The First Two Years

Season finale: Finding joy in your first job

In the final episode, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran searches for what makes people in the first two years of their careers happy. And the right way to say goodbye to the listeners.  One last thing before we go. You can always write to us at podcasts@the-ken.com with feedback, tips, and suggestions for upcoming shows. Thank you for listening. The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

Best early-career advice we've got so far (part 2)

Take the happiness survey to be a part of the season finale here [https://theken.typeform.com/happinessurvey]. The debut season of TFTY was jampacked with insight, international guests, and interesting takeaways. This season, we learned how to ask for help without worrying about looking stupid [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/how-to-network-for-people-who-hate-to-network/], turn a job that you have into the one that you want [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/my-first-job-sucks-how-screwed-am-i/], network when you hate networking [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/how-to-network-for-people-who-hate-to-network/], look for a Dravid in a mentor [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/the-right-mentor-can-change-your-career-heres-how-to-find-them/] and build a personal brand with no work experience [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/can-you-even-have-a-personal-brand-without-any-work-experiece/]. On this episode of TFTY, Akshaya Chandrasekaran and Rahel Philipose (from The Ken’s flagship business podcast Daybreak [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/daybreak/]) assemble the entire crew and give a behind-the-scenes look at how the podcast came to life. The ensemble gathers ‘round the mic and shares their favorite early-career advice of the season. Stick around for what has to be the best part of the episode - updates from the TFTY community and loyal listeners who tell us where they are right now. If you liked this episode, share a note with the host at akshaya@the-ken.com or take this form [https://theken.typeform.com/createTFTY] and tell us about your early-career problems, both big and small. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/] is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

Best early-career advice we’ve got so far (part 1)

The debut season of TFTY was jampacked with insight, international guests, and interesting takeaways. This season we walked away from unhappy jobs [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/knowing-when-to-walk-way-from-an-unhappy-job-with-annie-duke/], built trust with difficult colleagues [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/how-to-build-trust-with-colleagues-who-dont-trust-you/], asked for feedback even when we dreaded it [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/how-to-ask-for-feedback-even-when-you-dread-it/], fought for promotions [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/how-to-fight-for-your-promotion/], and bounced back from mistakes [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/you-made-a-big-mistake-at-work-how-do-you-bounce-back/]. We spoke to forensic psychologists working in maximum-security prisons [https://nashaterdeusolheim.com/] and former poker players turned decision strategists [https://www.annieduke.com/].  On this episode of TFTY, Akshaya Chandrasekaran and Rahel Philipose (from The Ken’s flagship business podcast Daybreak [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/daybreak/]) gather ‘round the mic to round up their favorite early-career advice of the season. They talk about how they applied that advice to their own lives, share some surprising updates from early-career folks who were on the show, and give a behind-the-scenes look at how the podcast is made each week. Did Arjun get the promotion? Has Pranav figured out a way to build trust with senior members of his team? How did Harshit eventually get the feedback he so badly wanted? You’ll find answers to these questions and more. If you liked this episode, share a note with the host at akshaya@the-ken.com or take this form [https://theken.typeform.com/createTFTY] and tell us about your early-career problems, both big and small. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/]is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe [https://the-ken.com/pricing/] for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

How to take a gap year without being left behind

Graduates entering the workforce are no longer quitting jobs because they are unhappy. They are doing so because they realize they could be happier. After facing one of the most challenging placement seasons in years, many are left with the feeling of compromise. They either compromised on the role, the company, or the pay package.  Instead of, making do with what they have, they are relooking at their career paths. This leaves many contemplating a gap year. These are all questions our listener this week is facing.  Rohan graduated from a tier-1 B-school. Six months into his first job, he knows this is not the path he wants to take. He is choosing between staying at the job to fulfill the work experience quota or taking a gap year and doing something radically different. But how do you know if a gap year is right for you at this point in time? And if it is, what do you do with it? And if it isn't, how do you make sure that you get the most out of whatever you’re doing right now?  On this episode of TFTY, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran consults Krishna Vij, Vice-President, TeamLease Digital for advice. She has worked in the early career space in recruiting for close to ten years. Krishna’s advice reorients the way you look at gap years and goes against the grain of what is typically recommended.  If you liked this episode, share a note with the host at akshaya@the-ken.com or take this form [https://theken.typeform.com/createTFTY] and tell us about your early-career problems, both big and small. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

Special episode: Know when to walk away from an 'unhappy' job with Annie Duke

Have you ever struggled with knowing when to walk away from a job?  You know you’re not happy with where you are, but you are scared about taking the next step. You don’t entirely know what the future holds. This is especially harder when you are starting out in your career. You don’t have the benefit of hindsight or years of experience to leverage. Every decision you make – whether to stay or quit – feels like a big, life-changing decision and you want to get it right.  You don’t want to have regrets. Well, now you’ve “overthunk” it and reached a stage called decision fatigue where you feel stuck and stagnant. Does this all sound too familiar to you? Well, many TFTY listeners are in the same situation. Meet our expert - Annie Duke [https://www.annieduke.com/]. She knows a lot about making decisions under pressure. And the reason why is because she's a former professional poker player. She's won more than $4 million playing poker. In poker, knowing when to fold separates elite players from amateurs.  Elite players were good at exercising the opportunity to quit way more than amateurs. They were more flexible in changing their mind as and when they received new information - when they were dealt new cards.  But as we'll hear, it’s not just amateur poker players. In the face of tough decisions, we’re all terrible quitters. And that is significantly holding us back. So on today's show, we're going to hear from Annie. A decision strategist, an author, and a business consultant, about not just quitting - but quitting in time and how that is going to set you up for success in the long term. P.S. The Ken podcast team is looking for a talented podcast produce [https://the-ken.com/careers/podcast-producer-the-ken/]r and an audio journalist [https://the-ken.com/careers/audio-journalist-the-ken/]. If you fit the bill or know someone who does, please apply! The First Two Years [https://the-ken.com/podcasts/the-first-two-years/] is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.