---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first started working, I was very…"
description: "\"When I first started working, I was very aware of the fact that I'd been to university and studied Russian and French and not acting. So when I started..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/kate-beckinsale-4713_acting_when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very_2624971.jpg"
---

#  When I first started working, I was very aware of the fact…

![“When I first started working, I was very aware of the fact that I'd been to university and studied Russian and French and not acting. So when I started working, I'd started working quite young, I felt like it was important to treat myself kind of like an apprentice and do as many different types…” quote by Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/kate-beckinsale-4713_acting_when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very_2624971.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/kate-beckinsale-4713_acting_when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very_2624971.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/kate-beckinsale-4713_acting_when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very_2624971.jpg)

> “When I first started working, I was very aware of the fact that I'd been to university and studied Russian and French and not acting. So when I started working, I'd started working quite young, I felt like it was important to treat myself kind of like an apprentice and do as many different types of things as I could.”

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She emphasizes learning through diverse experiences early in a career, treating each task as apprenticeship.

**In simple terms:** Learn by doing many things early on.

Key Takeaway

Seek varied roles to grow.

Themes

career development learning apprenticeship

Mood

reflective motivational

Type

advice career guidance

When to use this quote

- early career
- job rotation
- cross‑functional projects
- skill building

Key Concepts

experiential learning skill diversification

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance breadth and depth?
- What apprenticeship can you start now?

A Different Perspective

May lack depth in any single area if spread too thin.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Acting Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-started-596104/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Apprentice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprentice/) [Aware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aware/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different types](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-types/) [Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/french/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Apprentice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-apprentice-2142795/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Quite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quite/) [Russian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russian/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-working/) [Studied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studied/) [Studied Russian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studied-russian-2142796/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Treat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treat/) [Treats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treats/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Types](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/types/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/)

## Related quotes

> [I like 'The Apprentice.' I think it's a cool show to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smriti-irani/i-like-the-apprentice-i-think-it-s-a-cool-show-to-watch/)

[Smriti Irani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smriti-irani/)

> [I grew up reading the classic novels of Cold War espionage, and I studied Russian history and Soviet foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-silva/i-grew-up-reading-the-classic-novels-of-cold-war-espionage-and-i/)

[Daniel Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-silva/)

> [I studied Russian history at school, and I absolutely loved St Petersburg. It was magnificent - the architecture is incredible and has quite a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-studied-russian-history-at-school-and-i-absolutely-loved-st/)

[Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/)

> [My path to acting started with watching a lot of movies, because I grew up in a very rural place, that was snowed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-gladstone/my-path-to-acting-started-with-watching-a-lot-of-movies-because-i/)

[Lily Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-gladstone/)

> [I grew up near the University of Michigan, so we'd sneak into college parties. That's where my acting started - lying about the professors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mircea-monroe/i-grew-up-near-the-university-of-michigan-so-we-d-sneak-into-college/)

[Mircea Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mircea-monroe/)

> [As I got older, I went to school. I started doing plays, I learned about the craft of acting, and I started to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-gunn/as-i-got-older-i-went-to-school-i-started-doing-plays-i-learned-about/)

[Sean Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-gunn/)

> [When I first started out on the soap, I was more theatrical, like a stage actor, a little bigger than life. As I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-wise/when-i-first-started-out-on-the-soap-i-was-more-theatrical-like-a/)

[Ray Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-wise/)

> [I never thought about acting before I started modeling, but since then I've been in short films and music videos, and I got interested.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rila-fukushima/i-never-thought-about-acting-before-i-started-modeling-but-since-then/)

[Rila Fukushima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rila-fukushima/)

> [I felt that I was forgetting about all of the stresses when I was acting, and that's when I started thinking more seriously about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seo-in-guk/i-felt-that-i-was-forgetting-about-all-of-the-stresses-when-i-was/)

[Seo In-guk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seo-in-guk/)

> [I've always loved comedy and growing up it was the comedies that I really responded to. So I don't know how it turned out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-buscemi/i-ve-always-loved-comedy-and-growing-up-it-was-the-comedies-that-i/)

[Steve Buscemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-buscemi/)

> [My acting started with musicals in elementary school, so singing is something I've always done, never done professionally - so you're not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-snyder/my-acting-started-with-musicals-in-elementary-school-so-singing-is/)

[Clayton Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-snyder/)

> [I don't know that I had context for being trans until I moved to Rochester, New York, to pursue my dream of acting, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-ross/i-don-t-know-that-i-had-context-for-being-trans-until-i-moved-to/)

