Monday, Monday… I’d love to say we’re back to work after a long weekend, but the truth is that we’re still at work after a long weekend. The upside is we’re getting some things done. We’remaking moves.

Hopefully you have seen the new homepage compliments of our own Brett Farmiloe and Jobing’s incredibly talented Kristen Zirkler. I’m really excited about the the look of it but more importantly what it could mean for our visitors in terms of increased usability. It’s not done yet but it’s certainly an already improved work in progress. The new breakdown for interviews is a la career cluster, something students and teachers alike should be able to appreciate, and there is now a link to our featured video and write up on the front page. The career links are not fully functional yet, but if we didn’t have some developmental hiccups it wouldn’t be PTP.

In addition we’ve got an all new career profile for you featuring Joy Estes, Insurance Agent and Entrepreneur. Now, Brett and I are aware that the insurance industry has some stigma attached to it. But as someone who recently spent time in an emergency room, take it from me, coverage and courage share a symbiotic relationship. Joy’s also got a great story. The first female ever excepted to West Point Military Academy she has rebuilt her business multiple times until it looked and felt exactly as she had envisioned.

Let us know what you think of the new video and homepage. That’s the beauty of the internet, instant feedback can yield nearly instant change.

Talk to you soon and until then pursue your passion. With coverage.

It’s Monday and I’m back from a full week of vacation in Colorado, fully rested yet slightly worse for wear. Not out of step with my past precedent I managed to dislocate my shoulder on the first day of my vacation turning my snowboard retreat into a 3 run warm up and 6 day cool down. Alas it’s hard not to enjoy yourself in one of the most beautiful places in the world and my despair about lost days on the hill was forgotten in the face of good food, friends and long snow shoes.

Optimism aside, today’s video will continue to highlight the lost opportunity of the coming weeks due to my negligence on the hill. This weeks interview is with Bird Academy Golf Instructor, and former LPGA professional Shirley Furlong. Shirley had some great advice that can be applied to any pursuit requiring discipline and fierce competition. In fact it is not uncommon for golfers to make allusions relating lessons learned on the links to life’s more enigmatic questions.

It doesn’t look as though I’ll have much oppurtunity to swing a club in the coming weeks, more qualified to drive a cart than a golf ball. I’ll just have to spend my March afternoons in the desert kicking back, reading a book and enjoying a brew. And as Dean Martin said, “If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t even putt.”

Yesterday Brett and I took a trip to Phoenix’s own Rainbow Studios creators of the new Nintendo Wii game “Deadly Creatures”.  Many of us like to romanticize the video game industry.  Imagine how cool it would be to work with creative people, use the newest technology and have our hard work manifest itself in the form of a glorified toy.  Well, many of us would be right.  Working at a video game design studio is awesome.

With this said, it’s not easy and it’s not and the work is not comparable to playing video games.  Some of the more talented people in their own specific creative discipline work for video game design studios.  This means that not only do you have to study harder than anybody else and network like it’s you job.  You also have to have to be insatiable in your pursuit.  Side projects, outstanding portfolios and non traditional education are paramount to getting a job with a cool studio.

With this said, if you’ve got the drive it’s worth pursuing.  Yesterday was a refreshing reminder that if we have a goal to accomplish we CAN make it happen.  Nobody is gonna do it for you, but that’s what you want.  The power to accomplish anything lies completely in your own hands and nobody can take it away from you any more than they accomplish it on your behalf.

So start deciding what it is you want to do and make it your life.  We’ll all be glad you did.

Good Monday everyone and a healthy, happy start to our post Super Bowl week. I know that many of us are still recovering from a heartbreaking defeat for a beloved Arizona franchise. But worry not, Pursue the Passion is here with a pleasant distraction from the ensuing malaise. It’s another Monday video profile.

This weeks interview is with Joe Manzo of Orbital Sciences Corporation. Joe is an Aerodynamics Engineer and spends his time building rockets that protect our country, promote exploration and send beer into space. Make sure to check out his video which is showing on the PTP homepage or sign up for our newsletter by emailing me at zach@pursuethepassion.com

Next week we’ll be profiling several different career opportunities in the growing and interesting world of video game design. Tune in and maybe someday will be profiling you.

Its fun producing videos and finding out how many people took the time to watch. Yesterday we released the Zoo Director video, last week we released the Freelance Radio Journalist, and next Monday it will be a rocket scientist.

The numbers?

