5 Lessons I’m Giving My Sons About Work and the Future
How a week in London changed how I see my sons and what it will take to thrive in the world of work ahead.
Last month I spent a few weeks in London for my first visit to the Zero100 office. My family joined me over Thanksgiving and during that week I saw my sons in a new light. I was there for work and they were tourists, but I realized that one day they will be in my shoes.
As they raced up the stairs of a red double-decker bus and looked up at Christmas lights glowing over Regent Street, they seemed older and younger at the same time. Something about being far from home made their growth impossible to miss. Being there with them made me think about the world they’re growing up into and the kind of advice that will actually matter when they begin their own careers someday.
Below are five lessons I’m sharing with them this holiday season.
1. Be Curious
Like London, the world moves fast. This past year alone we saw massive jumps in satellite deployment, humanoid robotics, TikTok ecommerce, and agentic AI.
The pace of change will only accelerate in 2026. No one will be able to keep up with every advancement, but the people who stay curious and keep learning will always find their way. Curiosity is the only skill that compounds for a lifetime.
Satya Nadella said it best:
Many who know me say I am also defined by my curiosity and thirst for learning. I buy more books than I can finish. I sign up for more online courses than I can complete. I fundamentally believe that if you are not learning new things, you stop doing great and useful things. So family, curiosity and hunger for knowledge all define me.1
Curiosity keeps you relevant. More importantly, it keeps you alive to the world.
2. Be a Relationship Builder
One thing you notice in London is how many worlds fit into one city. I lost count of the number of languages I heard on the Tube, in cafes, and in conversations between friends walking by.
Technical skills matter, but career success is shaped by a long series of people who teach you something, help you grow, or open a door you didn’t know existed. Relationships, not resumes, are the real capital of work.
If you can be the person who builds relationships and connects people across cultures, companies, departments, and teams, you will rarely be without opportunity. Interesting work tends to find the people who make others feel seen.
As I’ve written before on networking: be helpful, genuinely care about people, and always go to the happy hour.
3. Be a Light
During my trip to London, I took a weekend train up to Lille, a bustling university city in northern France. As I crossed the countryside, snow began to fall.
Cities can feel cold and anonymous, especially when you don’t know the language, but small acts stand out: a woman who held the cafe door for me, the barista who brought me the Wi-Fi password in English after noticing my confusion, the gracious waitress who patiently took my order in broken French. Your character is most visible when the world around you is moving too fast to notice itself.
In work and in life, be the person who creates warmth. People remember light. They follow it. And in moments of uncertainty, they rely on it more than they’ll ever say.
4. Be Optimistic
There are real reasons to worry about the future: layoffs, the rise of AI, political and economic instability. But all of that faded the moment I saw my boys press their faces to the bus windows, pointing out every Christmas light display.
It reminded me that even in uncertain times, people still build beauty. They still imagine something better and bring it to life.
The world is changed by people who believe progress is possible. Not because they are naive, but because optimism makes action possible. There is wisdom in maturity, but we could all benefit from maintaining a childlike optimism that we have the power to care for one another and to use our careers to create good in the world.
5. Be Practical
Traveling with kids teaches you flexibility quickly. After a long day, we boarded the wrong train (twice) with very tired children who just wanted to get back to the flat. But as in life, you adapt.
Optimism does not mean naiveté. The company that asks you for two weeks’ notice can become the same company that lays you off by text2. We all want the world to be better, but we have to play the chessboard in front of us. Learn how the game works. Understand the incentives, the players, the terrain. Wish for better, but operate with clarity.
Walking through London with my sons and watching them explore, adapt, and light up with curiosity reminded me that the world they’re inheriting will be unpredictable, but not unkind. These five principles won’t guarantee them a perfect path, but they will help them navigate anything with integrity, courage, and joy. And in many ways, they’re the reason I started Career Field Guide in the first place.
Rooting for you,
Justin
If these ideas resonate, I hope you’ll join me in 2026 as I post weekly essays to build resilient, meaningful careers in a world that won’t stop changing. Career Field Guide is for anyone navigating the future of work with curiosity, courage, and hope.