> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jaimecalaf.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Know the Job Before You Take It - URL: https://www.jaimecalaf.com/know-the-job-before-you-take-it/ - Published: 2026-10-21T02:28:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T02:28:13.000Z - Description: The press secretary’s job is a pressure cooker. If you take it on, you’d better know how to handle it. - Author: Jaime Calaf - Tags: Leadership, accountability, decision making, resilience She stood at the podium for the first time. Nervous. She tried to hide it behind her blue, professional-looking blazer, but no one doubted it. I get it: anyone standing at that podium for the first time in their career would probably feel the same, especially if they weren't seasoned in dealing with the press. But Ms. Zacharia's problem wasn't her lack of experience as White House press secretary. No, it was being the press secretary for this particular White House at a time when things are politically heated across the nation. The press is looking for blood. It doesn't matter which side of the political aisle you're on; this job requires thick skin and absolute certainty when you go up there and speak on the president's behalf. It's not for the meek. It seems to me Ms. Zacharia took it because, in her view, it's a great professional opportunity if you can make the position work—if you can withstand the pressure and come out the other side as unscathed as possible. Everyone is making a big hoopla over Ms. Zacharia calling herself a lawyer, even though she did not pass the bar exam. Yes, you shouldn't misrepresent yourself, but let's face it: the job doesn't require passing the bar exam. That's not what killed her. The culprit is taking on a job that demands the ability to handle pressure from all sides—sometimes legitimate, sometimes vicious. That's the job: a pressure cooker. If you're in it, you'd better know how to handle it. Most of us have seen this in our careers, in ourselves or in others: someone accepts a position or enters a field they're not cut out for, personality-wise. I'm talking about the CPA who ignores an email because they're "recovering from the 15th." You don't see an ER nurse telling the next patient, "Give me a minute, it's been a lot of emergencies today," or a teacher unable to grade exams because she's "recovering from finals week." My friend, you chose this career, so you should at least know its core tenets. Ms. Zacharia chose hers, too. It wasn't about the bar exam drama. Her problem was that she bit off more than she could chew, and her test was getting through it. The press made it about the bar exam, but her job was to regain control, get everyone back on track with the president's agenda, and nip the distraction in the bud. In the end, it was just a distraction. The press latched onto her insecurities and, like sharks in bloody water, went after their prey. "Oh, but wait, you're wrong. A press secretary's biggest asset is being believed, and misstating a credential is akin to committing a cardinal sin." Is it? Is that her only asset? Is that what the entire world will judge her by? Is the press secretary there to defend herself, or to convey—or, dare I say, parrot—the daily points the White House considers important for the press to know, and to answer questions about the administration's current events and agenda? Doesn't every administration have a series of talking points no one believes? I didn't know the press secretary had to be so unsoiled. No, this is part of the job: managing the press, shaping narratives, and managing expectations. She could have answered these questions easily by owning up from the get-go to what she said in the past, admitting that she might have been wrong to call herself a lawyer, and stating that she has a Juris Doctor from an excellent law school. The job has no earmarked qualification. A JD makes her fully qualified, as would an MBA. The job is handling the press. It's not about the education. Period. End of story. Move on to the daily brief. The president said he'd leave it to her whether to stay; his advisers say she was fired. Either way, she realized the role wasn't for her, or she failed to seize the opportunity to tame the wild bull in front of her. She should have grabbed the bull by the horns and taken control of the narrative, because that, after all, is a core part of the job.