In an uncertain economy where workers tread carefully amid layoffs and hiring freezes, many may forget that the greatest career opportunities can come from taking risks. However, David Boone, CEO of arts and crafts chain Michaels, is here to remind young workers that fortune favors the bold — just dreaming about a career doesn’t move the needle.
“Just start taking action. The universe rewards those who take action instead of just analyzing and thinking about things,” Boone said in a recent interview with the WSJ. “Get moving, do something, take some risks.”
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Although Boone began his career three decades earlier than today’s college graduates, the Gen X CEO suggested he can identify with the same career anxieties as Gen Z.
Having graduated from McMaster University in Canada in 1992 — a slow year for hiring and spending after the recession — finding his first formal job “wasn’t easy,” Boone explained.
He got a summer job that turned into a contract and then a tenure-track position. It wasn’t something he was interested in, but it was a good company to work for in a “tough market,” and Boone recognized the value of advancing one’s career regardless of the conditions.
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The Michaels leader spent more than 15 years growing professionally at his first employer out of college, Canadian retailer Loblaw Companies. And eventually, a big opportunity to join TD Bank’s leadership would force him to make a drastic career choice: stay comfortable in his current role or completely change his life to start a new job in the United States.
It was a big move, moving from the Greater Toronto Area to the quiet coastal city of Portland, Maine. But Boone knew the opportunity to serve as executive vice president of marketing for the $196 billion bank was too good to pass up.
With the support of his family, the executive accepted the position and charted a new course. And, according to Boone, if he hadn’t taken that risk, he might never have reached the position of CEO of the craft supplies giant last year.
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“I wouldn’t be sitting here today if we hadn’t taken that risk,” continued the executive. “I’m sure it doesn’t always work out, because it can’t work out every time, and you’re going to face setbacks, but you have to keep moving forward.”
CEOs advise young people to make things happen on their own
Reinforcing the vision of the Michaels leader, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also believes that professionals at the beginning of their careers should leave their comfort zone and try new things — regardless of whether that career is their final destination.
Jassy recognizes that professional anxiety is widespread among many workers at the beginning of their careers, even noticing this pressure on their own children, adults and in the job market.
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But the leader of the $2.65 trillion retail giant insists that no one needs to have it all figured out in their early twenties; Jassy himself worked in areas such as sports broadcasting, product management and entrepreneurship before taking on the top role at Amazon.
“I have a 21-year-old son and a 24-year-old daughter, and one of the things I notice about them and their peers is that they all feel like they need to know what they want to do with their lives at that age,” Jassy said on the How Leaders Lead podcast last year. “And I really don’t believe that’s true.”
“I’ve tried a lot of things, and I think at the beginning of your career it’s just as important to figure out what you don’t want to do as it is to figure out what you do want to do, because that helps you understand what you really want to do.”
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Chris Kempczinski, CEO of fast-food giant McDonald’s, similarly advises young workers to take responsibility for shaping their own professional futures.
Just fantasizing about career achievements or waiting for a boss to deliver great opportunities is a strategy doomed to failure for anyone who wants to climb the corporate hierarchy.
Kempczinski tells early-career professionals that in reality, no one cares more about their careers than themselves — it may seem like a “harsh truth,” but taking action is key.
“Have a thick skin… Remember: no one cares about your career as much as you do,” Kempczinski said in a 2025 video posted to his Instagram. “You need to take control. You need to make things happen on your own.”
And, like Boone, AMD CEO Lisa Su agrees that facing challenges and taking risks is one of the best career strategies. Instead of playing it safe, the semiconductor company leader advises young workers to push through difficulties: that’s the fastest path to professional and personal growth.
“Run toward the hardest problems—don’t walk, run—because that’s where you find the greatest opportunities, learn the most, excel, and most importantly, grow,” Su told Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates last year.
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