Well, the only count we can rely on is Youtube. The Zoo Director has received 148 views in 23 hours, and the Freelance Radio Journalist received 275 views in a week. I would love to see how many people watched our video on Jobing.com, where our interviews are featured as the video of the day every Friday, and Facebook, where we release the video and have no accurate analytics to see how many people viewed the video. (Do you know how to install an analytics app?) All we have to go off of for both sites is comments- to which we received 10 comments on Facebook yesterday- none on Jobing.

We’ve still got a long way to go to have our videos receive 10,000 views on Youtube- so spread the word to any educators if you know some who would be interested. Or subscribe on our Youtube channel. We promise an entertaining inside look at a career every Monday.

With the new year almost here and an entire class of fall graduates preparing to enter the work force I’ve decided to post a list.  This time of year it’s not uncommon to recall the events of the last 12 months, forecast the events of the next, and subject them to our own qualitative and biased ranking system.  The 5 biggest sports events of the year; the ten best news stories of 2008; 10 ways to get the most out of 2009; and know I’ve decided to enter the fray.  I thought about putting up my new years resolutions but decided that, not unlike a wish, if you say them out loud they won’t happen.  Instead what I’ll do is give a fairly credible but completely unjustified projection of the top five professions for 2009.  Not the five highest earning and not the 5 most fun, but a comprehensive aggregate ranking that takes all of these factors into account.  Ideally when you’re done reading you will be able to select a profession from the list and never have to make another subjective professional decision again.  I’m talking about answers here people and I’ve got ‘em.  So enjoy, but if I solve all you’re problems, leaving you board and yearning for conflict, don’t blame me.

5. Biology Student – Being a student is a job, low paying, but a job just the same.  And at a time when the market isn’t rewarding workers at a level commensurate with were we’ve been in the past, or hope to be in the future, why not re-invest in your professional skill set.  Any undergrad biology study will set you up for recession proof work in fields of high demand and compensation.  Additionally it allows you to increase your marketability and learn more without knowing exactly what you want to do.  A fundamental bio education will set you up to do anything from nutrition, to bio-medical research, to being a nurse or doctor.  You’re not tying yourself into a specific environment or job role, but you’re still making yourself valuable.  Not a bad deal.

4. Bartender- Not bad work if you can get it, especially during a recession.  While the service, hospitality and restaurant industry will surely suffer in the next year the old fashioned bar keep will weather the storm.  It’s a romantic, transient profession to have during hard times.  You get to be the common mans sounding board, listening to their stories of tragedy and triumph, experiencing America’s cultural narrative first hand.

3. Mathematician- We’ve been watching the widespread consumerism that has driven our service economy implode and it’s time to get back to hard skill sets.  America can’t allow other countries to invent and create technologies while we simply market and consume them.  Let’s bring production back home and reap the resulting benefits.  With this said there will be an increased need for those with a mathematical acumen in a diverse array of industries.  This is about building a fundamental skill set and adapting it to the environment and industry that you have a passion for, narrowing your focus while increasing your options.

2. Pro Ball Player- The drivers of pro baseballs micro-economy must be the exact inverse of our countries as a whole.  While wages, prices and employment have all taken a nose dive the Yankees have dropped almost half a billion dollars in the past several months signing free agents.  If you’ve got a bat or an arm 161 million over 7 years sounds good to me.

1. Environmental Engineer-  The only downside of entering this field now…. you’ve missed your chance for early adoption.  With this said, there should be plenty of work for individuals with engineering skills and an understanding of emerging energy technology.  Almost every plan for stimulating our domestic economy includes an alternative energy component and by getting into a field on the upswing you’re setting yourself up to take advantage of opportunity that doesn’t even exist yet.  You can work outside or inside; at a desk or in an industrial facility; in sales and consulting or R&D; figuring out which is right for you should be the fun part.

So there’s the list.  The unqualified ramblings of a man still recovering from his Christmas Holiday; or the amazing premonitions of an employment oracle; we’ll know in 12 months.  But I can tell you this, with every crisis we encounter there is a seed of equivalent benefit.  The coming year should provide immense opportunity for equivalent benefit.

This weekend both of my roommates were out of town for the first time in about 6 months. What this meant for the newly domesticated me was a lot of time spent with the G.F. Movies, dinner, couply outings of all sorts characterized my last few days. I feel compelled to metion I had a great time, but that’s not the point of this blog.

My point is this… We spent the majority of this weekend going out and spending money in various establishments during the worst consumer Christmas season in decades. With this said I only experienced one example of what I would consider superior customer service the entire weekend. It wasn’t that this individual did anything especially unique or unconventional and it wasn’t that the service anywhere else was sub-par. The fact is there is a very fine line between good and exceptional, but when it’s crossed people notice. The service person who stood out in my mind simply made eye contact, smiled and was exceedingly helpful and polite. I appreciated the holiday spirit and my tip reflected that.

