Benjamin Todd

In our advising, we've seen lots of examples of people becoming far more successful, happy, and capable by investing in themselves, often in surprising areas that they never thought they'd be good at.

Focusing on impact too much too early can even be short-sighted because it can preclude being in an even better position later.

This means that for most people, the top priority early in their career is to build what we call career capital.

So what is career capital?

Five components of career capital.

By career capital, we mean anything that puts you in a better position to make a difference or secure a fulfilling career in the future.

We normally break it down into the following components, which you can use to compare your options in terms of career capital.

Skills and knowledge.

What will you learn?

How useful will it be?

And how fast will you learn?

A job will be best for learning when you are pushed to improve and get lots of feedback from mentors and colleagues.

Ask yourself, where will I learn fastest?

Connections.

Who will you work with and meet?

Will they include potential future collaborators on impactful projects?

Supportive friends and mentors?

People who are influential?

Or people who will help you expand into new circles?

Credentials.