1장
Your Career Is Nobody's Business But Your Own
In a world obsessed with career advice and professional development, Erika Ayers Badan's "Nobody Cares About Your Career" delivers a refreshing splash of cold water. As the former CEO who transformed Barstool Sports from a $12 million regional blog into a $550 million media powerhouse, Badan isn't interested in sugarcoating the realities of professional life. Her book has become something of a cult favorite among young professionals seeking unfiltered career wisdom, with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Cuban praising its no-nonsense approach. Unlike traditional career guides that promise painless paths to success, Badan's philosophy centers on embracing discomfort, taking risks, and understanding that nobody-absolutely nobody-cares about your career as much as you do. This truth isn't depressing; it's liberating. It means you have both the freedom and responsibility to chart your own course, make mistakes, learn from them, and build something meaningful on your own terms.
2장
Embrace the Chaos: Why Playing It Safe Is the Riskiest Move
The traditional career advice of finding stability and climbing a predictable ladder is fundamentally flawed. Early in your career especially, seeking uncertainty and disruption creates the greatest opportunities for growth. When Badan told friends she was becoming CEO of Barstool Sports in 2016, they thought she was committing career suicide. Instead, she recognized an opportunity others couldn't see-a chance to build something extraordinary with people who had "utter conviction about who they were but zero clue what should happen next."
Industries and departments undergoing transformation may feel chaotic, but this chaos creates spaces where you can work in the margins while nobody's watching. During these periods of disruption, hierarchies flatten, rules become flexible, and opportunities emerge for those willing to step into the unknown. As Badan explains, "The greatest growth spurts often come from the most dysfunctional times and places."
This principle extends to job changes as well. Moving between positions builds valuable experience and prevents stagnation. One executive Badan encountered had spent twenty years at a sports network but couldn't use Google Docs-his skills had calcified from staying in one place too long. The key questions aren't how many jobs you've had, but why you went, why you stayed, what you learned, and how that learning prepares you for what's next.
When considering opportunities that scare you, use your heart, gut, and brain in combination. Think about where you want to live, what sector interests you, and what type of profession suits you-while understanding these will likely change over time. It's normal not to feel ready for certain leaps; the goal is building enough confidence to take them sooner rather than later.
Many people waste precious time worrying about making perfect decisions while others are busy working and making the most of what they have. In careers, unlike your mother's advice, two wrongs can make a right-taking chances and swings helps you discover what you like and don't like, making you more assured and viable in the long run.
3장
Nobody Cares About Your Career (But You Better)
The harsh reality is that when it comes to your professional path, nobody owes you anything. If you don't care about your career, you can be certain no one else will. Your career doesn't have to work for anyone but you, but it does require clear definition and commitment. You need to know who you are, what you're trying to accomplish, and how to get there.
At work, you're responsible for your own learning and growth. Take stock of where you are, what you're doing, and outline how you can learn the absolute most from your current position to set yourself up for the next opportunity. Regular gut checks are essential-ask yourself if you're learning something that prepares you for what lies ahead. If you're bored, not challenged, or intellectually starved, you're not helping your future self.
Being a victim is destructive and limiting to your career. The people who make the biggest impact are those who care enough to get into the details and have the motivation to help others. No matter your level, surround yourself with these types of people until you can become one yourself.
Not every job is exciting, but don't sit around complaining or waiting to be rescued. People who don't expose themselves to new experiences tend to orbit in small circles, become negative, and show little initiative. The more you expose yourself to new people, experiences, and points of view, the more you'll benefit. If an opening doesn't present itself, make one happen.
At work, people often reject new ways of thinking before even considering how they could work. Push past barriers that keep things small. You don't have to be an extrovert-work to your strengths while lessening weaknesses until you become comfortable being uncomfortable.
Own your advantages and disadvantages, but don't be limited by them. Rather than making excuses, figure out a way forward. Every minute spent blaming others is a wasted opportunity to learn. Weak people make excuses while strong ones find solutions.
