What Comes Next?

How to Approach the Journey of your Career 

Last week I had the honor of delivering the commencement address at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. Using the music of the Broadway show Hamilton for a little inspiration, I told the students that sometimes in life it is wise to say, “I don’t know” when someone asks you, “What comes next?” This advice doesn’t just apply to recent college graduates – it’s relevant to all of us throughout our careers. Allow me to share a little bit of my speech:

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It is an intriguing question – What comes next?

Sometimes the best way to answer it to simply say, “I don’t know”

Saying, “I don’t know” is one of the hardest things to do in life.

We have all been trained from a young age to have an answer at the ready. But the reality is that the answer is not what matters most – it is knowing how to find the answer that is key.

Education gives you the foundation you need to begin to solve the puzzle of “What comes next?”

In what ways?

The first is skills –academic experience can teach you how to think critically. It can open your eyes to fields of study you might never have otherwise explored and to diverse voices whose opinions will help shape your world view.

The second is values –the importance of public service, of serving others before serving yourself.

Finding the way to apply your skills, and keep them in line with your values, is the question in front of you. And if you can answer that question, you will have also begun to answer the question of “What comes next?”

Skills

The future is one where technology, automation, and artificial intelligence may eventually supplant humans in a variety of tasks – from retinal scan payment systems to machine-made hearts and lungs to, one day, perhaps, even robot lawyers.

Two-thirds of today’s children will have jobs which have not been invented yet. Studying Aeschylus, not to mention a little Sappho, Bront?, and Dylan – while cultivating an interest in design – is what allowed Steve Jobs to see the Walkman and dream of the iPod. A renaissance education is a comparative advantage in the years ahead.

Many of the most valuable lessons we have come from outside a classroom. It is important to have your ideas questioned by your peers and gain insight from their life experience.

Time dedicated to learning from colleagues can help develop empathy and perspective.

These are the in-demand tools of the future and this is the training your education can provide.  

Your Values – Public Service

And yet, the training by itself is not enough. How will you use your training?

Hopefully, by focusing on values, specifically the value of public service. 

Public service encompasses far more than working in government. It might mean volunteering, community activism, or joining a parent-teacher association.

Public service is about applying your values no matter what job you have. For me, one of those values has been gender equality. It is something that I have fought for my entire life.

In many countries, women are either prevented from entering the workforce through legal restrictions, or they are discouraged from working by expensive childcare and inadequate maternity leave.

 I asked myself, what role could the IMF play in helping solve the problem?

At the International Monetary Fund, we see ourselves as firefighters – providing financial assistance in times of need so nations can help their citizens. We also see ourselves as doctors – checking up on countries and guiding them to improve their economic health.

Thinking outside the box, our talented economists began showing member nations that women’s economic empowerment could reduce income inequality and help all businesses succeed.

Progress is slow, but we are making a difference. So far, we have done gender-related work in 22 countries. In our new program with Egypt, for example, we are exploring ways the government can increase funding for public nurseries and improve commuter safety. The goal is to provide women more opportunities to find employment.

I am proud that gender equality is now a mainstream part of IMF analysis and I am grateful for the intelligent, dedicated women and men with whom I have the honor to work every day.

What Comes Next?

Whether your career is in the private sector or in government, public service is a calling, not a job description.

Do not be surprised when you meet resistance. If you pursue public service with zeal, you will inevitably run into skeptics throughout your professional life.

Do not be limited by what has or has not been done before. Become creative champions for your values in ways large and small throughout your career!

Constantly look for opportunities to make progress in every position you hold.

Remember that you do not have to answer the question of “What comes next?” right away.

Take a breath. Be confident that you have the foundation to find the answer.

Trust that your training and your values – along with the support of your family and friends – will guide you, and serve as a lighthouse in the journey of your life.

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You can read the full text of the speech here.

Forbes (2015): How to Attract Talent for Jobs That Don't Yet Exist