Starting a First Job of Many

Dan Smolen recalls how starting a first job of many benefitted his professional career and informed a profound journey in the future of work: As the last of the graduation ceremonies conclude, America’s latest crop of entry-level workers is stressed out about connecting with work and career. I remember the experience well. And what I recall most was how I wanted my first assignment out of college to align me perfectly with my career goals of reaching the senior advertising agency management ranks. It was a fool’s errand. The Spring of 1983, my graduation season, ushered in one of the-worst job markets since the 1930s. Unemployment was terribly high. Like me, my peers struggled to connect to entry-level work. With each passing week of no returned phone calls, I fell into a depression. In this episode, Dan discusses: The chance meeting, at a Washington Post advertisers event, that got him to starting a first job of many. How that first job taught him how to succeed in a corporate setting. Turning a messy, analog magazine circulation file into a money making resource. Leveraging first job skill, experience, and accomplishments to find a great ad agency position in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Starting a first job of many provides young careerists the time and space they need to learn how to work, and make work part of a day doing other things. EPISODE DATE: June 3, 2022