4장
Have a Vision and Stick to It
Vision distinguishes those who can see beyond their current circumstances to possibilities that transcend who they are today. When Badan asks people about their vision, they often look confused, but having one is crucial-it doesn't need to be grand, just personally meaningful and focused on growth beyond your current state.
Most people are self-interested, self-absorbed, or insecure-often all three. A vision helps you transcend these limitations, creating possibilities beyond where you are now. When you're struggling through learning experiences, feeling down or lost, a vision keeps your head up and puts small wins and losses into context. It provides steadiness during uncertainty and discomfort, while helping you avoid daily distractions.
A vision functions like breadcrumbs or a North Star, always guiding you forward. With a vision, your path feels purposeful rather than random, and dark moments feel less scary. Your vision might be as simple as holding your own in meetings, reaching a VP title, finding work that lets you travel, or managing many people. It creates context for why you're doing things and provides courage when tasks are difficult or tedious.
Surprisingly few people have personal visions, and worse are those who try claiming someone else's vision as their own-a lazy approach that inevitably fails. A vision, like your career, must begin and end with you. It should be audacious yet plausible, and isn't exclusive to senior leaders-anyone can and should have one.
When Badan joined Axon's board (maker of Tasers and body cameras), she discovered a company consumed with vision-specifically their "Moonshot" to cut police-related gun deaths by 50% in ten years. Their values-be obsessed, aim far, win right, own it, join forces, and expect candor-complement this vision.
Values and vision work together; values guide how you pursue your vision and represent the principles you follow on your journey. Study the values of companies and people you respect, adopt those that resonate, and let them strengthen your purpose in achieving your vision.
Visions drive us forward, representing the intersection where hearts and minds work together. While personal visions remain private, work visions are public. To be an effective leader at any level, you need a vision that sets direction for yourself and your team.
A good vision isn't just about you-it's about us-where you want people to go together. It must resonate with and inspire your audience to accomplish something collectively. Equally important is delivering on your vision through tangible results and benchmarks that show progress.
5장
Learning Is Everything
Badan's commitment to growth has fueled her career and life. Learning isn't just about classrooms-it's a lifelong mindset of openness and curiosity that provides access to new environments and perspectives. Learning happens on great days, terrible days, and mundane ones in between, giving you valuable self-knowledge about your interests and abilities.
You can gain knowledge from everyone at a company, from receptionist to CEO-often more from the receptionist. Everyone can teach you something if you listen genuinely. Note both the best qualities to adopt and worst ones to avoid. Look for environments with passionate, engaged people rather than those lacking curiosity. Learning environments keep you motivated and noticed, though exposure can be painful since you can't hide from your weaknesses.
One of mankind's hardest tasks is to stop talking and start listening. If you want to learn, resist the urge to talk, relate, brag or question. Listening is highly underrated-the more you listen, the more you understand not just what people say, but what they mean and don't say.
Learning is hardest when it involves things you're bad at. These uncomfortable lessons are the ones you most want to avoid, but they're the ones you need most. By making learning a game, you can force yourself to do difficult things while earning rewards. Setting challenges like meeting five new people or completing three tasks before doing something fun makes uncomfortable learning less scary and helps overcome procrastination.
No one is above learning. Ego and insecurity are the biggest stumbling blocks-people fear looking stupid. The most compelling individuals have developed the temperament to listen, learn, and use that knowledge to expand themselves. What you learn today should be tried tomorrow-not everything will make your permanent playbook, but exposure builds abilities you don't have today.
6장
Failure Is the Best Teacher
When interviewing job candidates, Badan looks for willingness to fail gracefully-one of the most admirable qualities. Without risk and failure, there's no real success. The more failures and risks you take, the more you learn and get right. There's a direct correlation between successes and failures along the way. Being afraid to fail is debilitating, and worrying about others' opinions is worse.
