Experience, Opportunity, and Developing Your Career (HBR Work Smart Series)

INTRODUCTION What Does It Mean to Have a Career?

by Mimi Aboubaker

Finding your footing in the early stages of your career can be daunting. You’re no longer a student following a curriculum developed by someone else. Instead, you’re an individual carving your own path in a world of infinite possibilities. You can choose to fear that freedom, or you can feel excited by it. The life and career you want is in your control.

I know it probably doesn’t feel that way right now—I’ve been in your shoes. But writing this as a 28-year-old who has made a few career transitions herself, I can assure you that you have more power than you think. To harness it, I recommend thinking through three questions: What does it mean to have a career? Do you even ...