We asked some brilliant entrepreneurs, artists and creatives to reflect on lessons they’ve learned at prior jobs. We’ve shared highlights below.

Lesley Storts

Being in the art industry has always been a peripheral part of my life. However, my “real job” for the past 10 years has been working as a registered nurse and there is continual learning within that profession. Read more>>

Paul Boutin

You can get paid well if you’re talented and deliver what people want, but you’ll need to find the right clients. I had the unusual start to my writing career as a contributor to Wired magazine in 1997, which I did as a sideline from my software engineering manager work because I felt called to it at the time. Read more>>

An Chen

– Important lesson learned at a prior job: I once worked at a design studio where I came to realize that no matter how hard I worked to create the best design, all the credit went to the entire studio, particularly the owner or the art director. Read more>>

LaTanya Foreman

If I could compare working a job to a song, then each job would have one song in common. Dolly Parton sang it best in her song “9 To 5”. The theme of being undervalued, underpaid, and overlooked was unfortunately a consistent melody. However, it taught me not to be complacent. Read more>>

Amanda Grazioli

Throughout my theater, fundraising, and marketing work, I learned the power of excellent storytelling. Humans crave stories, which are crucial to making sense of the world around us. Read more>>

Patrice LIVE

In my late teens and early twenties, I was a waitress. It was the best job I ever had. My natural disposition of helping, serving, and cultivating an experience for others made it easy. Read more>>

Poiab Vue

I started my professional career as a new social worker with a Masters Degree in Social Work in 2008. This was a tough year economic wise for many new graduates getting out of school. Read more>>

Ashley White

My first job out of college was editing for a photo lab. I’d edit other photographer’s work and got really familiar with so many different styles of editing as well as perfecting skin tones, cropping & straightening, and seamless consistency throughout a wedding day. Read more>>

Luigi Di Tacchio

On one of my first creative shoots, my team and I were to create images for a new product launch. After selecting our models and putting visuals together for the final look, my model backed out. Read more>>

Jasmine Wesley

For five years, I served as a manager at a restaurant, where I learned many invaluable lessons—not just about managing people and leadership, but also about myself. Read more>>

Autumn Cosgrove

I’ve learned through both teaching and as a creative that flexibility is key. As a teacher, I was presenting meaningful lessons that I put a lot of hard work into creating. Read more>>

Titilayo Ogundele

I have learned so many lessons through my years working in D.C. I could write a dissertation! All jokes aside, there have been three significant lessons I’ve come away with: Advocate for yourself, know when to leave, and not everyone is your friend. Read more>>