From Columbia Chaos to Career Guidance: Jodi Kantor's Mission
When New York Times investigative journalist Jodi Kantor was invited to deliver a commencement address at Columbia University last year, she encountered a campus in turmoil. Amid pro-Palestinian protests, student expulsions, and federal funding controversies, Kantor expected to discuss political tensions. Instead, she discovered students united by a different anxiety: "When everything feels so broken, how do we start? How do we find our life's work in this environment?"
These questions "seized" Kantor and inspired her new book, How to Start, written during early mornings before her reporting duties. The book offers practical wisdom aimed primarily at young people but valuable for anyone questioning their career path, from midlife switchers to those feeling stuck in wrong professions.
Personal Transitions and Professional Calling
The project emerged during a period of significant personal change for Kantor. Around the same time, she received a breast cancer diagnosis (successfully treated), her daughter left for college, and she turned 50. "Those all happened in a flash. Like, tick-tock, do it now, don't wait," she reflects.
Despite her background in hard-hitting investigative journalism—including exposing Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault allegations and investigating the U.S. Supreme Court—Kantor felt compelled to write this advice book. "If there are five young people in the universe who would be helped by this book, I want to act on that," she explains.
Her cancer diagnosis particularly motivated her to "connect to readers on a different level. I feel like the subtext of my journalism is always, like, we can find answers, and I wanted to make that text."
Understanding a "Battered" Generation
Kantor couldn't stop thinking about the Columbia students, describing their generation as "battered" compared to her own early career experience. Through conversations with her 20-year-old daughter and campus visits following her Weinstein reporting, she observed rising "fear and cynicism" among young people.
"Even though starting your career is a time of struggle, it's also a time of ambition, experimentation and optimism, and I saw that change in social attitudes," Kantor notes. She points to cultural shifts reflected in television, from workplace comedies like Parks and Recreation to darker portrayals like Severance.
Navigating Modern Work Challenges
Facing daunting employment landscapes—including AI disruption, economic pressures, and environmental concerns—how should young people proceed? Kantor acknowledges reporting on brutal work practices like Amazon's employee monitoring but emphasizes personal agency.
"We can't change that environment, but we can say to young people: you're not a statistic," she argues. "Those news reports aren't sentences, you're still the author of your own life. Let's at least try to put together an escape plan from what other people are telling you is inevitable."
While understanding the "quiet quitting" impulse as a rational response to current circumstances, Kantor clarifies: "Those people are not my people. This book is for people who want to fight for a shot at their ambitions."
Practical Strategies for Career Discovery
Kantor identifies two main challenges: determining what you want to do, and figuring out how to do it. For the first, she recommends simple observation exercises. "As you go about your life, your classes, your after-school job, your extracurricular activities, think: what tasks do I enjoy and feel drawn to? Which do I really hate?"
She cautions against letting anxiety guide decisions: "You don't want your life's compass to be dread." Instead, she suggests positive emotions "tend to be reliable in terms of pushing you in the right direction."
Regarding financial pressures in a cost-of-living crisis, Kantor acknowledges the rationality of seeking stability but warns: "You don't really get anywhere in life without taking on some risk." She challenges the assumption "that the pursuit of riches should be everybody's aim," highlighting a modestly earning historian in her book as one of the happiest career examples.
The Power of Human Connection
Much of Kantor's advice centers on building human relationships to navigate increasingly impersonal, AI-driven recruitment systems. She emphasizes developing "craft" (skills that belong to you) and identifying "need" (what society will benefit from or purchase), which she believes "will maximise chances of happiness and success" even in difficult environments.
Personal History Informing Professional Purpose
Kantor's background as the grandchild of Holocaust survivors profoundly shaped her approach to work. "I was raised with an almost crushing sense of responsibility, but also a lot of meaning," she shares. Her grandmother Hana, who spoke openly about her experiences, demonstrated remarkable recovery and optimism.
"I think what others could easily mistake as ambition is really a desire to make good on what I've been given," Kantor reflects. "Have a fruitful and responsible use of this amazing chance at life, that I somehow got away with."
Journalism in Turbulent Times
As a New York Times journalist covering the Trump era and investigating the Supreme Court, Kantor finds "tremendous meaning" and "so much purpose" in her work. She and colleagues are building "a new system of covering the court," examining justices' power, partisanship, and decisions like granting Trump immunity.
Ultimately, Kantor wants readers to believe fulfilling work is achievable despite current challenges. "If you give up your search for satisfaction at the outset of your journey, the likelihood that you're ever going to get there is very small," she concludes. "Don't give up before you start."
