A harsh reality about the career ladder:
You’re never gonna make as many great work friends as you do in your first job or two.
Those first 5ish years of careers are special for making friends. You and your pals at work, green & eager (or getting destroyed by work loads and real life responsibilities). Spending your first paychecks on cocktails and dinners you probably can’t actually afford. Complaining about your bosses together. First apartments filled with ikea furniture. Racing when the “extra pizza from the meeting is in the conference room” email goes out.
I was at my first agency for 5 years (a lifetime for an agency job), and absolutely loved it. Made many lifelong friends at that gig. Then when I started wanting more money and more responsibility, I started intentionally hopping around—went from $80k to $220k in just 4 years, worked on some major brands, built a strong rep as a leader in social—but as I got older, entered management roles, and spent less time at jobs, I never really did have the same camaraderie as that first job.
Really cherish those years as a 20something, learning life & work. It’s a special time.
@thecasualbengal Read this on Reddit. Great work. To me, it boils down to a couple things: identifying draft talent poorly (hello, scouting dept), and this stubborn rule to only pay certain ranges or draft capital for “non-premium” positions. Good players is good players.
Real Luxuries in Life
1. Living 10 minutes from work
2. Living 5 minutes from the gym
3. Having quiet neighbors
4. Having money left at the end of the month and investing it
5. Peace at home
6. Drinking coffee without rushing
7. Sleeping with a clear conscience
8. Laughing with people who truly get you
9. Traveling every year
10. Waking up naturally without an alarm
11. Enjoying a home-cooked meal with loved ones
12. Having time to read a book in one sitting
13. Finding joy in simple daily routines
14. Having a pet that greets you happily at the door
These are the things that actually feel rich.
@BengalsCaptain I don’t think it’s on Zac. It’s on the players they’ve drafted on the defense. It’s scouting and Duke Tobin. It’s their stupid reluctance to pay top dollar for positions they don’t consider “premium”.