Forget job titles when you’re in your 20s—that was the best career advice Barack Obama gave his ex-speechwriter

When Aneesh Raman was working as Barack Obama’s speechwriter there was one piece of career advice the former president would often share that stuck with the former CNN war correspondent: “Worry about what you want to do, not who you want to be.”

You only have to glance at Obama’s career to see his motto in action. The first African American president in U.S. history worked in community organizing and law for decades before being inaugurated in 2009. 

“He wanted to build communities in a different way,” Raman told CNBC Make It, “and it led him on his path that led to this moment where he became president.”

It’s why instead of focusing on your dream title, Obama recommends thinking about the impact you want to make through your work first and then honing the skills you’ll need to get there. 

And that advice has taken Raman from writing Obama’s speeches from 2011 to 2013 to partnering with NGOs as Facebook’s head of economic impact to coauthoring several books. Now, he’s LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer—and his framework highlights how to tangibly focus on impact and skill-building over job titles.

Your 20s and 30s are for learning skills

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