Starting a new job is always tough. You want early success to prove you really were the right pick.
That's especially true if you happen to be the first woman to hold that job. Ever.
So when President Obama on Wednesday nominated Janet Yellen to lead the Federal Reserve, she might have had two reactions: 1) Yippee and 2) Uh-oh.
As Fed head, Yellen would have to guide interest-rate policy in a way that boosts economic growth without triggering inflation.
The pressures would be enormous. Example: Just as Yellen's appointment was being rolled out, the International Monetary Fund was warning that if the Fed were to mishandle timing of a gradual move to higher interest rates, it could cause $2.3 trillion in global bond portfolio losses.
So from Day 1 on the new job, any slip-up could trigger an economic calamity.
But when introducing her as his choice, Obama expressed confidence, saying she's "extremely well-qualified" and "renowned for her good judgment."
Most of her peers predict Yellen, 67, will be able to handle the pressure.
"Dr. Yellen is superbly qualified," said a letter signed by more than 500 leading economists who urged the White House to nominate her. "She has shown consistently good judgment in all her roles leading our nation's financial institutions and economic policy."
Even many economists opposed to White House policies have voiced respect for Yellen.
"Her forecasts, as it turns out, have been more accurate" than those who feared the Fed was being too loose with monetary policy, according to Stephen Oliner, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative research group.