I’m A Female CEO in My 40s. Here’s What My Twentysomething Self Did to Get Me Here.

Listen up: I’m going to say some things that might not be popular in the era of the lazy-girl job. 

And although I’m not a fan of the glorification of the grind or genuflecting at the altar of hustle culture, the reality is that putting in the hard, difficult, sometimes very tedious work in your 20s is what helps get you to that CEO job in your 40s. It’s a disservice to pretend that the Big Job of your future is coming to you without some substantial investment of effort and ambition along the way. Big Jobs don’t just happen: they’re earned.

But here’s some of what I did in my 20s that got me where I am today.

Working, even on weekends when needed

I worked market hours at a hedge fund: in before 8:30 and out by 6:30. Not terrible hours but not insignificant either. As a young analyst, I would rotate with my teammates and aggregate the news the investment team should read every third Sunday – trends on the Fed, updates on key companies, market trends that seemed worth noting. (Yes, kids, this was before AI summaries… and even Google alerts.)

It was more hours, more time away from my then-boyfriend/now-husband – especially on the weekend – but I learned so much from that research time and exposure to the full portfolio of investments. I started seeing what information mattered, connecting the dots, and then observing how our investment team used the data to make decisions. It turned out to be a pattern: in successive roles where I similarly invested more time and research, I continually saw that I got that much more in return, in visibility, learning, and access.

Spending (so much) time in spreadsheets

That hedge fund analyst role was formative in a number of ways – especially getting really good at working in spreadsheets and with financial data. I hated it at the time but in retrospect, I understood financial statements, board meeting discussions, could hang with planning out different scenarios, etc., so much better as a result of that painstaking work. 

And it also helped me because I eventually learned the limitations of Excel as well. I’ll never forget being part of a larger discussion where we took the theoretical from a spreadsheet – “This company could 10x profitability by cutting two plants” – and talked about the actual reality of making a business successful. Spreadsheet and the real world are, as you might imagine, radically different and it was an excellent reminder that data is a starting point but there are often other elements that merit consideration to make a strategy real.

Hard work that stood out

If you’re going to work, really be there. Be fully present, pay attention, don’t phone it in - don’t be a lazy girl. When I was working, I was truly there and all in. And you know what happened? I got more coaching. More time to get to know leaders personally. More opportunities to observe dynamics and relationships. More calls from executives saying, “Amanda, want to come with me to this meeting? Would you like to meet the CEO of Company X? Will you help with this strategy?” I can’t overstate how valuable this was to me; even simply being in the room was often an incredible learning opportunity.

Learning that a great work ethic is an equalizer

We all know that sometimes people get where they are because of who they know, a privileged upbringing, an elite college network. But when someone gets in because of nepotism, or Daddy’s connections, or a thousand other reasons that are not about their skills or their talent, the job is when they actually fall apart. Why? They don’t know how to work hard. 

And that’s where you can shine.

I ran circles around the super-privileged because hard work and tenacity were what I had working for me, not a background of endless connections to smooth my path. When you can’t – or don’t want to be – getting ahead through your connections, you are very motivated to get the job done. It sets you apart from those who don’t know what to do with their shot once they’ve got it.

What to remember

Ultimately, the work you do in your 20s earns you the reputation and core skills that beget better opportunities – and the room to set boundaries and manage your pace over time. There’s no question you can’t sprint forever. You will wear yourself out. Spend 100-hour weeks in consulting or finance for six or seven years and you will wake up wondering where your life went. 

The reality is this is a marathon. 

Start off strong so you set yourself up well for the remainder of your race – and you can decide along the way if the Big Job is your goal or not. Invest the time early so you keep paths open to you and ensure your career trajectory is a matter of choice. Your choice.