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# 3 Things About Jobs, Companies, and Careers I Wish I Knew 10 Years Ago
- URL: https://jonathankford.com/3-things-about-careers/
- Published: 2024-12-05T21:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-19T04:17:11.000Z
- Description: quick thoughts on how to succeed in a career; I'll probably increase this list over time
- Author: Jonathan Ford Jr
- Tags: strategy, thoughts

These are some career thoughts I don’t often see discussed. They probably apply best for folks who have a bit of ambition, not a lot of mentorship, and want or have a white collar career.

1. **Understand the Type of Organization You Need to Thrive**

Twenty-person companies are not the same as fifty-person companies, and neither are the same as two-thousand-person companies. Private, family-run companies can be miserable if you’re not family (or even if you are!). Dabble early through short-term jobs or internships. This is important.

1. **Likeability, Agreeability, and Humor are Critical and Underrated**

For better or worse, I’ve seen careers stall out because people can be hard to work with, or just not fun. It’s not fair, but learn how to get those office jokes off; at least be cool.

1. **Swing for Irreversible Advantages Early**

This is tougher, and takes 2-3 years of advanced planning. Have you considered an elite grad school? Always wanted to go to that city, and break into that industry? Pursue it early, ideally before you turn 28\. After 28 is not too late for everything, but it is too late for some things, and in most cases you want to start building momentum in *something* by 30.

Take these tips with a grain of salt - climate change, AI, or bird flu can accelerate and make much of this pointless. But I’m confident it won’t make all of this pointless. Good judgment is the most important skill of all.