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Amazon CEO Andy Jassy tells Gen Z to stop worrying about knowing what their career will look like in their twenties. Instead, he encourages young people to focus on learning what they want to do—a lesson that paid off well for Jassy. Before starting his now nearly 30-year career at Amazon, he tried out jobs like sportscasting, soccer coaching, and investment banking.
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Few topics spark as much debate as what your twenties should look like. Some see the decade as a chaotic struggle, while others view it as a rare window of opportunity.
But from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s perspective, Gen Z should take the pressure off themselves and realize they don’t have to have their entire life planned out by their twenties.
“I have a 21-year-old son and a 24-year-old daughter, and one of the things I see with them and their peers is they all feel like they have to know what they want to do for their life at that age,” Jassy said on the podcast, How Leaders Lead with David Novak. “And I really don’t believe that’s true.”
And while figuring out what you want to do in your career can feel existential—especially during a time when AI is completely reshaping the job landscape—Jassy knows the struggle firsthand.
After graduating from Harvard University in 1990, he tried a number of career paths, including sportscasting, product management, and entrepreneurship. He also worked at a retail golf store, coached high school soccer, and tried investment banking. Eventually he decided to go back to school to give an MBA a go and explore entrepreneurship. It was only after graduating from Harvard Business School did he land his breakout role at Amazon, just months before turning 30.
“I tried a lot of things, and I think that early on, it’s just as important to learn what you don’t want to do as what you want to do, because it actually helps you figure out what you want to do.”
Fortune reached out to Jassy for comment.
Exploring interests is one thing, but for Jassy, now 57, nothing may be more important for success than asking questions. Having a high quotient of “why”—or “WhyQ” is something he said helps careers thrive at Amazon.
“We ask why, and why not, constantly,” Jassy wrote in his most recent letter to shareholders. “It helps us deconstruct problems, get to root causes, understand blockers, and unlock doors that might have previously seemed impenetrable.”
For Gen Z in particular, being curious—and operating with the right mindset—can be a major stepping stone for careers, Jassy admitted.
“An embarrassing amount of how well you do, particularly in your twenties, has to do with attitude,” Jassy said in an interview with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky.