The reality? My early career was a long list of ordinary, sometimes embarrassing failures. Looking back, I'm grateful for every single one of them. They knocked me down, toughened me up, and taught me lessons I still carry today.
And for my kids and anyone else just starting out--you might think you're doing it wrong, or not living up to where you "should" be. Trust me: I failed my way forward. Here are a few of the lowlights.
* * *
I technically didn't graduate until a year and a half after I finished school. Why? I hadn't completed my Hebrew requirement. Yes, I was born in Israel. Yes, I was fluent. But I annoyed the dean, and he refused to waive the requirement.
So while I was working full-time in a suit at Price Waterhouse, twice a week I'd hop on the hour long subway uptown, sit in a college Hebrew class, and feel like the oldest, strangest guy in the room. For months I had nightmares that HR would "discover" I didn't actually have my diploma and fire me on the spot.
The lesson? Stop avoiding the thing that scares you. Handle it, even if it's uncomfortable.
* * *
Price Waterhouse had an incredible training program. They taught us everything from how to introduce ourselves to how to hold a fork correctly at a client dinner.
But one afternoon, my manager pulled me aside and quietly suggested I improve my wardrobe and grooming. At 20, that was mortifying. But I got the point: first impressions matter.
Better to be embarrassed early than clueless later.
* * *
There were three of us from YU in Audit. Within months, all three were fired. Audit was overstaffed, and if you weren't billing hours, you were expendable. I could see it coming.
So I wandered around and found the Bankruptcy and Litigation group (they called it DACR--Dispute Analysis and Corporate Recovery, which sounded fancier). Those guys were buried in work, pulling all-nighters, and I jumped right in.
It wasn't glamorous, but it saved my career. Sometimes survival means volunteering for the work no one else wants and do it with a smile.
* * *
I was awful at reviewing my own work. Over and over, I got caught with slides that had formatting mistakes, unclear charts, or bad labels. Every time, it was embarrassing. I wasted gallons of color ink at the lexmark printer station.
Eventually I learned: details are not optional. If you want people to trust you, your work has to be clean.
* * *
After-work bonding usually meant drinks with the team. One night I overdid it, and the next morning I called HR to say I'd be late. Big mistake: I told them _why_.
That's when I learned a tough but useful lesson--honesty is good, but wisdom is knowing which truths to share, and with whom.
* * *
These are just a few of the ways I failed, embarrassed myself, and spent nights worrying I'd be found out. At the time, each one felt huge. Looking back, they were just the normal bumps of starting out.
If you're at the beginning of your career and it feels messy--you're not doing it wrong. That _is_ the process. Fail forward. Learn fast. You'll be fine.