5.

• People are craving human connection online from people who they share the same interested not search engines who talk about one specialized interest.

Technology has changed how we work forever, and what is considered valuable.

These are all connected to the fact that technology has changed the way we work, the opportunities we have for work, and what justifies valuable work.

The internet has decentralized wealth generation.

16. PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN!

Do not neglect your kids, family, community, friends at the expense of your job. Do not chase after material wealth at the expense of your soul. At the end of your life, are you going to wish you spent more time in the office or with your kids?

Below is a graph from Sahil Bloom’s article that scares me. Every time I am tempted to pick up my phone to reply to one more Slack message instead of playing with my daughter this is on my mind.

Do you have any career lessons you would love to share? I’d love to hear them.

Until next time!