Summary

You’re young, ambitious, entering the field of your dreams; you’re on your own, the
competition is fierce - and then you see your chance: the big story, the big role, the big
discovery. But you’ll have to cut a few corners, bend the rules, cheat a bit. What
choices will you make? After studying more than a hundred young people launching
their careers, these longtime researchers of “good work”- work that is both skillful and
honorable—find unsettling answers. Although young workers know what it takes to do
good work, they don’t always feel they can follow the ethical route. "Later, when I’m
successful," is their implicit promise. Making Good explores the choices confronting
young workers who join the ranks of three dynamic professions—journalism, science,
and acting and looks at how the novices navigate moral dilemmas posed by a
demanding, frequently lonely, professional life. The authors also uncover striking
comparisons between these young professionals and the veterans in their fields -
most notably, older workers recall inspiring models and mentors, while today’s
beginners see themselves as on their own. With extensive insights into how young
workers view their respective domains, the nature of their ambitions, the sacrifices
they are willing to make, and the lines they are prepared to cross, this study will
prove instructive to young employees and employers alike, as well as to those who
wish to understand the shifting moral and social character of the working world.
Wendy Fischman, Becca Solomon, and Deborah Greenspan are researchers
at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; Howard Gardner is Hobbs Professor
of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education.