Obama Advises: Focus on What You Want to Do, Not Where You Want to Be

By Moon Harper

Mar 18, 2024 04:59 AM EDT

Aneesh Raman, a speechwriter for President Barack Obama from 2011 to 2013, recalls significant career advice from the president: "Focus on what you want to do, not who you want to be."

Before entering politics, Obama began his career in community organizing in Chicago. Although he did not initially aspire to be president, Raman explains to CNBC Make It that Obama aimed to build communities in a unique manner, which eventually led him to the presidency.

Focus on The Impact You Want to Create

Instead of fixating on your desired job title, Raman suggests focusing on the impact you want to create through your work and the skills necessary to achieve it. Then, assess whether specific jobs or employers can provide the skills needed to reach your objectives.

Raman, currently serving as a vice president and workforce expert at LinkedIn, emphasizes the importance of this advice, particularly for young professionals. He highlights the reality that individuals may eventually fill roles that are currently non-existent. LinkedIn's recent identification of rapidly growing jobs in 2024, such as chief growth officer and sustainability analyst, underscores this point, as many of these positions did not exist two decades ago.

He suggests breaking down your career into these stages:

Between 20 and 35, focus on developing core skills aligned with your interests, strengths, and areas for improvement.
Between 35 and 45, utilize your unique skill set to address specialized issues within your field of expertise, such as healthcare, or broader topics like economic opportunity.
Beyond age 45, consider the impact you wish to have on your organization and the world.

Prioritizing Interests Over Worrying on Job Titles or Salary

In a #ThisIsWorking episode, Obama advises young people to prioritize their genuine interests over pursuing impressive titles or high salaries. He believes that the most successful individuals are those who have a sincere passion for a particular field, like computing. As an example, he points to Bill Gates, who attributes his success to following his passion and ultimately becoming a world-class professional.

Raman suggests that this framework offers the most secure path for a sustainable career, which allows you to control your development of skills and expertise, unlike focusing solely on job titles. While you might aspire to a specific VP position, you cannot control its availability in the future.

Embracing a Squiggly Line

Raman favors what he terms a squiggly line career path, which is not strictly linear but still maintains a common thread. His career reflects this approach. Alongside his role in the Obama administration, Raman served as a CNN war correspondent in the Middle East, held positions as head of economic impact at Facebook, and acted as a senior advisor in the Office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

He mentions that his career job titles may not make sense, but his skills primarily involve storytelling and building coalitions focused on economic opportunity.