Which is the second part of my point. In the current economic climate it can be easy to be cynical or fearful and it would be naive to suggest those feelings are unjustified. But, if you’re an employee in the service industry there has been no better time to leverage positivity and enthusiasm than now. In spite of the fact that lean times necessitate greater effort, environmental influences can often yield the opposite effect. Don’t be a casualty of you own negativity.

Be the person who works harder, smiles bigger and embodies the service character people expect during the holidays. Not only will it help your employer weather the storm but, if you’re an employee with gratuity based compensation, you may succeed in catalyzing that sweet holiday generosity.

Yesterday I got an email from a visitor to our website concerning career advice. Today’s blog is a simple copy of that correspondence.

HI Zach,

Hey i was just wondering what is the best way to make a career change and how to find out what you love to do and then doing it? Any advice would be great.

Thanks again

Tim

Hey Tim,

The prospect of making a career change is always difficult and is only compounded by the current economy. With that said, this is as good a time as any for workers to reassess their goals and start over.

The most difficult part of the whole equation is the prospect of finding what you love to do. I think a lot of emphasis is made on the passion component of our brand. Everyone wants to know how to find their “passion”. To be quite honest the pursuit an equally important factor.

First I would say don’t discredit notions you have of what you “might” like to do. Being interested as opposed to instantly repelled is a big indicator. Next I would say, think about what it is you will be pursuing within that field. Where do you want to be in 10 years?

The fact is you won’t come into an industry or job doing the work you want for the money you’d like. But, if you have a clear idea of what it is your chasing it will keep you interested, motivated and passionate.

A clear concept of a goal can generate passion in and of itself. So my one sentence answer for you, Tim, is… What is it you’re pursuing?

Interest assessment tests are also a great way to investigate where your aptitudes may lie. Although, I believe they may be better at reaffirming what you already want to hear, than telling you anything new about what you’d like to do.

There’s a strong connection between childhood interests and a current career. It’s something that I’m a victim of.  My favorite video game was Crusin’ USA while growing up.  And you wonder why I toured around the country ten years later…  

Those things that you enjoy as a kid, it’s amazing to see how they can come back later into your profession.  

Here’s a collection of people we interviewed who have taken a childhood interest and turned it into their career.  

Park Ranger: I’ve loved the outdoors since I was born.  Always have and always will.  

Tattoo Artist: I envisioned having this job when I was a teenager.  When I was 13 and handpoked the very first dot on my wrist and wiped it away, and saw there was still a dot, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.  

TV Host, Wild Kingdom: If I can step backwards a few years, as a child, my grandfather was a forester.  My childhood playground was 3600 acres of trees and wildlife.  My entire childhood was in wildlife, and in wild places.   

Goat Farmer: When I was 15 I was trying to decide what I wanted to do. My mom asked me what I liked to do.  Because that’s where you always start.  ‘What do you like to do?’  

We had woods behind our house and I’d spend a lot of time out there.  I’d say well, the only thing I know for sure is that I like to be outside.  She thought a minute and said, ‘Well, we all like to do that.  You’ll just have to get over it.’  

So I decided to go into information systems which ended up being accounting.  I sat in an office for fifteen years trying to figure out how to get outside.  Then eventually I decided I needed to be outside.  Because what your passion is at 15 is more than likely going to be your passion when you’re 30.

President, Phoenix Suns: My passion comes more out of when I was a kid.  We used to gather all the cousins and relatives almost every weekend in a town north of Seattle called Mount Vernon .  All the cousins would use my grandparent’s driveway and garage as a stage.  The garage door would be the curtain.  We would put on shows for all the family every weekend.  Because I was the oldest cousin, I got to be the director and help put the show together and see the results of what we did.  I really think there’s as much as that drive in what I do today as there is my love of sports.

Director of Communications, Georgia Aquarium: For me, part of the reason of why I work here is when I was five years old growing up in Boston , I went to the New England Aquarium.  I picked up a horseshoe crab and touched it.  I still remember that and I love those types of engaging experiences that really register with you and stick with you.

Child Therapist: My parents got divorced when I was 13.  They forced me to go to a therapist.  For about a month I was totally against it.  Then I was like, ‘Wait a minute.  This person is totally objective and they’re just listening.’  I didn’t realize you could actually do that for a living.  That’s where it all started.

Jordan Footwear Designer: I started drawing shoes in the 7 th grade on little 3 x 5 index cards.  My teacher, her name is Mrs. Weathers.  She used to keep them.  I actually used to get in trouble because I was drawing instead of paying attention.  

