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.

Cherise B.

“In my early career, I gained valuable experience working at a retail store called Merry Go Round, where I took on my first sales role. During my time there, I discovered the profound significance of customer service beyond just transactional interactions. Read more>>

Ashley Soto Paniagua

It’s not all about the writing. Writers rooms are inherently collaborative. Working in a TV writer’s room is the greatest privilege, and there’s a responsibility to tell stories that widen our understanding of humanity. Read more>>

Colleen Keane

Throughout my years working in-house at production companies, I learned that it is never too soon to look at just the more than the creative aspect of a project. Read more>>

Christopher Felt

Many of the times being an upcoming creative and having to sustain your creative ventures you must be able to finically invest in your craft and that sometimes comes with working a 9-5 that you may feel like is not aligning with you at the time. Read more>>

Nona King

One of the common career development mistakes is not being intentional about building and maintaining a network. Early in my career I focused on being the best employee who did their job, was a team player, worked long hours, and met or beat my performance objectives set by my manager. Read more>>

Nika Gueci

As a certified yoga teacher with over a decade of professional experience and a lifelong personal practice, my teaching is centered around fostering self-awareness and resilience. Read more>>

Nick Critchlow

I have always had a “regular” job in addition to being a musician. At one of my previous jobs, I had to do a lot of customer service with clients. Read more>>

Sarah Salvatoriello

Nurture your network. It’s something that I am constantly working to do better, and it is so critical that you nurture your network. As I’ve navigated through different jobs, the relationships have been the most valuable thing I have taken with me. Read more>>

Amy Sullivan

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” Before my coaching/yoga career, I was a marketer for 15 years, including time at some early-stage startups. Read more>>

Tom Warner

I think the most important lesson I’ve learned from previous jobs, is to value everyone that I work with. Part of my work is seeing everyone for “who they are”, understanding their stories, and helping them bring out the best in themselves. Read more>>

Uchenna Masha

The most pivotal lesson I’ve gleaned from my journey as a business owner is the importance of authenticity. While it’s a cliché, embodying authenticity in business is a profound truth I’ve come to understand firsthand. Read more>>

Harrison Tran

An important lesson that I learned during my college swimming career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (D1), which I’d say was a full-time job – being a student athlete – was to enjoy the process, by having an attitude of gratitude and not just focusing on the finish line. Read more>>

Jennifer Gooding

With less than $100 in my bank account, I had to make the choice to forever burn my relationship with the most important business reporters in town, or lie for my then boss who didn’t want to help them for purely selfish reasons (and that also harmed the company we were both working for.) Read more>>

Dahlia Garofalo

Before my current day job/career with ceramics, I worked in vet medicine. I loved working with family pets as well as sheep and pigs. Read more>>

Reverend SOL Flowa Nulah

One of my most favorite jobs today was working at eBay inc. I had a position and customer solutions, which is basically a lawyer between the buyer and the seller. Read more>>