Finding Your Career Calling: Key Lecture Notes

Jul 1, 2024

Finding Your Career Calling: Key Lecture Notes

Personal Anecdote

  • 20s reflection: Felt wasted, no positive influence, poor friend choices.
  • Work history: Waiter, radio gig, data entry at LabCorp, medical transcription for 10 years.
  • Challenges:
    • Non-specialized jobs: Easily replaceable, limited upward mobility.
    • Lack of specific skill set post-layoff.
  • Turning point: Wife suggested computer training due to his tech interest and skills.
  • Solution: Self-taught coding, transitioned to software development.
  • Detailed story: Available in a separate video.

Life-Changing Diagram

  • Source: Based on a blog post by Michael Hyatt (blog post possibly unavailable now).
  • Importance: Helps determine one’s calling, crucial for career advice especially for early 20s.
  • Components:
    • Passion: What excites you, makes you tick.
    • Proficiency: What you’re good at.
    • Profitability: Can you make money from it?

Key Components Explained

  • Passion:
    • Everyone has something they’re passionate about.
    • Passion alone doesn’t pay bills.
    • Over time, lack of passion leads to job dissatisfaction.
  • Proficiency:
    • What are you naturally good at?
    • Can coincide with passion.
    • Without proficiency, success isn't achievable.
  • Profitability:
    • Can you earn a living doing this?
    • If it’s not profitable, it's a hobby.

Intersection of Passion, Proficiency, and Profitability

  • Success: Found at the intersection where you have all three.
  • Lacking any one:
    • No Passion: Job dissatisfaction.
    • No Proficiency: Lack of success.
    • No Profitability: Financial instability.

Practical Application

  • Self-Assessments:
    • List what you’re good at (ask others if unsure).
    • Identify what you love doing.
    • Evaluate the profitability of these interests.
  • Personal Example:
    • Passion for computers, proficiency in tech, profitable career as a software developer.

Implications Beyond Career

  • College Degrees:
    • Be wary of degrees in fields with limited job markets (e.g. theater, art).
  • Content Creation:
    • Similar diagram for creating valuable content: Align your interests, audience needs, and existing content standards.

Conclusion

  • Review:
    • Determine if you have a career that combines passion, proficiency, and profitability.
    • Comment on barriers if not.
  • Engagement: Thumbs up, subscribe, join the newsletter for tech updates.