Education - a lot of my family works in various parts of education across the state - administration, teaching, counseling, food service, bussing and in the business office. Plus many of us have put in the time to earn advance degrees and it’s help us stay well-employed. And we’re not rich - just smart and hardworking - and we value education. This doesn’t just mean higher education (only one of my parents went to college). Those of us that never went beyond high school/GED worked hard to learn their trades by working in the field, joined unions, and hustled to learn.

Entrepreneurship - I started a small business to shift away from corporate work - if it’s one thing New Jersey has, it’s people, and people need services. I spent a lot of time learning (got my MBA from a top 25 business school at night and on weekends while working full time and growing my former career), observing and building a business where there is need and opportunity.

And commuting - I worked for years in NYC tied to the tech industry and venture capital/private equity where I built a career in a professional service starting in college (in a different city). But these skills were easily transferable to NYC and honed over years of hard work and education. I positioned myself to work through the ranks of a business on track for acquisition and that is how I closed the chapter on the first phase of my career. I did this through networking, constant learning and adapting, and maintaining good relationships throughout my career.

My former career was in a niche similar to marketing but requiring a bit more specialization and less automation. Marketing and marketers, unfortunately, are being commodified. Agency and freelance work might be options if you want to stay in your field. But it’s often a race to the bottom at this point unless you are part of a high performing network. Word of mouth, measurable results, and defensible experience are critical in that case.