{"id":472,"date":"2025-07-17T15:04:59","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T14:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/?p=472"},"modified":"2025-08-04T15:15:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T14:15:37","slug":"hamilton-and-the-career-advice-you-didnt-know-you-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/2025\/07\/17\/hamilton-and-the-career-advice-you-didnt-know-you-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHamilton\u201d and the Career Advice You Didn\u2019t Know You Needed"},"content":{"rendered":"

*This post was originally created by Rachel Beauchamp, our Faculty Careers Coach, and shared on LinkedIn<\/a> on the 16th July 2025.*\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The idea for this post came to me while driving home a couple of weeks ago from a challenging day at work, one of those days where every conversation felt a bit too heavy, and every answer a little out of reach. I put on the Hamilton<\/em> soundtrack and found myself singing along, loudly (and maybe a bit emotionally) to lyrics I\u2019ve heard dozens of times before.<\/p>\n

But this time, they hit differently.<\/p>\n

Somewhere between My Shot<\/em> and Burn<\/em>, I realised just how much Hamilton<\/em> speaks to the kinds of themes I wrestle with every day as a careers professional: ambition, failure, reinvention, self-doubt, legacy. I couldn\u2019t help but think, maybe Lin-Manuel Miranda accidentally wrote one of the best career development guides of our time.<\/p>\n

So, here it is, a selection of quotes from Hamilton<\/em>, and the lessons they offer for anyone navigating the winding road of career decision-making.<\/p>\n

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\n
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\"Article<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI am the one thing in life I can control.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Burr sings this line as he watches Hamilton rise with reckless speed. While Hamilton barrels forward, Burr hesitates, waiting for the “right” moment. But this lyric is Burr\u2019s turning point – realising that his power lies not in controlling outcomes, but in managing himself.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t control the job market, or who replies to your application. But you can<\/em> control your effort, your mindset, and how you respond to those setbacks. Career paths are rarely predictable – but owning your attitude, building your skills, and taking intentional steps? That\u2019s where you can hold your power.<\/p>\n

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\"Article<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cEvery action\u2019s an act of creation.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This line is Hamilton\u2019s quiet reminder that progress is made through doing<\/em>. In context, he\u2019s defending his political decisions – but the line applies just as well to a student agonising over whether to hit \u201csend\u201d on a speculative email.<\/p>\n

Your career isn\u2019t just something you find<\/em>, it\u2019s something you build<\/em>. That email, that conversation, that CV you\u2019re unsure about – they\u2019re acts of creation. They add up. Doing something imperfectly often beats doing nothing perfectly.<\/p>\n

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\"Article<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWhat is a legacy? It\u2019s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is Hamilton\u2019s voice, moments before his duel. It\u2019s a reflection not on achievement, but impact<\/em>. He is acknowledging that true legacy may be invisible to us but it can still exist as a seed planted in someone else\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Many of our most meaningful contributions aren\u2019t headline-worthy. Maybe it\u2019s mentoring a colleague. Volunteering time. Helping someone believe they can do something they never thought possible. Your legacy may unfold quietly, and years later- but it still matters.<\/p>\n

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\"Article<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAnd when my prayers to God were met with indifference \/ I picked up a pen, I wrote my own deliverance.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This moment follows Hamilton\u2019s fall from grace, as he contemplates whether to let the scandal destroy him – or own the narrative. He chooses action. Not safe action, but decisive, risky self-authorship.<\/p>\n

There will be moments in your career when you feel stuck. Rejected. Forgotten. This lyric is a reminder: sometimes, no one is coming to pick you. You<\/em> have to make the next move, start the project, change course, build your own opportunity. It’s scary, but powerful.<\/p>\n

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\"Article<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cYou got skin in the game \/ You stay in the game \/ But you don\u2019t get a win \/ Unless you play in the game.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A chorus of caution and ambition, this line echoes the risks and costs of showing up. It\u2019s the realisation that waiting for certainty gets you nowhere.<\/p>\n

You won\u2019t get every job. But you definitely<\/em> won\u2019t get the ones you don\u2019t apply for. Career success is often less about being the most brilliant, and more about being willing to show up, try, learn, and try again. If you\u2019re afraid of rejection, know this: rejection is a sign you\u2019re in the game.<\/p>\n

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\"Article<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe dream of a brand new start \/ But we dream in the dark for the most part.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This line acknowledges the truth no one likes to say: we often don\u2019t know what we\u2019re doing. Burr envies those making moves behind closed doors but recognises that even dreamers stumble through uncertainty.<\/p>\n

Most people are figuring things out as they go. Don\u2019t wait for perfect clarity. Start with curiosity, take small steps, and adjust as you learn. A fulfilling career is rarely mapped out from day one \u00a0it\u2019s created by moving forward.<\/p>\n

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\"Article<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOceans rise, empires fall.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sung with a smirk by a disgruntled monarch, this lyric captures the inevitability of change. Empires crumble, regimes shift and so do jobs, sectors, technologies, even your own ambitions.<\/p>\n

No role is forever. No closed door is the end. The career you imagined at 21 might not suit you at 31 and that\u2019s not failure, it\u2019s evolution. Keep adapting. The tide will turn.<\/p>\n

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\"Article<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

What Hamilton<\/em> reminds us is that careers aren\u2019t neat. They\u2019re messy, brave, winding, and full of improvisation. Your story doesn\u2019t have to be linear. It just has to be yours.<\/p>\n

So whether you’re a student dreaming of a creative career, a graduate navigating uncertainty, or someone quietly wondering \u201cwhat\u2019s next?\u201d – take inspiration from Hamilton: pick up the pen. Write your own deliverance.<\/p>\n

And in the midst of all the striving, the planning, the job applications and feedback loops -don\u2019t forget Eliza\u2019s gentle reminder:<\/p>\n

\u201cLook around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s okay to pause. To take stock. To be grateful for the journey, even if you don\u2019t know exactly where it\u2019s going. Because career success isn\u2019t just about arrival – it\u2019s about how you move, who you become, and how you show up along the way.<\/p>\n

If you need a careers coach with a Spotify playlist full of musical theatre bangers, you know where to find me!<\/p>\n

p.s. If you\u2019re wondering why \u201cI\u2019m not throwing away my shot\u201d<\/em> isn\u2019t on this list\u2026 you\u2019re right, it\u2019s a classic. But like many overachievers it gets a lot<\/em> of airtime. I wanted to spotlight some of the quieter, less-quoted gems from the show, the lines that slip in when you\u2019re stuck in traffic, belting into the steering wheel, and suddenly thinking, \u201cWait\u2026 that\u2019s actually great advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

(No shade to My Shot. It\u2019s iconic. Just\u2026 give the other numbers some love too.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

*This post was originally created by Rachel Beauchamp, our Faculty Careers Coach, and shared on LinkedIn on the 16th July 2025.*\u00a0   The idea for this post came to me while driving home a couple of weeks ago from a challenging day at work, one of those days where every conversation felt a bit too heavy, and every answer a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":729,"featured_media":473,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[14,44,16,19,74],"class_list":["post-472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice","category-career-development","tag-career-advice","tag-career-development","tag-career-tips","tag-careers-advice","tag-theatre"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/files\/2025\/07\/1_2eVh4W-PL5cRmhCWKURDqQ.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/729"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":483,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions\/483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}