How to Grow Your Career While You’re Young

When I get asked how to grow in your career while you’re young, there’s an analogy I always come back to:

Treat early roles like rental agreements - not a mortgage.

A transitional home designed to help you: – Test the layout: Understand how the business works, where the challenges lie. – Spot the cracks: Identify weak management, broken systems, cultural red flags. – Define your must-haves: Do you need more autonomy? Sharper mentors? A faster pace?

Because the thing is, you don’t need to love every job. You just need to leave with clarity. It’s smarter to rent a few places before locking yourself into something long term.

So, here’s how I’d play it: – Rent fast: Say yes to variety. Stack experiences. – Move early: If you’ve stopped learning, don’t renew. – Upgrade intentionally: Each role should add something: a skill, a lesson, a connection.

Eventually, you stop renting. You start owning (or building). Not because you “found your passion”. But because you’ve gathered enough proof to know where to invest your time next.