The Career Game Loop

2Five Tactics for Expanding Horizons

2.1 Seeking Influence

Here we are, at the start of the Core Career Loop. We're on Phase 1, and it's time to make a choice. What sort of profession will we pursue?

For about half of the US's adult population, the answer is an easy one: influencer. And that number goes up if you just ask Gen Z: 57% would go full-time as paid social media celebrities if they could.¹ But that's probably not because it's the best job in America. “It's because people want what they hear about,” says Mona Mourshed.

For 20 years, Mona's been building bridges between education and employment worldwide. For a decade now, she's led Generation, a global nonprofit that works with folks of all ages, connecting them to careers that previously felt out of reach.

In her work, Mona often talks about four gaps that separate people from the work that will serve them best: (1) the gap between the known and the unknown, (2) the gap between job interest and job placement, (3) the gap between a regular workplace and a great workplace, and (4) the gap between technical skills and behavioral skills.

“The very first gap is exposure to different professions,” Mona says. And it's not just about knowing what's out there. Mona points out that you also have to know what those professions are really like: “What's great about that job? What's not great about that job? What kind of income and career path does that job give you?”

I like to call the thing that we're trying to improve here our ...