You Will Never Care as Much as the CEO: 5 Lessons from My Early Career Journey

My career journey began with a series of jobs that seemed more like a mismatched collection of experiences than a coherent path. From writing copy for store supplies to delivering pizzas and selling knives, each job taught me something unique about myself and the working world.

#1 - You will never care as much as the CEO

My first real job was at a store supply company that sold shelving and displays to department stores and convenience stores. My role was to write copy for all their products, and I also participated in calls with their SEO agency. I landed the job not because of my college degree but due to the work I was doing on my fitness website.

I initially thought I was performing well in my first real job. However, my perception shifted when the boss asked my supervisor to take me out to lunch to figure out what was wrong with me. I don’t remember much of that conversation, but I do recall being off guard. The problem, I realized, was that I had never been in an office setting before and I am a super introvert.

I also got very exhausted when dealing with a hyperactive, type-A extrovert for a boss. Trying to match his level of excitement and enthusiasm about the company was overwhelming. Extroverts, I believe, drain energy from introverts like me. I often thought to myself, “It’s your company, I get that you’re excited about it. But I’m just here for a paycheck, why should I be excited about it?”

Reflecting on this now, I wonder if my fitness blog would have been more successful had I been more enthusiastic about it. I envy the energy of that employer. If only I could harness even a fraction of that level of energy, my life would change. I need to discover that secret sauce.

#2 - You’re not the CEO

My second job lasted around 15 months with an online jewelry reseller. I started as a copywriter but was super bored trying to write the same description 8-9 times for different jewelry variations. So I developed an Excel formula to generate hundreds of product copy variations quickly, cutting project times from a month to 1 to 2 weeks.

I did more things like that and I received a raise after six months. My role was expanded and I began handling product feeds, getting products on marketplaces, and teaching others the formula I created. Feeling indispensable, I became a bit cocky. However, I knew jewelry wasn't my career path, so I started job hunting. The CEO noticed and eventually let me go.

The key lessons I learned were: don't let your boss know you're interviewing elsewhere, and don't get cocky. Remember, it's just a job—you don't own the place; you get a paycheck, and that's it.

#3 - Don’t deviate

I delivered pizza two times in my life: once during college, and the second time during the gap between my shelving company job and jewelry company job. It was fun during college because 1) it was a summer job, and 2) gas prices were lower. 

The second time around, it wasn’t as much fun because I should have been more focused on building a career. Also, gas prices were higher and they cut into my tips. 

Looking back, I should not have been delivering pizza. I should have focused on finding internships and working in an office setting. Perhaps I could have delivered pizza as well, but trying to get those internships would have helped me more in my career. I should have invested my tips. I was making some good money at the end of each night.

#4 - Stop doing things you don’t like doing

Another odd job I had for about a month during college was selling knives for Cutco. They recruit college students to sell their knives to friends and family. While some may find success in sales, it was a wasted effort for me. As a vegetarian, I knew very few people who used those types of knives. Now that I’m a cook, I value a good knife set, but back then, it wasn’t a priority in my culture to spend on quality kitchen tools.

Another peculiar job was setting up a Michaels department store. I hated every second of it and quit after three weeks. I was trained on the cash register and stocked shelves, but I quickly realized it wasn’t for me. In both cases, I said yes to whoever offered me a job, without thinking about what I truly wanted to do.

Finally, I worked at weekend fairs, signing people up for sweepstakes to win free windows. I was completely out of my element and, as a super introvert, I dreaded talking to people. Unsurprisingly, I was fired after four weeks.

These strange jobs kept finding me. Another instance was when I had to demo products at Radioshack and Staples—security systems at Radioshack and printers at Staples. Without a booth, I had to stand in the store and sell the products, which irritated the sales staff. Although I did sell some printers, the customers likely would have bought them without my help. I disliked causing friction with the salespeople.

In hindsight, these experiences taught me the importance of aligning my work with my interests and strengths, rather than just taking any job that came my way.

#5 - Know your work

Alas! Success. In 2017 (9 years after I graduated from college), I got a job in an SEO agency. It was my dream job. I still reflect on it and remember how fun it was. There were certainly some challenges: the commute, talking to other people, being an introvert in an office setting. But I knew this was where I wanted to be and if I paid attention, this would finally help me with my career. However, within a few months, my Director left the company. Then my supervisor, who was the one who had welcomed me into the company and taught me the ropes and was just a great guy overall, left. Finally, another coworker moved to a different state and also eventually left the company. 

So now it was just me and another co-worker, but junior members. We were working without a leader. Our director was in another state. This was because remote work became a thing, so it became a bit difficult. However, I pushed through the setbacks.  I came to love the fact that I was essentially owning 3 to 5 accounts at a time. It allowed me a level of freedom to be creative in tackling the problems unique to each account. 

After two years or so, we moved to the World Trade Center. My commute time increased, but the logistics of my commute became easier. We had another co-worker join, which was exciting. But then he was fired, and the other co-worker quit. So it was just me, going to the office with no other SEOs in the building. 

Eventually, I was laid off due to a company restructuring. The company was bought and merged and bought and merged several times after. It’s currently called something completely different. 

The point is that in those 2 and a half years, I learned more than I learned in the previous 9 years of being in the wilderness (we’ll call it). Once again, I just wished that I had listened to good wisdom and had been more serious about getting internships and learning to understand the type of work I wanted to do. I had developed some skill sets and I believe I had been underselling them for so long. It was at this company that I realized that I was smart and capable of things.

These experiences taught me to focus on my strengths and find roles that truly align with my passions and capabilities. I believe and still believe that people will recognize you for good work. I’m not a socialite, and I’m not extroverted or even moderately verted (is that a word?) but that’s ok, I think. It’s ok if I don’t know anything about sports or the latest show on Netflix. I should know about my work.