Failing equals learning. Learning equals becoming smarter about yourself, life, what you care about, and what you want to do. It's also the key to expanding what you're able to do. Perfection doesn't exist-you need to let go of this unrealistic idea and put yourself out there, knowing you might fail. Make this your mantra: "If I can lose, I can win. And if I can't lose, I'll never win."
Failures force important self-reflection: What could I have done differently? Who does this better? Where did I go wrong? Recognizing failure without being capsized by it shows maturity and perspective. People who can honestly discuss their failures demonstrate intellectual honesty and adaptability. If you haven't messed up, you haven't tried hard enough or pushed beyond your comfort zone.
Once you become aware of your mistake, take accountability for it-don't pass the buck, sweep it under the rug, or get defensive. Avoiding accountability signals insecurity and lack of commitment to the greater good. The faster you recognize and own your mistake, the sooner it will be behind you. Go directly to the person you affected most, admit your mistake, and be prepared to face the consequences. To recover: 1) Own it completely, 2) Understand what went wrong, 3) Shut up and don't be defensive, 4) Fix it properly, and 5) Move on without dwelling on it.
After a failure, you need to process your emotions. While fixing the mistake keeps you busy, not addressing your headspace can make you afraid to take future risks. The key is addressing issues with clarity and committing to doing better next time. While you may get knocked down, do not allow yourself to be defeated.
Ironically, success can be a worse teacher than failure. It can make you lazy, arrogant, and careless. When successful, it's easy to think you'll always be successful or that you have nothing to learn-neither is ever true. To stay honest, remind yourself that your lowest moment is probably only seconds away. A win can turn into a fail instantly. There's no straight line to success-you must put in hours, take lumps, fail, and learn. The journey itself, not the destination, is the good stuff.
7장
What It Takes to Take Risks
To grow through failure, you must get comfortable taking risks. When starting your career, trusting your judgment is tough, but exposure and learning will build confidence. To handle risk effectively, you need to tackle three key challenges: owning your insecurity instead of letting it own you, building confidence from internal validation, and trusting your gut.
Everyone has insecurity-Badan admits to having a voice constantly telling her she's incapable or unlikeable. Either you become louder than this voice, or it derails you. Your insecurity will always be there, but you can still achieve anything if you want it badly enough and work hard enough. Insecurity often becomes an excuse-"I don't know" or "I don't think" are just rationalizations for inertia.
To beat insecurity: First, remember everyone has shortcomings-thinking about others' insecurities humanizes them and gives you courage. Second, when public speaking, focus on nailing just your first sentence. Third, be prepared-don't wing it, write down your thoughts. Fourth, communicate proactively and be generous with your thoughts. Fifth, use distraction-the busier you are, the less time you have for anxiousness; start with small tasks to build toward tackling bigger challenges.
Despite appearing fully confident, Badan is constantly battling insecurity and worry about what could go wrong. Her approach is breaking challenges into small, manageable steps. At work, take initiative on projects beyond your scope-people appreciate the offer even if they decline. Outside work, put yourself in unfamiliar environments where you can accomplish something new. Choose activities that let your brain go somewhere new, use different muscles, and connect you with others-these small challenges collectively build your overall confidence.
Your gut differs from insecurity-insecurity shoots you down, while your gut gives warnings. When your gut speaks, share it: "My gut is telling me this. Here's why. What do you think?" This approach helps avoid countless mishaps and creates clarity when making difficult decisions.
8장
Know What Your Company Is Paying You to Do
Understanding what your company actually pays you to do should be obvious but often isn't. Daily tasks and workplace drama can obscure why you took the job and what truly matters. People who see the bigger picture-both for themselves and the company-always have an advantage. Ask yourself: Why did my boss hire me? What does success look like here? What am I trying to achieve? What am I learning? The closer you align what you want to do with what you need to do, the more enjoyable and successful your work becomes.
