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In this episode...

How to Bring Faith Into Early Career Development With Daniel Simon

https://faithfulontheclock.com/how-to-bring-faith-into-early-career-development-with-daniel-simon

Intro teaser paragraph:

In Episode 155, leadership coach and career advisor Dan Simon shares how to support young people as they navigate early career choices and development.

Timestamps:

[00:04] - Intro

[00:39] - Dan’s bio and background

[03:50] - What drew Dan into helping young people align their faith and career and why it matters

[06:36] - What we can do to support young people in the awkward place of being asked to choose a career so early

[10:48] - Testing careers as a lived, felt experience rather than just through logistical planning

[14:25] - Differentiating between choosing a career because it is familiar or safe and choosing a career because it’s truly a calling; the importance of obeying God before anyone else

[24:09] - How to ensure we pay attention to both our mission and other things that offer joy

[29:11] - Building your life first and work second; taking a big-picture approach to career assessment and seeing how other elements like family might influence results

[33:56] - The difference between kids who know what they want and those who have fallen through the cracks; how to support kids with gaps

[45:12] - Top recommendations for leaders and young people

[53:04] - Not shying away from pain or scars and the ability to be authentic or even build from mistakes

[58:05] - How young people (and others) can approach church to find real support when they are trying to develop or are lost

[01:01:42] - Closing the gap between leaders and those who need them

[01:04:41] - How to connect with Dan

[01:06:05] - Prayer

[01:07:15] - Outro/What’s coming up next

Key takeaways:

• Calling and career are not always the same thing, and they don't have to be. Paul made tents. Jesus spent three decades as a carpenter. What puts food on the table can be separate from what God has purposed for you — and both matter.
• The best time to start having conversations about calling with young people is the late middle to early high school transition, before decisions carry real cost. Shadowing, informational interviews, and career assessments are not just practical tools — they are forms of prayerful discernment in action.
• Familiar is not the same as called. Just because a path is visible, safe, or expected by the people who love you does not mean it is yours. Obeying God first actually honors your parents more than compliance does.
• The difficulty of a path can be a signal, not a warning. If what you are pursuing is genuinely kingdom work, expect resistance. Joseph's 40 years, Jonah's detour, Daniel's trials — obedience was never promised to be smooth.
• Your scars are not disqualifiers. They are credentials. The specific pain you have been through is often the exact foundation God intends to use — for a business, a ministry, a single conversation with someone who needs to hear that you survived it.
• Connection is the whole game, whether you are a leader, a parent, a mentor, or a young person trying to find your footing. The kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care — and that does not change when they become adults.

• Home - Dan Simon Solutions

CTAs:

• If you have a young person in your life — your child, a student, a kid at your church — ask them one question this week: What lights you up? Then just listen. Let them talk and pay attention to when they sit up straight.
• Do the backwards design for yourself. Where do you want to be in 15 years — not just professionally, but as a whole person? Then work backwards. What has to be true in 10 years, in 5, and what is one thing you can do starting now to get on that path?

What’s coming up next:

Episode 156 of Faithful on the Clock reveals why joy is the most critical job skill any of us can bring to the table.

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