[Angelica Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-ross/)

> [I hardly knew anything when I first arrived. I had to learn how to act as I went along. After about a year I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-george/i-hardly-knew-anything-when-i-first-arrived-i-had-to-learn-how-to-act/)

[Melissa George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-george/)

> [I was always drawn to performing, but I never thought I could. I have no idea what I wanted to do outside of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-crystal/i-was-always-drawn-to-performing-but-i-never-thought-i-could-i-have/)

[Billy Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-crystal/)

> [I was ashamed to admit I was hipped to the idea of acting. That's why I started in with the props.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-was-ashamed-to-admit-i-was-hipped-to-the-idea-of-acting-that-s-why/)

[John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/)

## More by Kate Beckinsale

> [In this business, where the opportunity to think everything is about you is there every day, now I really know that it isn't all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/in-this-business-where-the-opportunity-to-think-everything-is-about/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [As an actor, your motives and your own crazy psyche is really all you're responsible for in the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/as-an-actor-your-motives-and-your-own-crazy-psyche-is-really-all-you/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [At Oxford University, I studied languages so I could read the great novels as they were originally written. I took what in the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/at-oxford-university-i-studied-languages-so-i-could-read-the-great/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I must say, I am thrilled with my fan base. For some reason some of them are quite young, so they are quite frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-must-say-i-am-thrilled-with-my-fan-base-for-some-reason-some-of/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [Given that I can't sing like Freddie Mercury, obviously I'm not going to pursue it as a career. What would be the point?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/given-that-i-can-t-sing-like-freddie-mercury-obviously-i-m-not-going/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I find American behaviour...odd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-find-american-behaviour-odd/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I'm very blessed to have a husband who appreciates me. Women feel sexy from feeling attractive and desired. Men feel sexy from having sex.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-m-very-blessed-to-have-a-husband-who-appreciates-me-women-feel-sexy/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I'm glad I've never been so successful that I couldn't stop doing one thing. I've kind of been able to just kick it along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-m-glad-i-ve-never-been-so-successful-that-i-couldn-t-stop-doing-one/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I remember when I did 'Click' and I'd see Adam Sandler's fan base. He's the guy that people feel that he's their best friend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-remember-when-i-did-click-and-i-d-see-adam-sandler-s-fan-base-he-s/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [The hover cars were terrifying. I manage to make it even more terrifying by having food poisoning on that day as well. Hover cars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/the-hover-cars-were-terrifying-i-manage-to-make-it-even-more/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I always thought you can't be good at food and sex but I would rather he didn't order in the sex!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-always-thought-you-can-t-be-good-at-food-and-sex-but-i-would-rather/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I would quite like to play a big concert as Freddie Mercury. I cant sing that great and I havent yet found a use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-would-quite-like-to-play-a-big-concert-as-freddie-mercury-i-cant/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I feel like my brain is more geared towards a novel than it is to a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-feel-like-my-brain-is-more-geared-towards-a-novel-than-it-is-to-a/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I would quite like to play a big concert as Freddie Mercury. I can't sing that great and I haven't yet found a use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-would-quite-like-to-play-a-big-concert-as-freddie-mercury-i-can-t/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

> [I still feel like the person who shouldn't be doing this and everyone is acting around me as if I'm a badass all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-still-feel-like-the-person-who-shouldn-t-be-doing-this-and-everyone/)

[Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

[Explore all 107 Kate Beckinsale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/)

## More Acting quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/)

[Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/)

> [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/)

[Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/)

> [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/)

[Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/)

> [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/)

[Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/)

> [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/)

[Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

> [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/)

[Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/)

> [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/)

[Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/)

> [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/)

[Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/)

> [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/)

[Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/)

[Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I first started working, I was very aware of the fact that I'd been to university and studied Russian and French and not acting. So when I started working, I'd started working quite young, I felt like it was important to treat myself kind of like an apprentice and do as many different types of things as I could.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kate Beckinsale"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very-aware-of-the-fact-that-i-d/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very-aware-of-the-fact-that-i-d/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/kate-beckinsale-4713_acting_when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very_2624971.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/kate-beckinsale-4713_acting_when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very_2624971.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/kate-beckinsale-4713_acting_when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very_2624971.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I first started working, I was very aware of the fact that I'd been to university and studied Russian…” — Kate Beckinsale",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Kate Beckinsale",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I first started working, I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very-aware-of-the-fact-that-i-d/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/when-i-first-started-working-i-was-very-aware-of-the-fact-that-i-d/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
