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:

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