"It's not like a corporate job where the more you accumulate on your resume and the more hours you put in, the higher up you get; it's simply not the case. That being said, if I had known that and known what kind of career I'd get into, I still would have pursued it"
About this Quote
The subtext is a quiet warning to anyone romanticizing the grind. He's not mocking ambition; he's recalibrating it. Resumes matter, sure, but they're not currency in a stable market. Hours don't accumulate interest. There's also a protective honesty here: a veteran naming the emotional whiplash of an industry where you can do everything "right" and still stall, because the role went to someone taller, cheaper, trendier, or already famous.
Then comes the pivot that saves the quote from cynicism. "That being said" isn't a dodge; it's a declaration of values. Even with full knowledge of the volatility, he'd choose it again. That's not naive devotion - it's a statement that the payoff isn't just upward mobility. It's identity, craft, and the peculiar satisfaction of work that can't be reduced to a promotion path. In an era obsessed with optimizing careers, Marsden argues for a vocation that resists optimization.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Marsden, Jason. (2026, January 15). It's not like a corporate job where the more you accumulate on your resume and the more hours you put in, the higher up you get; it's simply not the case. That being said, if I had known that and known what kind of career I'd get into, I still would have pursued it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-not-like-a-corporate-job-where-the-more-you-167697/
Chicago Style
Marsden, Jason. "It's not like a corporate job where the more you accumulate on your resume and the more hours you put in, the higher up you get; it's simply not the case. That being said, if I had known that and known what kind of career I'd get into, I still would have pursued it." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-not-like-a-corporate-job-where-the-more-you-167697/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It's not like a corporate job where the more you accumulate on your resume and the more hours you put in, the higher up you get; it's simply not the case. That being said, if I had known that and known what kind of career I'd get into, I still would have pursued it." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-not-like-a-corporate-job-where-the-more-you-167697/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
