Your Career is an Education

JMS episode 366 Dave Bpssert

“Anytime somebody asked me to do something, I always said yes, and then I went to figure it out.”

When I look back at my own career, it’s easy to see the moments when I treated work like a job and the moments when I treated it like an education. The difference is dramatic.

I remember working as a park ranger, stepping into a role that carried history, rules, and expectations. At first, I thought the goal was simply to get through the week. I had to do the job, keep the park running, and make sure visitors were safe. But over time, I realized each encounter, each project, was a lesson waiting for me. The job wasn’t just to enforce boundaries. It was to learn about people, leadership, communication, and even myself.

That shift in thinking changed everything. When you approach your career as an education, every challenge becomes an opportunity. A frustrating coworker becomes a teacher in patience. A new project is a course in creativity. Even mistakes become valuable lessons if you’re willing to see them that way.

Dave Bossert, who spent decades at Disney, talked about this mindset in his own journey. He said yes to opportunities he didn’t yet know how to handle, then figured them out. That’s how he learned, grew, and even earned patents. It wasn’t that he needed to know everything. He just need to be curious and willing.

You don’t have to work for Disney or be in a glamorous job for this to apply. If you choose to see your career as an education, you’ll always be moving forward. You’ll always be growing. And you’ll find joy in places where others only see routine.

Take the time to ask yourself if you are just doing your job, or if you are letting your job teach you. The answer has the ability to shape more than just your career. In fact, it might shape the way you move through life.