"The West Wing" and job hunting

Dulé Hill as Charlie Young on “The West Wing”:

I’ve started rewatching “The West Wing” in an attempt to tamp down the crippling anxiety I have been feeling about the state of the world.

And it’s just relevatory to watch this group of smart, empathetic, accomplished, kind people navigate the waters of national politics.

In this insane campaign season, it’s a balm.

I’m only at the end of the third episode and it’s already almost made me cry to watch Jed Bartlet talking to his new body man Charlie Young about Charlie’s mother, a police officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty.

But before that exchange, Charlie comes into the White House to interview for a messenger job. And instead he finds himself talking to Josh Lyman, the Deputy Chief of Staff, about a job as President Bartlet’s body man.

He’s a bit baffled as to how he got there.

But someone in the staff saw his application for the messenger job and referred him to Josh Lyman, who is impressed how Charlie is taking care of his younger sister after their mother’s death.

Josh takes Charlie to meet the President, who is giving a televised address. Bartlet is distracted and upset, and can’t find his glasses. Everyone runs around frantically trying to locate the glasses.

Charlie saves the day, remembering what Bartlet said about reading documents in his private study earlier. Thus the glasses are found. And Charlie has a new job.

Later Bartlet and Charlie have that interaction I mentioned, which shows both Bartlet’s humanity and Charlie’s excitement at suddenly being thrown into the center of American power.

What can we learn from this story, other than that “The West Wing” is one of the best TV shows ever?

1. Don’t pass up an opportunity.
   Charlie was apprehensive at first, but eventually leaned into the new circumstances he found himself in.

2. Always be watching.
   Charlie’s observant nature proved to Bartlet that he would be good at his job. He saw what many other people did not. He cut through the noise.

3. Keep yourself open.
   Consider possibilities that might be outside your comfort zone. The job that’s right for you might not be the one they are advertising.

4. Take inspiration everywhere.
   This is a bit of a meta point, since watching a show from the 90s gave me the idea for this post. But it’s good advice to mine all your experiences for things that can give you a new perspective.

5. Be kind.
   One of the things that jumps out during my rewatch is how fundamentally kind all these people are. And how important that is, for job hunting and life.

I would love to know what pop culture is inspiring you these days.

See you next week.