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.

Victoria Myssik

Before becoming an artist, I worked in advertising as an Account Manager. You wouldn’t believe how helpful management skills are in artistic world. Being an actor means you are your own company, therefore you have to be your own: administrator, CFO, creative director, account manager, etc. You have to stay on top of things! All jobs on acting profiles are posted from Monday through Friday, so you have to make sure to self-submit yourself on time. Find 15-20 minutes a day to be one of the first to apply for the role. Read more>>

Anastasiya Kopteva

The most important lesson I learned through past roles has been to be passionate, and share and grow that energy with those around you. When I worked as a neuroaesthetics researcher at the Laboratory for Non-Invasive Brain Machine Interface Systems, I was surrounded by an absolutely incredible group of researchers and artists. Read more>>

Susanne Rhow

Prior to entering real estate 10 years ago, I had spent my entire career working with luxury goods and high net worth clients. Working for Saks Fifth Avenue and Estee Lauder honed my experience in understanding how clients bought luxury, but it was really working for Sotheby’s Auction House where I realized the type of expertise and service that high net worth clients expected and appreciated. Read more>>

Kim O’Neill

Never take anything personally. My boss told me this shortly after I began working at a local police department. I immediately knew I was to heed the advice, but I also thought I already had a pretty decent grasp of how to not take things personally. There were several moments after that where different co-workers would speak to me in a variety of tones for different reasons, and I often remembered her words. Read more>>

Selena Desinat

The most important thing I learned from any employer is to always have a backup plan and be prepared for anything in many ways. My experience working for someone not only taught me that to do the job well, being prepared was not only a skill but was also a requirement not everyone could full fill. My ability to keep up gave me confidence to trust myself to be able to do things on my own and for myself. Read more>>

Carla Higham

I started working in the field of Public Relations during the era of The Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty so there was a lot of cattiness from bosses because that’s how bosses were portrayed then. Experiencing this first hand gave me the opportunity to learn what not to do – I learned that I can call out any behavior but still have it come from a place of kindness and empathy. Read more>>

Oriana Paola Ramirez

Throughout our life, we start getting all kinds and types of jobs, to fulfill many purposes: generating an income for our livelihood, creating savings for a dream trip, to support our education, and so much more… The reasons are endless. But what I have found irrevocably truth to my core it’s that previous and current jobs can truly be the backbone to our legacy of love in some shape of form during this lifetime… Because they literally shape us for our highest future. Read more>>

Tanjarae Porter

One of the most important lessons that I learned during my time as a public school educator and leader is to write down and codify as much as possible. As an educator, I created lesson plans to ensure that I taught my students well-crafted lessons. This thought process supported me deeply as I transitioned into leadership roles, where I supported other educators instructionally and operationally. Read more>>

Vanessa Klein

My very first working experience was as a concession hawker at the college football stadium in my hometown. They let you start at only 12 years old. Looking back, it’s crazy they let us do that. We looked like little kids. But I learned very early on that my hard work, my blood, sweat and most certainly tears, would be traded for minimal pay. We worked on commission so I really had to hustle and sell as much as I could if I wanted to see profits. Read more>>

Dr. April Willis

Before owning my company, I worked at an organization that held a large conference every year and I had the privilege of serving on the planning committee for the annual conference. Part of our role was securing the keynote speaker. I quickly learned that what most people might think a reasonable hourly rate is for work does not apply to keynote speakers- potential speakers were listing their rates at $5,000-$30,000+ for a one-hour speech. Read more>>

Erin Woodruff

While I was in school, I worked for a physical therapy clinic in the billing office. The most impactful thing I learned during that job was the skill of patience. Anyone who works with insurance companies knows that it can be a long, drawn-out process. There were times I would be on hold for 3-4 hours before I talked with a representative. Read more>>

Sarah Maddack

When I was in college, I spent my summers doing door-to-door sales. We worked 80 hour weeks selling educational books and online programs to families in their homes! That job taught me to take my job seriously, but not to take myself too seriously. When you’re a sweaty college student randomly showing up at people’s houses selling books… Read more>>