The last day of my corporate job taught me a lesson I’ll never forget.
The very last day of my corporate job, I was at an offsite in DC. It was a mini-conference, and my agency was presenting case studies and leading a workshop with the other attendees.
I was brand new to the industry and had no business leading any discussion. But I crammed as much as I could on the train ride down from NYC, showed up early, had a good attitude, and soaked up everything I could from the people around me.
All things considered, it was a great experience. Of course, until the next day, when I was fired from that job less than a week before my son was born. But that's a story for another time.
Fast forward a year.
I recently got an email from TED, yes, that TED, asking if I’d be open to a call about attending their TED Next conference in Atlanta. They were offering to fly me out, cover my hotel and conference expenses, and give me exclusive access to the presenters and the TED team.
For someone who used to spend Friday nights in high school watching TED Talks while making my vision board, this was a dream come true.
But here’s the wild part. The very next day, when I joined the call, guess who I was speaking with?
One of the attendees from that little DC conference.
She had been quietly following my journey ever since, and now she was in a position to extend an opportunity through her company.
That’s just one of the many times in my life and career that making an effort to be a great professional, and actually connecting with the people you meet along the way, has come back around.
I read a tweet the other day that summed it up perfectly:
"Major cheat code for life: Treat everyone like you'll meet them again, because you might."
Here’s the truth: – The intern becomes the investor. – The dishwasher becomes the decision maker. – The student becomes the scholar.
We like to think our goals are achieved by sheer effort and hustle, but more often than not, it’s the grace and trust of other people that open the biggest doors.
And that’s why your character is the best professional investment you can make.
So don’t get so caught up in the day-to-day grind. Focus on walking into every room as if you’ll be working with those people for the rest of your life.
Because you just might.
Kaylee and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary!
Infinite potential (as well as blueberries and pasta) dwells within
Welcome to First Things First, Reader. I’m glad you’re here.
The housing market may be what's holding your career hostage. This recent episode of The Lonely Office with Redfin’s Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather was excellent (and depressing)
Too little too late? OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT and other AI tools that are taking jobs, recently announced a job platform focused on job search and employee development.
In January I started a professional meetup club in NYC to reinvent networking, and our September event is now live! Register now before we hit capacity
My friend Andrew Yeung turned 30 recently and shared the 30 most important lessons he's learned over the years. A great read (and something I hope to share with all of you soon!)
It really means the world to me that you show up to explore these topics with me each week, so thank you for reading. If something above resonated with you, consider sharing it with someone else who might need it too.
If you have any feedback, you can always reply or email me at me@colinrocker.com
And remember that you’re not behind, because you're a "first". Which means you were never made to follow.
