Career Advice: Kara Answers Listeners’ Questions

**Kara Swisher** (0:00)
I don't like to dance, and I don't like to dance naked in a sauna, so there you have it. They weren't naked, they were semi-naked. Anyway, neither here nor there.
Hi, everyone, from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network, this is On with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher. We're doing something a little different on this show today. For this episode of On, I'll be the one answering questions, your questions. For the last few weeks, you've all been sending us your career advice questions. You've asked about everything from how to think about using AI at work to dealing with bad managers to preparing for retirement. And I've got at least some answers for you. It's a really good time to do an episode like this too because there's a lot of anxiety about the job market right now. I think everyone is feeling it. People are worried about AI, the war in Iran, the Trump administration's policies, and what it all means for them.
I want to do this episode because I get asked for career advice all the time. I could open my own business. I should charge for it actually. Maybe I will charge for it and it will be my career, my next career. But actually, I think people ask me about career advice frequently because I've changed my careers a lot and I take a lot of risks with them. And it usually ends up pretty well. And so when people are especially in media transitioning, I'm the go-to person usually because I don't sugarcoat it. I've had so much fun answering the questions you sent to me, so don't go anywhere.
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**SPEAKER_3** (2:55)
We've all been there. You pop into the shop for five minutes and all of a sudden you've forgotten where you parked.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:00)
Car. Car.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:02)
Unfortunately, that lost feeling is what it's like trying to manage your policy with other insurers.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:08)
Here, Car. Come out, come out wherever you are.

**Gianpaolo Turri** (3:11)
Please.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:12)
With Geico, you can use the app to easily manage all your policies in one place.

**Gianpaolo Turri** (3:16)
Did this parking lot have a waterfall?

**SPEAKER_3** (3:19)
I think you've wandered too far, mate. It feels good to find what you're looking for. It feels good to Geico.

**Kara Swisher** (3:28)
We're back with a special episode of On where I'm answering the questions you all sent in asking for career advice. So let's just jump right into it.
A lot of you had questions about the ways to adapt or grow in your current line of work. Sue Frieda sent us this question about the role social media plays in her line of work as an artist.

**Sue Frieda** (3:49)
Hi Kara. I'm a huge fan. I love your work.
Okay. So I'm a sculptor. I've been an artist for 30 years. I went to RISD. I've had a pretty good career, which means I've shown internationally. I've ran my own gallery. I've sold to celebrities. I've had runway shows. I make wearable sculpture and other kind of sculpture for the wall. But I am not making a strong living. Like I can support myself barely.
But I don't really know what else you do except to become like a hype machine. Like if I could get recognition, I'm sure I would sell a lot more things and I would make a lot more money. But I'm not a hype person. I'm kind of an introvert. I just don't really love the spotlight. So how do I get around that with making myself known in the world if I'm not really that kind of a person? Do you have any advice for me? Like should I hire somebody who's just really good at marketing? Should I like make a fake social media persona? I don't know. It just feels like another whole body of work to become famous. Is that really what you have to do to sell art?