Last week, I sat down with Ellen East, EVP of Time Warner Cable, to gain perspective on a couple of things. And while I could easily type up the gist of our conversation and title this entry as “Interview with Time Warner Cable’s Ellen East,” I think there’s more to be had than just a Q&A session. In fact, there’s a whole lesson to be learned: one which not only humbles but also spotlights experience.

While discussing her work in journalism, Ellen made an interesting statement: she would make a much better journalist now if she returned to the field in spite of not having being in the industry for two decades. When she made that remark, though, I didn’t follow her. So Ellen explained to me that “as a reporter, you only see a slice.” And with that, she gave me a great example.

In the 90s, broadband was considered to be a great development for the telecommunications industry with it being conceptualized and launched in a matter of two years, which was viewed to be incredibly fast by those in the business. The first question, however, that a reporter asked when seeking a quote from Ellen was “what took so long?” Obviously, the reporter could only see from the everyday person’s lens and not place the news in context.

So what was Ellen’s point? Quite simply put: you need to be dynamic. Fresh out of college, you may think that you know the industry just because you’ve had several great internships under your belt. And hey, you’re not to blame. After all, you’re exposed to a lot of new things and information when you’re working, so you may get the impression that you’ve already learned all that is available. Sorry to break it to you, though, there are always more lessons to be learned. So while your view on things may be skewed as you emerge into your career (that’s normal!), keep in mind that all experience and knowledge will greatly assist you in understanding your work on hand and your environment.

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