This week, I returned to St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City to give a keynote speech for Career Day, and I tried to inspire and entertain 800 students with a few pearls of wisdom from my life and career. No easy task.
My career certainly certainly doesn't feel extraordinary, but I hope my messages were relatable, memorable and meaningful for the students. I shared a Facebook post about the student who told me my remarks were "fire" -- Wow! -- and got a few requests for the speech, so here it is as prepared for delivery. Let me know what you think of my three lessons:
PREP CAREER DAY -- Dec. 8, 2023
Welcome
Thank you, Mike, for the introduction, and for inviting me today. It’s an
honor to be back home at Prep and have the chance speak with you all.
As Mike mentioned, I work in Corporate Communications. That has been my career.
I have been an executive at Zoetis, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Lucent Technologies
and AT&T over the course of my career.
I have spent my days preparing executives for media interviews on CNBC … running
Investor Meetings and bell-ringings at the New York Stock Exchange … putting
out fires with The Wall Street Journal when reporters call about rumors and
lawsuits … launching new companies and strategizing how we can build those companies
into trusted and admired brands.
It’s been a diverse, fun and wonderful career.
But, I will tell you I am most often the speechwriter, not the speaker,
so this kind of spotlight is not my typical sweet spot … and it can be a bit
intimidating.
I ask you to be patient with me today. And for those of you whose fathers
may have been my classmates – that’s you Blunda, Tuohy, Giglio, Cutola and
Briamonte -- tell them all I did a great job – no matter how this goes!!
Career Day
So let’s start ... Career Day! Career
can be such a daunting word.
It sounds so Adult (My mother or my grandfather has a career). It sounds so Permanent (it’s not just a job…
it’s a career). It sounds so loaded with heavy expectations. Expectations from our teachers, … from our parents,
… and from ourselves. You’ve been
hearing it your whole life – what are going to be when you grow up?
This morning, I’d like to share three quick lessons to help lighten
that heavy load as you think about your future and your career … and as we
kickoff some great discussions with other alumni today.
Do what you love – and where you shine
First, when I was growing up I loved playing basketball. I grew up in
Jersey City, … playing ball with Bobby and Danny Hurley down in Country Village
– guys whom many of you may know as amazing college basketball players at Duke
and Seton Hall and coaches today at Arizona State and UConn.
And, when I came to Prep, I played basketball. Right there (pointing)
was where I got my clock cleaned on a blindside pick by my best friend Mark
Usarzewicz. Over there (pointing), was where I missed the switch on a
screen in a game with Hudson Catholic, which cost us the game. Something my
teammate and classmate Billy Deakyne never lets me forget to this day.
I loved playing basketball … and the summer before my junior year
I was working hard to make varsity. I worked on my left hand all summer, … I lifted
weights to bulk up, … I played in Jersey City summer leagues every week to get
better.
But before tryouts started in the late fall that year, the coach met me
in his office – somewhere here in the English building – and told me I wasn’t
going to make the team. He loved my passion, … had watched me work all summer
and knew I was trying hard, … but it was really competitive to win a spot on varsity.
So I kept playing basketball for fun and in intramurals, … but, I also discovered
something else I loved while I was at Prep. Writing.
Whether it was an English paper on Hamlet or Paradise Lost … an article
for the Petroc … or creative stories for
the literary magazine, … Writing was something I loved to do … and perhaps more
importantly it was something I was really good at. As time passed, I discovered
it was something I could be great at.
Writing was something people appreciated about me … an ability and talent
where I excelled … and a career that people would someday pay me to do for
their companies and executives.
So why do I tell this story? Because the trendy thingy to say on Career Days is “Do Something You Love” … and I think that can be true, but a bit misleading.
Look, I loved basketball, but there was no amount of practice or passion that
was going to get me to the NBA.
Writing was different … I loved it … and with practice and hard work I
would get better and better and better. And actually make it the foundation of
my career.
My point is you should definitely find a career doing something you love.
That’s great. But, also pick something at which you are exceptional…. Where
you shine.
When you combine a passion … with your special talent (and
each of you has one) … that is when others will see your greatness, your gifts
and your value. That will be the real secret to building yourself
a great career.
Don’t be frozen by failure
Changing gears now … when I was student at Saint Peter’s
University, I had a part-time job at a law firm up at Journal Square. I spent
my afternoons reading legal briefs in a conference room, … taking notes, …
filing, … and I was miserable. I hated it.
I remember getting the flu and
actually preferring being home sick to going into the law office. That was when
I knew it was not for me, so I quit, but I felt a bit like a failure.
A few years later, when I graduated from College with my degree in
English – remember I loved writing – I could not find a job. It was a bit
embarrassing … I graduated top of my class and I had no real prospects.
I wound up interviewing to work in one of the big banks. Just to have a
job. It was not work I was passionate about … and it was not something I
thought I could excel at. I worked with words, not numbers. So, instead, I decided
to try graduate school – almost a way to put off feeling like a failure at starting
my career.
I went on to get a master’s degree in Communications at Fordham
University, which turned out to be an amazing and formative year for my writing
and career. I eventually got my first job in Public Relations at AT&T and
spent a great 14 years there and at Lucent Technologies learning about
Communications and growing in my skills.
I would eventually shift gears take a new job in Manhattan doing
corporate communications with Pfizer. But after 3 months, it was a disaster and
I knew I needed to leave. Lots of
reasons, but it was not the right fit. Another
career failure, I thought.
But, were these failures? What did I learn from these
moments?
I learned not to be frozen by what you may perceive as failures.
These were all important, but difficult, moments in my life.
I learned something each time about myself, … about what I wanted to do, … and in some cases,
more importantly, about what I did not want to do. I learned where I
could shine and what made me happy. I kept moving forward.
Build relationships, not just resumes
Finally, I would tell you that great careers are built on great relationships,
… not just degrees and dollars.
And I have been fortunate to have many important relationships shape my
career – many with their roots in Prep.
Jim Horan today is Prep’s Vice President of Major Gifts and Planning, and
back in my day he was a Journalism teacher and administrator of External
Affairs. Jim encouraged me as a Prep student to pursue writing and
communications. And, he is still a writer and communicator I admire today. One
of the best.
Prep alumnus Frank D’Amelio was someone I got to know in my early
days at Lucent and he most recently retired from an amazing career at Pfizer.
Frank became a colleague, friend and mentor over the years. Whenever I made big
career decisions about leaving a job at Lucent, … or joining a new company like
Zoetis, … Frank was there to offer his connections … his counsel … and his Hoboken
style of encouragement.
And, whenever, I have had career choices to make … it was my closest
friends from Prep whom I reached out to for support and advice.
So look around…
That guy at your lunch table who copies
your homework today … may be the lawyer you are calling in 20 years for advice.
The friend on your train who has to
borrow money for a Coke and is struggling with Calculus … may actually become
your financial advisor in 10 or 15 years.
And the teammate in your soccer,
football or lacrosse team … may be the close friend you call when you come to a
crossroads in your life or career and need someone to listen.
Your relationships at Prep will
matter, gentlemen -- today and always. As Dr. Gomez has been saying this year, you are in
Good Company. Never forget it.
Close
So, to wrap up …. as you spend today – and future days – thinking about your careers, I hope you will remember these lessons:
First. Do what you love … and grow where you shine.
Second. Don’t be frozen by failure. Be positive, learn and move forward.
And third. Build relationships, not just your resume. Those will make all the difference in your life and your career.
Thank you for your time and
attention. Go Prep! Have a great day!
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