Career Ambition: 5 Swerves Since Epstein Files

Fortune documents: Ambition has been changing a lot. For example, what seems like it might be in decline - women like Maly Bernstein are accepting lesser titles - is really just going for bigger future payback. 

But there have been other big swerves in career ambition which seem triggered by what had tumbled out from the Epstein files. An intuitive coach and tarot reader, I have observed 5, at least.  

Self-forgiveness. Obviously, the competition doesn't happen on a level playing field. Those who already have access to the wealthy, powerful and influential keep gaining more and more access. That's their edge. In addition, they position and package their offspring to also pass smoothly through those gold-plated doors. Smirk, so much for the party line in America how far intelligence, hard work and, yes, a good education will get you. 

So, you can let up on beating yourself up for not achieving more. Actually chip-on-his-shoulder late mayor of Providence, Rhode Island Buddy Cianci was on the money in resenting that he wasn't a member of the Lucky Sperm Club. 

Smelling exploitation. The evil genius of Jeffrey Epstein was about exploitation, often through forms of entrapment. Even financial mastermind Leon Black got ensnared. Look at how much he had to cough up for tax guidance.

The universal Ah-Ha on this one is how overall the system exploits your healthy ambition. Why not opt out and go rogue? Maybe you can get more that way. 

That could be the message being delivered by the four junior Wall Street types who agreed, without their employers' okay, to be part of the Lads About Town coverage of Interview Magazine.  Why work those hellish hours and take s**t when this kind of attention can generate options. Now Tommy Doherty, Mason Clarke, Demarre Johnson and Clay Nelson could become influencers, fashionistas, fund founders or more. 

Being self-protective. No one is watching out for you. Doesn't every lawyer know that what you put into emails as well as texts is discoverable? Yet Goldman Sachs top lawyer Kathy Ruemmler had been a busy woman with emailing. Aside from CEO David Solomon standing by her, she still "had to" step down from that big job. It's unlikely she'll get a comparable one. 

Before you put in writing what a high-placed contact or superior mandates you will consider the reputational, professional and legal consequences. Pleasing authority isn't worth it. Usually what they promise for obedience doesn't come through.

Wariness about quid pro quo. Harvard, MIT, Bard College and Mount Sinai all received hefty Epstein donations. Harvard provided an office to the pedophile and he kept going to it even after a conviction. Get it now: No gift is string-free. 

What can you achieve without accepting major favors? Probably a lot. The meritocracy still operates. I transitioned from full-time content creation to sidelines five years ago by demonstrating results. That is, providing "free samples" of expertise in coaching and psychic services.

Limiting sunk costs. Stuck were the players who had invested so much in building a career. That marked them as targets. In professional services such as law you probably have to be one-dimensional to get anywhere. So many lawyers were caught in the Epstein web. 

This lesson should have myriad implications. What youth would be willing currently to scramble for the good grades in college/law school, the recommendations, the job interviews, the junior hazing rituals in Big Law and fear as a constant for that line of work? It seems like many. Applications to law schools are surging. 

On the other hand, I am coaching college students working part-time in retail. They like it. They are considering leveraging that to make their way to the headquarters of a Walmart or even Goodwill. Should that not pan out they are detached. There are other ways to earn a good living. And they don't require lots of sunk costs. 

They read Reddit. Here's a snippet: 

"This [fast access to experience] was exactly why I went the trade school route. I wanted to actually get my hands dirty right away to see if I could hack it and my program had us welding within the first week. The job placement help afterward was a huge bonus."

A certificate program in welding takes 6 to 18 months.

How long will these Epstein files' lessons be embedded in how we approach success? Likely, not long. The odds are we'll watch in awe supposed smart moves being made. We will grab onto that template. And wind up losing way too much. Progress in civilization may be a myth. Recall what higher education promised the world ...

UPDATE:

BusinessInsider reports that Interview subject Demarre Johnson is no longer working at PwC. It isn't indicated the reason why.

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