To truly understand what you're being paid to do, you must clearly answer: What does success look like for my company, my team, my boss, and me? It's like a pyramid with different views depending on where you sit, but the vision should be consistent throughout. Your definition of success might be internal (learning, growth, skill development), while your boss's and company's may be external (sales goals, revenue growth, market share).
Surprisingly, many people can't answer what success looks like for their company. They may know when starting a job but quickly forget because it doesn't seem relevant day-to-day. You should care-not necessarily out of love for your company, but out of self-interest. Research your company's objectives and performance, whether through public earnings reports, company meetings, or industry news.
You need your boss, and your boss needs you. To maintain that relationship, ask directly what their goals are and how you can help them achieve those goals. Write down their answers and review them regularly. Remember, you were hired to help your boss look successful to their boss. Period. Work is like Russian nesting dolls-what you do affects everyone around you.
Defining personal success is crucial yet challenging. External success metrics include responsibility, title, results, and salary. But internal milestones matter more: your ability to handle pressure and solve problems, your confidence about how to work effectively, your satisfaction with learning and growth outside your comfort zone, your ability to help others, and your capacity to drive progress beyond yourself.
Though unpleasant to consider, understanding what might get you fired helps you avoid those pitfalls. Regularly assess whether you're in a revenue-generating or cost-generating role. Know how you specifically help the company make or save money, and identify the risks to your position. The hardest people to let go are those others advocate for. Being valuable means doing essential work related to how the company makes money, consistently delivering high-quality results, and working well with others.
9장
Don't Be an Asshole at Work
Work creates countless opportunities to be an asshole-whether you're stressed, insecure, threatened, or simply bored. While everyone has moments of poor behavior, people won't remember specific incidents as much as they'll remember your reactions to challenging situations. The primary causes of workplace "assholery" are feeling slighted/defensive and simple boredom, with the latter being particularly destructive as it leads to meddling and complaining.
Chronic complainers turn griping into a full-time job, forgetting that the more they complain about others, the more others will complain about them. This reputation follows you between jobs. While critical thinking is valuable, there's a crucial difference between being critical of ideas (productive) and criticizing people (destructive).
Most people don't think they're assholes at work, but many are. If you're wondering whether you're being an asshole, you probably are. Making difficult decisions that upset people isn't being an asshole-that's leadership. Being an asshole means operating at your lowest: taking cheap shots, being spiteful, playing politics, gossiping, half-assing work, or secretly rooting for others to fail.
While human nature sometimes makes us want others to fail, we must defeat this impulse. Complaining about colleagues is like fast food-briefly satisfying but ultimately making you feel worse. Exercise restraint and resist trash-talking, recognizing when insecurity, jealousy or boredom drives your negative behavior.
When frustrated, we can spend endless mental energy replaying scenarios and planning retorts. The problem comes when these thoughts constantly flow from your mouth. This "oral diarrhea" creates lasting damage to your reputation-people remember your overreactions more than the original problem.
Reacting is an emotional, knee-jerk response driven by the need to be heard immediately. Responding means taking time to consider the situation thoughtfully. When that infuriating email arrives, take a beat-or better, wait 24 hours-before answering. Poor workplace behavior often stems from losing control. Badan keeps a stockpile of unsent draft emails full of "fuck yous" that are brilliantly written but completely unproductive. The mature approach is to pause and respond deliberately.
The fastest recovery from being an asshole is to admit vulnerability, own your behavior, and stop being an asshole. Often we're jerks to people through no fault of their own-our reaction stems from stress or context elsewhere. Regardless, accepting responsibility and making amends as quickly as possible is the best way forward.
When facing difficult situations, you can either find humor or get out. Badan's former boss Gayle at Microsoft had a saying: "laugh or run." Finding levity in frustrating circumstances helps maintain sanity and often leads to more productive solutions. Approaching problems with humor rather than combativeness attracts others to your way of thinking.
