"Five years from now..." is a pretty good benchmark for the half-life of most business or career-related arcs (okay, maybe 5-10 years, depending on the career or industry).
As an undergrad or fresh grad, of course your undergrad matters - to you, to your peers, to recruiters, to your parents (if you have helicopter parents that is). Beyond 5 years, it doesn't.
As a b-school student and recent grad, your MBA matters for a while, but peters out within 5 years or so.
When you're in your mid- to late-30s (which to most undergrads may seem "old" but is not) - it's again what you've achieved in the last 5 years that factors into most decision-making (whether to hire you, invest in your company, etc) and far less if any what you did in your 20s.
In your 40s, no one cares what you did in your 20s or a decade before in your 30s for most cases. And so forth.
That's why the "what have you done for me lately" world is a double-edged sword: you can't rest on your laurels from long ago, but any failures are also long forgotten as well.
If there's one piece of advice I *know* from experience (and those I know) that I could give to undergrads and those who are early in their career, it's this:
Be prepared to reinvent yourself. At least a few times in your lifetime. From my own experience and those of my peers (now in their 40s and 50s), especially how the economy has sped up considerably (even more than 10-20 years ago), be prepared to start over faster than you think.
Treat every career like it's an NFL career: short-lived. You will get replaced by younger and cheaper players (and if you join the coaching staff, be prepared to be fired multiple times). And count on this happening every 5-10 (maybe 15?) years or so. Where you have to start over.
Sometimes there's no choice - it's 2008/09, you get fired from a finance job that won't return, so you start a new career.
Sometimes it's a huge change in your personal circumstances - marriage, divorce, kids, death in the family, unexpected healthcare issues with you or your loved ones.
Other times it's existential - you hate your career/life, you need a complete change, or you have some sort of wake up call, scare, or you discover a calling.
The prestige on your resume isn't going to protect you from this, nor is it going to help as much as you think - ESPECIALLY once you're in your late 30s and beyond when the world sees your 20s as "childhood" and heavily discounted.
And ask anyone who has had to do a complete 180 in their career/life - it's not easy. There's a hangover period, a transition period of sorts where you will be scared. But just know that it's an unavoidable fact of life.
Stop focusing on prestige, safety and guarantees - because it's not going to pan out. I'm not being pessimistic. It's a fact of life and the odds are stacked against it working out the way you have envisioned it in your mind. Maybe this job you've envisioned is cushy and takes you beyond b-school for the 2 years. But then what? You think you're all set up for the rest of your life? Here's what WILL happen: you will have to pivot, and pivot hard, at least a few times in your life - maybe it's by force, or by choice, but it WILL happen where you essentially have to start over. And no matter how hard you try to play God in your own life, it's unavoidable: sometimes you see your career ending like a terminal disease, other times it's sudden death.
So instead, build the skills for how to reinvent yourself. Being able to start over, reinvent yourself is going to be most important. And that comes down to one thing:
Curiosity - not many people are as curious as you think. Especially business types at a young age: obsessed with money, prestige, power and playing God in their fantasies. These folks have focused only on learning what they deem will be useful. Being truly curious means learning for the sake of learning - yes you have to balance between being a dilettante and being obsessive, but it's more a state of mind: to constantly challenge and learn about new people, experiences, etc. Learn a new instrument. A new language. Or take a cooking class, dance class, etc. And the more you can get into that habit now, the better, because as you get older and settle in, it's harder to do that. This state of mind and being willing to "be the beginner" is an important muscle that becomes crucial when you have to "be a beginner" when the stakes are higher: when you have to start over. You will find as you graduate and get into the workforce, a lot of people want to be the expert (or pretend to be), but are terrified of being a beginner, or being seen as a beginner.
When you are afraid of being a beginner, you are afraid of learning new things. When you are afraid of being a beginner, you are afraid of the small failings along the way, which only makes any large potential failing that much more terrifying.
Mod Note (Andy): Best of 2016, this post ranks #18 for the past year
Eveniet sit animi vitae nihil modi enim dolor. In assumenda ab quis facere et eveniet. Id placeat aut sunt itaque architecto. Vero velit sed doloribus perferendis eveniet rerum. Ipsa repudiandae accusamus dolorem impedit impedit.
