Shopify Senior Brand Lead Jessica Guzik's Unconventional Career Advice For Young Professionals

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

Often posed to kindergarteners, this question may, in fact, weigh the heaviest on those first entering the workforce, who often face looming student debt, impatient parents, and peer pressure to “figure it out”—and fast! However, according to the U.S. Labor Bureau, the average worker changes jobs about 12 times throughout their career, signaling that professionals of all ages are often still on the hunt to answer this age-old question.
Meet Jessica Guzik, one of 28 million young American professionals who have dramatically shifted their careers post-undergrad. If you had interviewed Guzik in 2007, when she was fresh out of undergrad at the University of Notre Dame and on her way to law school at Washington and Lee University, she would have assumed that today, 16 years later, she would be a partner at a reputable law firm. Instead, Guzik’s resume would leave many recruiters scratching their heads.
Guzik’s career has been anything but linear. After graduating with her law degree in 2011, Guzik went from judicial law clerk to content creator to saleswoman to founder to freelancer. However, it was self-reflection, risk-taking, and the occasional thought experiment that helped her land her current role, not a law firm partner but a Berlin-based brand strategist at Shopify.
I spoke with Guzik where she shared three pieces of unconventional career advice for young professionals who feel the pressure to “figure it out:”

Think About What Verbs Excite You.

It’s easy to get caught up in flashy titles or the prestige of a profession rather than breaking down what a job looks like day-to-day.

Like many college students, Guzik fell into the trap of following the crowd to law school, assuming it would lead to a lucrative career and societal respect. It wasn’t until she realized being a lawyer wasn’t the sexy, high-stakes lifestyle Hollywood made it appear that led Guzik to question her career path. Before law school, “I really didn't know what lawyers did,” recalled Guzik.

During this time of questioning her law career, Guzik talked with a senior colleague who recommended that she ask herself what she enjoyed doing in the day-to-day of her job. Instead of asking, “Who do I want to be when I grow up?” Guzik continues, “Ask, ‘What do I want to do every day?’”

Guzik framed this question in terms of her feelings about specific verbs. For example, she would ask herself, “Do I like reading? ‘Yes.’ Do I like researching? ‘Neutral.’ Do I like speaking in public? ‘Yes.’”
These questions made Guzik realize that her interests were more closely aligned with creative and analytical work in marketing versus head-down research in law. Eventually, these questions were how Guzik narrowed down her interests and explored a content creation career path.

Guzik recommends sitting with yourself to create this list. Then, sit with it for a week, looking at it, adding to it, and subtracting from it throughout your workweek.
Now, with your completed list in hand, you can skim job descriptions to see how many of your verbs align with the ones listed, making it easier to weed out non-starters while discovering new job opportunities you might not have considered. Starting with what excites you in your day-to-day job makes it much easier to find the next career move to get excited about.

Hustle Now. It Gets Harder When You’re Older.

Guzik believes in work-life balance and having fun with the twists and turns of your twenties. However, she also believes that not having a side hustle is “a bit of a wasted opportunity … because you're never gonna have as much time.”

Gen Z-ers and Millennials are no strangers to side hustles. In fact, 53% of Gen Z-ers (aged 18-26) and 50% of Millennials (aged 27-42) have a side hustle. 

Guzik continues to recommend that young professionals who don’t have dependents, are in good health, and don’t have any other significant life commitments outside of work should take advantage of this time by volunteering, attending networking events, developing interests, and exploring alternate sources of income.

Before settling into her career at Shopify, Guzik’s side hustles included being a 5th-grade tutoring volunteer, self-published author and essayist, partnership manager and event planner, ecommerce entrepreneur, curated dinner party event host, and “free-wheeling, Swiss army knife” of a freelance content creator.

Her experience in content creation and ecommere helped Guzik land her job at Shopify. Guzik added that picking up side hustles throughout your 20s is a great way to make professional connections, up-level skills, help you get your next job, and have some fun outside of your 9-5.

Pay Attention to Jealousy.

“Look for jealousy to be a guiding light for what you really want in life,” says Guzik. In college, Guzik mentions that she always envied her friends who studied abroad. “It crops up in us for a reason. It's 'cause [that’s] what we want,” she adds.

For Guzik, sitting with these envious feelings made her realize she wanted to live and work abroad. Once she started freelancing, Guzik packed her belongings and hopped on an overseas flight to Berlin, where she secured a freelance visa and has resided for the past five years.

So, the next time you think, “I wish that were me,” spend time sitting with and exploring your jealous thoughts. Ask yourself: “Why am I jealous of this person?” Are you envious of their job? Flexibility? Lifestyle? Appearance? Location? What steps can you take to align your life with what you want?

While jealousy is a negative emotion we try to avoid, it can be a key indicator of your true wants and desires in life and a career. “Instead of just saying, ‘I'm jealous,’ say, ‘tell me more about how you did that. Let's have coffee on me. I'd love to learn more,’” Guzik suggests, “You never know. Following your jealousy might just turn into the life you actually want.”
________

It took Guzik five years post-undergrad before she worked in content creation. It took Guzik nine different job titles before she found herself at Shopify. It took Guzik courage and curiosity before she moved abroad and worked in a country and industry completely different from what she had planned when she was 22.

So, no matter your age or stage in your career, it’s never too late to pause and pivot. Careers are meant to evolve over decades and adapt to your lifestyle rather than following a predetermined path. Speaking to this, Guzik left our interview with a simple sentiment: “Follow your interests, take some risks, and you'll end up [in] a place that you're really proud of.”