Find the person whose job you don’t understand and ask them about it. Free masterclass.

Whole fields operate quietly around you that you have no picture of at all, and the people inside them hold detailed knowledge nobody ever asks them for. Most will explain it happily, because being asked about your work is unusual and pleasant. An hour of that is more honest than any amount of reading, since you get the parts nobody puts in a job description.

Find somebody whose job you could not describe and ask what their day actually looks like. Ask what the hard part is and what people always get wrong about it. Two questions is enough to start.