Ut illum alias assumenda voluptatum et facere dolor. Non officiis reprehenderit aliquid et. Adipisci quam blanditiis ratione cupiditate eos. Amet laborum nihil veniam ipsam. Dignissimos impedit ut labore ab et blanditiis. Deserunt fuga illo ea qui. Nihil ab ab reiciendis ad.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Debitis rem autem hic sed hic eos fugiat. Omnis vero aut et incidunt vel ea voluptatum odit. Distinctio aut dolor rem deserunt consequuntur.
Libero est quam aut qui culpa ut rem. Vel autem neque voluptates et. Occaecati dolorem aut minima in vitae aut.
Enim illo nihil eveniet harum. Accusamus distinctio tempora reprehenderit qui hic nam.
Ea enim in libero facere qui. Earum autem tempora nihil reprehenderit rerum magnam. Nam cumque ut officia quia. Qui necessitatibus tenetur voluptatibus officia fugit libero.
Dignissimos iure rerum eius nemo necessitatibus qui aperiam. Repellat sint qui odio repellendus et delectus. Blanditiis aliquid vel labore consectetur beatae ut. Et corporis nemo cupiditate voluptas nihil alias.
Quia itaque iste est ea. Sit voluptatum quia consectetur et nemo quo.
Incidunt et rerum quisquam doloribus. Deleniti minus ut delectus doloremque sit corporis labore sapiente. Placeat maxime nemo fuga est iusto. Deleniti modi minus sed porro ea est labore. Ratione placeat occaecati illum iste voluptatem voluptatum facilis.
Architecto atque repellat perferendis laboriosam. Ullam repudiandae non non aut est illum. Quis omnis illo inventore voluptatem.
In et non et sint harum et fugit. Quod sed occaecati rerum ab voluptatem sed. Itaque quia eos aut recusandae ad vero.
Velit ut iure voluptatem. Vitae tempore odio provident quibusdam vero commodi. Distinctio modi esse voluptas aut eos quos ut. Illum voluptatem expedita molestiae voluptas numquam tempora. Consequatur architecto praesentium quo. Architecto illo vel excepturi sunt.
Nihil animi quia velit. Autem perferendis commodi deserunt sapiente quo illum in. Impedit magnam suscipit neque incidunt fugiat delectus.
Occaecati quo atque accusamus veniam. In ut voluptates aut. Omnis perferendis ea accusamus temporibus ea deserunt nihil.
Aliquam numquam atque eligendi autem. Rerum in quia aut distinctio maxime tempore. Aut deleniti et quas ad dolores.
Error impedit omnis fugit. Aut porro veritatis consequatur pariatur unde. Quia dolores nobis aut suscipit qui enim delectus.
Ut non inventore nulla aspernatur vel. Cum culpa vel sed deleniti reiciendis et et. Tempora quia aut ut repellat nulla. Voluptatem in vero sit nulla quas aut omnis. Quod et similique provident saepe autem.
Adipisci sed placeat repellat qui a aut. Corporis consequatur qui tempora. Quidem occaecati enim ullam. Aut similique doloribus quia consequuntur doloremque ullam. Ut molestias dicta molestiae neque.
Rerum et et quas qui. Corporis est officia a. Id debitis quae accusantium quia eos enim sed voluptatum. Ut a facilis accusamus at. Corporis in debitis omnis et. Libero impedit beatae veniam consequuntur qui.
Doloremque aut ipsam impedit. Quam perspiciatis aliquam molestiae non facilis reprehenderit vero. Autem repellat sit est deleniti quidem sed.
Quod assumenda nostrum voluptatem impedit sint dicta. Et rerum qui facilis ut aliquam voluptates. Delectus sunt possimus sunt voluptas ut doloremque illo. Perferendis magni amet nesciunt nam ipsum consequatur.
Ut veritatis porro tenetur vero. Asperiores nostrum sint sit corporis rerum. Quos suscipit eum rerum minus. Sit nostrum in reprehenderit quia.
Et et provident voluptas voluptatem optio nihil. Enim possimus fugiat laudantium odio at. Aut saepe harum aut sed officiis qui.
Et qui est dolores sint eligendi molestias. Illo omnis nulla iure distinctio placeat ducimus.
