The AtlanticThe Atlantic

The only career advice you’ll ever need

By Arthur C. Brooks

18 May 2023 · 6 min read

Editor's Note

We all want to find a job that we love. But the question of "what" we should do is the wrong one, argues The Atlantic's Arthur Benjamin. The right question is "who" we are.

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When we are stuck on a hard problem, it usually isn’t because we can’t find the answer; it’s that we don’t even know the right question. Imagine that you are trying to figure out how fast food can make you healthier: You are overlooking the right first question—which is whether fast food can do this. That is precisely the problem with agonizing over finding the right job and career.

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