Steven Bartlett: Prioritize Mentorship Over Salary in Your Twenties, Billionaire Advised

In a recent LinkedIn post, Steven Bartlett shares a profound piece of advice received from a billionaire regarding career trajectory in one’s early professional life. Bartlett recounts asking the billionaire what he would do differently if he could start over at age 21. The expected answers of earlier investment or increased risk-taking were absent. Instead, the billionaire offered a counter-intuitive perspective on career growth.

The Value of Mentorship Over Immediate Financial Gain

The core of the billionaire’s advice, as relayed by Bartlett, centered on the prioritization of learning and mentorship. He stated:

“I’d take half the salary to work for someone smarter than me. I chased money when I should have been chasing mentors.”

Bartlett emphasizes that this insight resonated deeply with him, reflecting on his own twenties. He argues that the most significant advancements in his career did not stem from monetary accumulation but from acquired knowledge and experience. As Steven Bartlett notes, “The cash from those years is long gone. The lessons built everything I have now.” This suggests a long-term perspective where immediate financial rewards are secondary to the foundational learning that fuels future success.

Learning as a Foundation for Career Success

Further elaborating on this theme, Bartlett highlights a pattern observed from hundreds of interviews conducted for his podcast. He points out that individuals who strategically optimized for learning during their twenties often built exceptionally strong career foundations. According to Steven Bartlett, this focus on development is crucial, especially when confronted with the temptation of higher-paying, yet less educational, job opportunities.

Resisting the Ego’s Influence

Bartlett warns against the deceptive influence of ego in career decisions. He explains that the ego often advocates for roles that offer higher salaries and greater perceived status, focusing on external validation like what one might share at social gatherings. However, he urges professionals to resist this temptation.

“Your ego will try to convince you that the higher-paying job is the better job. It will whisper about status and titles and what you’ll tell people at dinner parties. Ignore it.”

The underlying message is that short-term financial gains can be a costly misstep in the long run. As Steven Bartlett argues, choosing a job that offers more money but less learning is a decision with delayed, but significant, repercussions. He concludes with a stark warning:

“A job that pays you more but teaches you less is the most expensive decision you’ll ever make. You just won’t see the bill for another decade.”

This perspective challenges conventional career advice, advocating for a paradigm shift where personal growth and mentorship are valued above immediate financial compensation, particularly during the formative years of one’s career.