Although medical school and orthopedic residency prepare orthopedic surgeons for the technical and scientific aspects of their careers, training programs often under-emphasize topics such as health policy, advocacy, business, finance, practice management, and professionalism. These areas, however, often determine a physician’s success just as much as the ability to diagnose and treat pathology of the musculoskeletal system. Formal training can also focus too much on the surgeon as a professional and not enough as a person – underestimating the importance of individual’s family, friends, personal finances, and mental, physical, and spiritual health on their ability to perform their job at the highest level. Whether practicing in Poland, the United States, or elsewhere in the world, many commonalities for success exist for junior surgeons as they begin their careers, and these pearls can be taught and shared just like the finer points of surgical technique or radiographic interpretation. This article attempts to provide some advice for early-career doctors that can help to launch them towards personal and professional fulfillment, based upon things I have learned along my own path as an orthopedic surgeon.