Nobody told me that

Discover hidden knowledge, so you don't learn things the hard way

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to ask people what surprised them about their
jobs or about anything in life really, so you don't

(00:23):
face the same surprises yourself. Today's tip comes from Tessa
West's book Job Therapy, Finding Work that Works for You.
West is a psychology professor at New York University and
an expert on social relationships and communication at work. In
Job Therapy, West helps readers figure out why they're not

(00:46):
happy at work and find a job where they will thrive. Now,
I'm sure that many people listening to this are quite
happy with their jobs, but even if you plan on
staying where you are, it can be worth analyzing the
situation and figuring out ways that you can do your best.
In her book, West advises that when you are exploring

(01:06):
a job, ask those working in that job to finish
this sentence before I started this job, nobody told me
that dot dot dot. She explains that this will help
you learn the hidden curriculum before you start the new
job and be better able to figure out whether the
workplace and the role would be a good fit. I

(01:29):
think this is a good question to ask in lots
of contexts beyond new jobs. There are all sorts of
things in life that aren't publicly advertised, but that people
learn over time sometimes the hard way. West writes about
a national public radio project called I was absent that
day about things people had to learn as an adult.

(01:50):
I'm sure we have all got things that we've learned
quite belatedly in life. Asking people what nobody told them
will help reveal some of the hidden curriculum in any situation. So,
for instance, before you start a new project, you might
ask people who've worked with a particular client what nobody
told them about that client. If you are transferring to

(02:12):
a new location, you can ask people there what nobody
told them about that place. And you can ask this
in context beyond work too. If your kids are going
to a new school, ask other parents what nobody told
them about the school. If you move into a new
neighborhood or join a new club, this question could be relevant.

(02:33):
What did nobody tell you about signing up for after
school activities around here? What did nobody tell you about
hiring a contractor to renovate your kitchen? What did nobody
tell you about owning a beach house. Maybe that the
ocean is beautiful, but you'll be doing constant maintenance because
being by the ocean is rough on a house. You
probably need to build that into your budget. At work

(02:57):
and in many aspects of our life, things we need
to know often go unspoken. But with a well chosen
question posed to helpful people, you may not have to
figure out everything the hard way. Somebody may tell you
the things you need to know, and then maybe you
can repay the favor by passing that knowledge along to

(03:20):
someone else. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks
for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

(03:41):
or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura
vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,
Apple po Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.