What Would Don Draper Do?

99. Dear Don Draper, I’m 24 and have a job that pays well but does not interest me. It’s also been made clear that there’s no chance for promotion. How and when should I make my exit?

You have the luxury of being young and well-paid. Take your time and sight your landing. Build up the necessary experience and savings to make the jump and, more importantly, fit in. Know that a position with the opportunity for advancement comes with a new atmosphere. Competition breeds deception, risk and cronyism. You could succeed or find that you’ve failed or no longer succeed, that you’re all alone with nothing beneath you, like a spent rocket that owes its trajectory to inertia. Some men prefer security. For me, it wasn’t a hard choice.