Would you approach your job at a fast food restaurant the same way you would at a Fortune 500 company? You should, because in both roles, you never know who might be watching how you're doing your job and how important their impression of you will be to your career. I’ve worked in some valuable roles for some amazing employers throughout my career, but I picked up some of my most valuable habits early in my career by working long hours as an unpaid intern. You think you’ll pick up those valuable traits after you reach a comfortable point in your career?
No, you definitely won’t.
First of all, there’s no such thing as a comfortable point in your career – even if you make it to the top, your status will be so perilous there that you won’t be comfortable. You always have to struggle to get where you want to go in life. After you get to the top, you have to keep fighting to keep your spot up there. That’s not all bad as your struggles make you stronger and less likely to collapse when tested. But get used to the fight because it never stops.
