Episode 35

full
Published on:

24th May 2021

How to Gain Career Clarity | E35 Mark Herschberg

Most of us have this exciting yet frustrating thing we call a career path. One day we know what our calling is and how we are going to get there only for us to break down in panic the next day.

Careers are fascinating because we have to balance what we enjoy, what we are good at, what the world needs, and how we’re going to pay the bills.

As you go through your 20s, you’ll have to make many career decisions. Go broad or narrow in? Take a chance with this new opportunity or stay the course? Make more money doing something I enjoy less?

Luckily there are amazing mentors out there helping us figure this all out and one of them is my guest today.

Mark Herschberg is the author of The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. If you know anything about my show, you know I love the topic of this book which gets into career planning, interviewing, managing, networking, negotiating, and more.

If you don’t have a good idea on what your career path is, listen to this episode as Mark will share questions that you can ask yourself to gain more clarity on where you are going with your career and how to create a plan to get there.

 

Key Takeaways:

[4:09] How much can you actually plan your career?

[12:25] Broad skill set or deep expertise?

[21:11] How to learn skills outside of work: volunteer work, peer groups, reading books

[35:39] Questions you can ask yourself if you don’t know where to start with career planning

[39:05] When Mark threw a party at a private nightclub

[45:33] When you think you don’t have anything to offer to your network

 

Favorite Quotes:

[33:03] “They spent more time learning how to tie their shoes when they were 5 than how to interview people over a 30 year career.”

[40:31] “If you know NYC, where do you put 250 people? Most bars don’t have capacity for 250 people let alone all of the other patrons.”

 

Mentions:

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

Taproot Foundation (https://taprootfoundation.org/)

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane

Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future by Dorie Clark

 

More of Mark:

www.thecareertoolkitbook.com

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

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About the Podcast

FI Minded - Financial Independence, Early Retirement & Lifestyle Design
Achieve Financial Independence & Have Fun Doing It
Pursuing financial independence, financial freedom, or early retirement often leads to the same questions: How do I become financially independent? How much should I save? What happens after I reach FI?

FI Minded helps you use money to create more freedom, without turning your entire life into a financial optimization project.

Host Justin Peters explores the decisions behind building a flexible, work-optional life, from reaching financial independence and navigating Coast FI and Slow FI to spending your money, changing careers, stepping away from work, and figuring out what comes after FI.

Each episode combines practical personal finance with conversations about early retirement, lifestyle design, work, spending, healthcare, self-employment, and life after financial independence. The goal isn't simply to reach FI as quickly as possible. It's to make progress toward financial freedom while actually enjoying your life along the way.

On FI Minded, you'll learn how to:
- Reach financial independence without burning out
- Build a flexible, work-optional lifestyle
- Navigate Coast FI, Slow FI, and other paths to FI
- Make smarter decisions about spending and saving
- Prepare financially and emotionally for early retirement
- Figure out what life can look like after financial independence
- Think through the tradeoffs behind major money and lifestyle decisions
- Make progress toward financial independence while actually living your life.

Some of our past guests include Carl Jensen (1500 Days), Jeremy Schneider (Personal Finance Club), Nick Loper (Side Hustle Show), Andrew Giancola (The Personal Finance Podcast), Jordan Grumet (Earn & Invest), Rachael Camp (Work Optional), Jillian Johnsrud (Retire Often), Sean Mullaney (FI Tax Guy), Jill Sirianni (Frugal Friends), Jackie Cummings-Koski (Catching Up to FI), Joel Larsgaard (How to Money), Cody Garrett (Measure Twice), Jesse Cramer (Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors), Jess (The Fioneers), Chris Hutchins (All The Hacks), Diania Merriam (EconoMe), Andy Hill (Marriage Kids Money), Fritz Gilbert (Retirement Manifesto), Maggie Tucker (Inside Out Money), Cody Berman (The Financial Independence Show), Joe Saul-Sehy (Stacking Benjamins), Doug Cunnington (Mile High FI), and and others helping you rethink how to approach financial independence.
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