It’s a sense of uncertainty Dana Perino knows well.
Before becoming press secretary to President George W. Bush and co-host of Fox News’ The Five—the most-watched show on American cable television—her career path was far from linear. She started as a journalist, worked on Capitol Hill for her local Colorado congressman, dabbled in public relations, and even pulled overnight shifts as a college radio DJ. Looking back, Perino said trying to engineer a perfect master plan can actually distract from recognizing the opportunity in front of you.
“People look back on their careers and go: ‘Wow it wasn’t a straight line,’” Perino told Fortune. “If I had planned out my whole life, my life wouldn’t have been my life.”
Early on, she recalls being skeptical of the classic career mantra about passion and pay eventually aligning; after all, her career began in a field not known for lucrative salaries. Experience, however, changed her mind.
Someone once told her: “Pick the one thing you love to do and do that—and the salary will follow,” Perino recalled. “I didn’t trust that advice at first, but he was right.”
“Once I focused and stopped trying to do everything, all the other opportunities came at the right time,” she added.
That perspective shapes how she views the anxiety many young workers feel today. Waiting for the dream role, employer, or salary can feel prudent, but it can also mean standing still. So, her advice for Gen Z is blunt but practical: “Just start working—wherever it is. It doesn’t mean you have to stay there for two years.”
Networking can be Gen Z’s secret weapon—if it’s done correctly
No matter the job, even if it’s a role like bartending, there are ways to take advantage of the opportunity and overcome a career hump, Perino said.
At Fox, she always encourages entry-level staff to speak up if they meet someone new in the elevator, hallway, or green room.
“Ask them: ‘So what brought you here? What was your big break? What would you look back and say what made the difference in your life?’ And just ask people for their story or their advice,” Perino said.
“What you’ll find is, that a lot of people, they want to help you,” she added.
But curiosity alone won’t build a network that lasts. Relationships require maintenance and many professionals drop the ball once an immediate opportunity passes.
A simple message every six months with a quick life or career update can go a long way, Perino suggested. Resurfacing just when you need something rarely leads to a healthy and productive relationship.
“If somebody goes out of their way to help you, or maybe they put in a good word for you, and even if it doesn’t work out, always be following up, because they’re more likely to help you again,” Perino added to Fortune. “If you don’t—take it from me—there’s very little chance that I put myself out there for you again.”
Being more intentional with network building is something young workers in particular could likely benefit from. One 2024 survey from LinkedIn found that one in five Gen Z workers had not had a direct conversation with someone over the age of 50 in their workplace in the last year, in part due to a lack of confidence interacting with people outside of their own generation.
Once your torch is lit, don’t forget to pass on the flame
When Perino became press secretary in 2007, she was only the second woman ever to hold the job—and the first for a Republican president. After leaving the White House, she found herself inundated with requests from young women hoping to grab coffee and seek career advice. The demand quickly outpaced what she could reasonably do one-on-one.
So she scaled the idea.
Perino began organizing large, speed-dating style events, deemed Minute Mentoring, that paired mentors with would-be mentees, giving dozens of young professionals the chance to make connections and ask questions in one setting. The experience, she said, underscored just how hungry early-career workers are for guidance and how powerful even small amounts of access can be.
Along the way, she realized mentorship also means being honest about the harder, less glamorous choices that can ultimately pay off. Moving cities is one example.
“I would try to encourage people don’t be afraid to move,” Perino said. “When I lived in D.C. and New York, people are afraid to leave. They don’t want to leave here, but sometimes you have to leave here and go get some experience somewhere else so that you can come back at a higher level.”
Underlying all of it is a mindset she returns to again and again: staying alert.
“You have to be having eyes and ears open at all times—always be learning and to take advantage of opportunities when they come,” she said.
In recent years, that philosophy has taken on a new life on social media, where she shares bite-sized career tips to her nearly 1 million followers. Her videos, often dubbed “Mentor Mondays,” tackle everything from how to find a job and navigate career change to the basics of making a strong first impression—right down to how to shake hands.
She’s also written three books focused on mentoring and professional growth. This spring, Perino is set to release her first novel, Purple State.
