This is my close friend, Ashley McNamee.
We were lucky enough to sit on a Kayo Conference Series panel together a couple weeks ago in Denver (thank you, Lindsay Burton!), where we had the pleasure of sharing our thoughts on the environment for alternative investing (private equity, where Ashley focuses, and venture capital, which I know a thing or two about).
During our introductions, Ashley and I shared a giggle because neither of our career paths have been, um, straightforward.
Ashley’s path: news anchor ➡ comms specialist at a publicly traded energy company ➡ ESG consultant ➡ partner at a PE firm, where she leads the firm’s ESG strategy.
As for me, it was i-banking ➡ energy startups ➡ energy VC (where I found myself consistently jealous of how much fun our founders looked like they were having) ➡ Rescripted, a women's health-focused media platform.
We might have giggled at our "crooked" career paths on the panel, but the reality is that, altogether, they have given us the title, “Generalist,” which I’ve come to appreciate so much more since reading the book “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” by David Epstein.
Here are a few key points that Epstein makes that I ❤️:
🎨 Generalists learn differently than specialists, often engaging in lateral thinking, which means taking an indirect and creative approach.
😎 Generalists are often more adaptable, able to seamlessly transfer their knowledge and skills to new situations.
🏃♀️ Generalists tend to thrive in the long run, while specialists may achieve early success in highly structured and stable fields.
What seemingly-oddball-now career experiences have given you Range?
#careers #pivots #alternativeinvestments
Well done!