Experience is often valued because of the lessons prior jobs have theoretically provided us with. While hearing about those lessons isn’t a replacement for actually experiencing it, we thought it would be very helpful to create a space where sharp and generous members of the community can come together to share stories and lessons learned at prior jobs for the benefit of others.

Leigh Powell

From the time I was six to 19-years-old, I was traveling across the south to perform as a country singer. When I was sixteen, I was writing my own songs, recording my self-titled album, and opening for Jason Aldean, Aaron Tippin, and Danielle Peck. I was fortunate enough to have parents who would travel with me to play shows. When I graduated high school I made the decision to attend college for Music Education, and so for the past 12 years after getting my Bachelors, I have taught public school music and theatre in a Title 1 school district–the same school system where I where I grew up, at my alma mater. Still, there was a piece of me that just wanted… more. As a performing arts teacher, I had always loved performing and creating productions with my students, but there was that little tug at my heart that I wanted more from my career, and I believe it was caused from the joy I felt performing as a young teen. Read more>>

Natalie Gimon Valencia

Before I made the leap to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams of acting and producing, I worked as a brand ambassador for several years. At the time, I viewed this work primarily as a means to support myself financially—an essential stepping stone for getting to LA. Little did I know, those years would become a rich foundation that would later shape my approach as both a creative and an entrepreneur. As a brand ambassador, my role was to represent a variety of brands across many different industries including automotive, cosmetics, food and beverage, technology, and apparel. My job was to bridge the gap between the company and the consumer, often through live events. Although I initially saw this as contract work, over time my interactions with the brands and consumers helped me recognize the invaluable skills I was developing along the way. Read more>>

Pam Sanders

One of the most important things I learned for life in general…always listen. Even if someone knows less than you or has less experience, listen to their critique, and try to understand where they are coming from. Second lesson… never take advice or unwanted criticism from someone who isn’t where you want to be. You want the advice from people who have what you want. Find a community of people that know more than you and are willing to tell you what you need to hear and remain humble. Read more>>

Sarah Fargo O’brien

Before starting my private practice, I spent almost 9 years serving adults with severe mental illness in public mental health agencies. These were not easy jobs, and the pay was abysmal compared to years of education and field experience and/or licensure status. Often, conditions for boots-on-the-ground clinical social workers were not very safe and there was little supervision or support. My very first job required going into clients’ homes and helping them maintain skills for independent living. In the city of Richmond, Virginia the marginalized and disenfranchised mentally ill adults on fixed incomes could not afford to live in nice, safe places, unfortunately. Which also meant I was going to these unsafe places regularly to do work with my clients. No one at my place of employment seemed to be that concerned with the safety of field social workers, and little to zero training was given to help social workers navigate these challenges of the job. Needless to say, my keen perception and self-proclaimed ‘street smarts’ served me well in this position, despite lack of adequate leadership. Read more>>

Kyonne Smith

I’ve worked in various hospitality and customer service roles, but two companies stand out for their strong branding, storytelling, and social media strategies. A high-end personal training gym is where I first learned the importance of personal branding and storytelling through social media. Their logo was everywhere—on equipment, merchandise, and almost all surfaces—and clients eagerly bought into the brand, even paying premium prices for simple items like t-shirts. Showcasing fit, successful, and attractive individuals on their social media feeds, gave viewers an aspirational glimpse of what they could achieve by training with them. It wasn’t necessarily selling the workouts, but the lifestyle of someone who works out at that gym. Read more>>

Darius Butler

Out of all the things I have learned while working for others, the most eye-opening to me has to be “a job will pay you enough to kill your dreams”. When I heard this line, I thought about the many jobs I had worked where I built systems and processes for individuals, continuously broke sales records, and essentially was able to build myself out of roles by having the majority of the business run on auto-pilot. All while chasing my dreams of owning my own business but as I climbed up the ladder, it seemed as if I was never truly led and shown how to “own” my own… Read more>>

Kelsey Fausko

Fresh out of college I landed what was, at the time, quintessentially my dream job. I always wanted to combine sports and design, and I was hired on as the sole graphic designer for a minor league baseball team. To say I was enthusiastic is an understatement. The work was fast, hard, and completely out of my range. I felt like I was constantly chasing perfection and trying to impress my superiors, and was consistently failing to meet expectations. What I learned through this experience was what I deem to be my most important lesson involving design: detachment. As harsh as a lesson it was… my overprotection and complete naïveté surrounding the work as a whole led to my demise. I was too attached, too stuck on the details to see the bigger picture and deliver a good product. I wanted so badly for it all to be perfect and to stick the landing on every single thing I did, that ultimately I didn’t deliver anything worthy at all. After nine months I was let go. I only made it one whole baseball season. I was devastated but understood immediately that I needed to change my approach. I had taken each criticism too personally and once I finally let go and approached creativity more holistically as a product for the client, not a reflection of my personal design abilities, I flourished. All that to say, loving your work is important, but curating the work for the specific client is always the goal. Read more>>

Mikayla Steberl

I grew up in a place called Tri-Cities, Washington – a beautiful area in the Pacific Northwest known for its tight-knit community and beautiful nature. It was an amazing place to grow up. I started my career in broadcast television at a young age where I made my first business deals and formed partnerships with people who encouraged me and nourished my passion for business and entertainment. When opportunity came knocking, it was a tough decision to leave my family and friends. However, I knew it was the adventure I was destined to take—to move to Las Vegas and work for the greatest magician of all time. The most meaningful part of this experience was a specific concept that altered my perception of reality forever – Real magic exists when we do things we’re told couldn’t be done. Being able to see the greatest illusions in history take place before my eyes, I learned that real magic happens the moment you are able to inspire people to push beyond their limited mindset. Read more>>

David Vess

Every job I’ve had has shaped me both as a creative and as a teacher, often in ways I hadn’t expected. For instance, the skills I gained working as a bartender and waiter surprisingly impact my career today. While it may sound counterintuitive, these roles taught me essential skills: how to sell ideas, speak confidently in public, and manage multiple types of clients at once. These lessons carry over directly into how I run my classroom and engage with clients in my work. I also want to highlight a less-discussed reality: navigating two worlds at once. Early in my teaching career, I couldn’t make ends meet on adjunct pay alone. So, I became a “Professor in the Morning,” then drove into Boston to wait tables in the evening. It was a strange mix—high-status job by day, low-status by night—but it gave me a unique perspective on the resilience needed in creative fields. Read more>>