But I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember.  I just had a gift to be able to draw anything I could see.  For me, as the years got longer, I just started to channel it more and focus on drawing specific things.

Accountant: When I was a kid I used to watch the old westerns that were black and white.  There would be the guys in the white hats, who were the good guys, and then the guys in the black hats.  They’d fight against each other.  Now that I’m a CPA, I help young families and couples.  I look at myself as the guy in the white hat, and the IRS are the guys in the black hat.  My job is to help them keep as much of their money as they can and help them out.

President, Phoenix Suns: I think if you can honestly think back about what experiences led you to where you are, there’s big influences almost always in your childhood or early teen years.  You probably found something that you were drawn to or incredibly interested in or got great joy from.  If you’re lucky enough to parlay that into your career, you’ll almost inevitably be successful.  

Brett Farmiloe wants to know what you think about presenting information using this type of writing style.  Does it peak your interest?  Make you want to read more?  Or does it just flat out suck?  Let him know by commenting below.  It will help him as he formulates a book about Pursue the Passion.   

Joanne Gordon doesn’t consider herself a career expert, but she’s not afraid to tell you what she’s learned from interviewing other people about their job.  This is a summary of some solid career advice she offered the Pursue the Passion crew about being happy at work.  

Lesson 1- Get Close to Perfect 

One of the things about careers is that sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do to get to where you want to go.  Not every job is perfect.  Sometimes you have to say, ‘What can I get from this that will get me to where I think might be close to perfect?’

Lesson 2- Process. 

You have to think about the verbs of what you do everyday.  You should be skilled at and challenged by the main activities your job requires.    It should be something you have a natural inclination towards, but not so easy that you’re not intellectually engaged in it.  There should always be a challenge there, but not unattainable.  Think of a rock climber.  You’re challenged, but you’re not so challenged that it’s impossible.

Lesson 3- Purpose. 

You have to feel good about what you’re doing.  It doesn’t have to be altruistic.  You just have to believe in it.  

Lesson 4- People. 

You have to respect who you work with.  It doesn’t mean you have to like them.  It doesn’t mean you have to be best friends with them, but you have to respect them.

Lesson 5- Your First Job is Only Your First Job 

Your first job is only your first job.  You tend to think it’s the rest of your life.  But think about it.  You’re going to be on this earth for a long time.  You have such a long working life ahead of you that you shouldn’t stress about the first job.  Expect to be disappointed.  Expect to be confused.  Expect to be depressed.

Lesson 6- Informational Interviewing 

I have to say, I am a big fan of informational interviewing.  I think it teaches you stuff about yourself and about what’s out there.  You gain more knowledge.

You have to say, ‘That looks interesting.  Maybe I want to be a chef.’  So I’m going to go ask that chef and spend an hour with him and find out about what the hell he does everyday.  How he got there.  And then you’re like, ‘I don’t want to be a chef.’  One hour and you’ve answered that question for yourself.  

Lesson 7- You quit a job because of your boss.

The person you work for is going to make a huge difference on how you feel about your job.  That’s something to really think about.  You may say you hate your job or your career, but do you really hate your career, or is it just your job?  Should you look for a new company, or would you work for someone different?  

Lesson 8- What is starting over really? 

The longer you stay on the ladder, the higher and higher you get.  One day you say, ‘You know how long it’s going to take me to get this high on another ladder!?  I don’t want to jump now.’  That’s when people get stuck.  

I did PR for six years after college.  I hated PR.  It wasn’t part of me.  I felt bad, but I kept excelling.  Finally, I had to whip the rug out from under my life.  Chuck the salary and I broke up with my boyfriend at the same time.  I had nothing.  Uggh, I had nothing.  But I loved it. I went back to graduate school at 28.

Granted, I was the oldest person in grad school.  But I did feel it was going to be harder to start over the more I waited.  But what is starting over, really?  What are you losing?  

Lesson 9- Be Honest. 

You just have to pay attention to yourself.  Be honest with yourself about what your real skills are and what you really like and what you don’t like.  Try to be as honest as you can. Because sometimes you don’t want to admit certain things.  It’s okay to admit that you really want to work at a Forbes or a name brand place.  It’s okay to say that I really want to make a ton of money.  That’s totally okay.  Just be honest with it and then go do it.  

Pursue the Passion conducts interviews with people who are passionate about their job.  Over 300 interviews can be found at www.pursuethepassion.com.  The founder, Brett Farmiloe, and his partner in crime, Zach Hubbell, deliver keynote speeches to classrooms and HR Conferences across the country.  They will be releasing a book and documentary in 2009.