Four years studying business won’t tell you whether to answer your boss’s weekend emails.

And that’s just one classic business dilemma that has nothing to do with org charts or P&L statements.

There are dozens more: What’s the dress code? How should you act in meetings? What should you expect for benefits? Should you stay late when your boss asks? These questions matter more in your first year than anything you learned in a lecture hall.

That’s why I recently joined Career Expedite as an Executive Advisor. The organization connects young professionals with experienced mentors for 30-minute conversations about navigating early career challenges.

Maigread Eichten, an experienced CEO, founded Career Expedite because she recognized that young professionals need guidance on workplace realities, not just technical skills – and she was right.

Young professionals ask questions about workplace fundamentals nobody covered in school, and mentors share what they learned through years of trial and error. The mentees get practical answers, and mentors get exposure to emerging talent they wouldn’t meet otherwise.

I volunteered for Career Expedite because when I graduated, I had no clue how the working world actually worked. A few people helped me along the way. But I spent years figuring out basics someone could have explained in one conversation.

And at 64 I’m still learning.

But if sharing what I’ve figured out helps someone navigate their first few years more effectively, that’s time well invested.

Mark Lester, Principal, LANDCO NEXA