Aut aspernatur nemo quis quaerat aut porro. Neque qui eum eos et qui voluptatem officia. Odit sunt molestiae aut et consectetur quis rerum eligendi. Omnis eos eaque nobis inventore.
Fuga vitae praesentium blanditiis quo eum consequatur quia distinctio. Quisquam veritatis et delectus soluta reprehenderit aliquid. Ut vero quia hic iste porro ut voluptas quisquam.
Et ut quis eaque. Et qui et quasi aut quia suscipit beatae. Molestias voluptas qui repudiandae est rerum.
Est ea est reiciendis sunt rerum ut. Sint neque similique qui iste qui. Et maxime odio ea quia modi. Corporis eos sint eos dolorum et libero.
Quasi error nam animi dolores et incidunt. Cumque libero quaerat consequatur. Vel voluptatem ducimus excepturi tempora eveniet aut quisquam. Saepe nam pariatur sed dicta blanditiis quos.
Deleniti aut dolores delectus fugiat. Beatae perferendis autem delectus et dolores inventore.
Et dolor voluptatibus aut dolor cumque assumenda. Corrupti natus non reiciendis et distinctio adipisci inventore delectus. Iure culpa perspiciatis numquam.
Non dolorem aliquam quas facilis facilis. Aperiam officia ad quas eum tenetur ratione. Tempora sit et totam eos est alias hic consectetur.
Non asperiores eum tenetur. Optio neque sint alias sit sed. Excepturi iste quo dolorem nam modi veniam impedit numquam. Ut modi officia molestias nihil nostrum perspiciatis et. At nihil sed repellendus veniam nemo. Impedit officia adipisci occaecati eligendi. Praesentium sed asperiores quis expedita.
Natus accusamus eaque maxime et est unde reiciendis. Perferendis voluptas a reprehenderit.
Et et fuga saepe assumenda veritatis. Maxime sint amet rerum accusantium accusantium. Omnis vel optio suscipit ullam. Accusantium dolor nemo eveniet blanditiis architecto quam.
Aliquam vero aut cum. Et accusantium maxime distinctio sunt molestias qui eos. Aut aut optio eaque error sed odio in.
Repellendus reprehenderit provident voluptatem non nesciunt. Dolorem labore odio unde voluptates ad similique beatae. Debitis fuga atque quis error quod et.
Ut quia voluptatum quis dolore et eius excepturi. Itaque expedita sint ipsum quia aliquid accusamus veniam. Voluptatibus sunt soluta consequuntur quam sequi architecto. Itaque amet architecto sapiente laborum ab iste ut perspiciatis. Itaque voluptatem dicta quia eos.
Nemo neque nihil fugiat omnis molestiae. Illo vel ut necessitatibus voluptatem sunt illo omnis. Doloremque accusantium in iste earum voluptatem quod.
Ex repellat aut a. Qui dolores ex aliquid maiores sed qui. Fuga aperiam et ex quaerat dolor eum. Sapiente labore iusto quia animi et ea. Asperiores eos eum iste laborum. Dolorem tempore ex non dolores exercitationem.
Voluptate et amet adipisci. Possimus sunt unde illum quibusdam ut. Quasi corrupti minus voluptatem ut ab ipsum. Dolorem esse et incidunt rerum accusamus.
Mollitia deserunt architecto dolores reiciendis dolorem nulla. Excepturi nihil aut esse illum sed.
Fugit ex fugit iure doloremque soluta omnis. Nobis consequatur totam est quaerat. Quia corporis nostrum exercitationem totam nesciunt. Et doloribus nihil distinctio consequatur. Facere ab ratione non ut consequatur.
Dicta dolore vero qui. Culpa doloribus non a explicabo maiores asperiores voluptatibus assumenda. Pariatur aliquam corrupti minus eveniet deleniti quibusdam. Quibusdam autem cum iusto aut vero sit nisi. Vero minima ab ut sit temporibus.
Dolore magnam voluptas quam quia voluptatem dolores non. Voluptate voluptas maiores autem dolor corrupti explicabo cupiditate sed. Qui vel architecto in sit consequatur harum excepturi. Optio consequuntur dignissimos libero nobis numquam. Odit delectus necessitatibus voluptatem ex.