10장
Choose Your Own Work Adventure
Everything you want is possible if you truly go for it rather than just saying you will. The path to success requires getting out of your own way, ignoring naysayers, embracing your unique qualities, committing to learning, having vision, doing the work, and overcoming ego. By being good to others and persisting through shortcomings, you'll grow comfortable with discomfort, which builds experience and creates bigger opportunities.
Change is inevitable and constant. Your job isn't to fear it but to anticipate it, create it, and make it work for you. Change at work comes from either your actions/inactions or your company's decisions. You can drive positive change by raising your hand and evolving, or negative change through indifference and stagnation. The more you train yourself to embrace what you cannot control, the better you'll navigate change without struggle.
To prepare for uncontrollable change, first learn to hear it coming. Pay attention in meetings to tone, numbers, and management themes. Notice if your company says nothing-equally alarming. Second, organize possible scenarios in your head-company sale, budget cuts, mergers, layoffs-and how they might affect your role. This makes the unknown somewhat known and reduces fear. Finally, focus on what you can control: your response.
Layoffs are devastating but require practical preparation. When facing one, be gracious to those delivering the news despite your shock and anger-this matters for future opportunities. After Barstool's layoffs, executives from other companies immediately reached out looking to hire former staff, and Badan was most motivated to help those who had been gracious during their exit.
A life raft is your safety net when things go wrong at work. Maintain multiple options: speaking engagements, board positions, and professional networks that could become opportunities if your current job disappeared. Build these connections while employed-it's impossible to create a network overnight when you're already unemployed.
When career crises hit, panic clouds judgment and leads to poor decisions. Be thoughtful about your next steps rather than reactive. Create frameworks in advance that will guide you when emotions are running high-keep your resume and LinkedIn current, list potential contacts and opportunities, develop a structured job search plan, and maintain your network consistently.
Take regular inventory of your career with self-assessments every six months. Ask yourself hard questions: Am I still learning? Do I feel valued and challenged? Am I making those around me better? Am I redundant? People often get caught in wishful thinking rather than confronting reality.
Quiet quitting-doing the absolute bare minimum at work-is a shitty approach to life and a waste of potential. While good work deserves fair pay, there's inherent value in effort beyond immediate rewards. If you're feeling the urge to quiet quit, you're probably in the wrong job. If you hate your work and feel resentful, just leave. Staying as a quiet quitter only hurts you by preventing growth and improvement.
Only you know the right career decisions, actions, and timing for yourself. It's time to leave when: positives start feeling like negatives; you're past your expiration date; you can no longer grow or learn; you find yourself being an asshole more often than not; things that once excited you now annoy you; you've done all you can; the company is crumbling; you can't get excited no matter how hard you try; or your only reason for staying is fear of leaving.
11장
Work Is What You Make It
Work can be a transformative force that takes you places you've never imagined and helps you become someone new. It's an opportunity to test yourself, push your limits, and learn while being compensated. Work and life are what you make of them-you can become almost anything if you get out of your own way and focus on the journey.
Badan concludes with the sneaker metaphor: each person walks in unique shoes representing their individual journey, and like well-worn sneakers, experience makes you fit better into your role. Pretty shoes that stay clean in a box might look nice but aren't useful. The best shoes-and careers-are those that have been somewhere, seen things, and can still take you to new places.
Her final guidance emphasizes: always be learning and curious; take risks even if it means failing; use good stress as motivation; put in the work regardless of the grind; find chaos and make it work for you; quiet self-doubt; avoid arrogance; recognize that stopping growth leads to irrelevance; have confidence in your own failures; maintain a vision you can execute; seek new opportunities when learning stagnates; run toward something rather than away; and remember you can be yourself and still succeed.
The book itself represents Badan practicing what she preaches-she wrote it while actively navigating her own career transition, ultimately deciding to leave Barstool Sports after transforming it into a media powerhouse. Her journey exemplifies the core message: your career is nobody's business but your own, and the path to fulfillment comes through embracing uncertainty, taking risks, learning constantly, and having the courage to define success on your own terms.
