you never need insurance until you do. we spend a lot of money for the security of knowing that when situations get serious, we’ll have a helping hand to get through it.

you never need another career until you do, either. but how many people spend the time and effort to build their skills for the career they really want? too many people float from job to job, hoping they’ll get picked for the one they really want.

two years ago i missed out on a job with microsoft to become a community manager for their xbox division. out of a thousand applicants, i made it to a round of eleven people. the other applicants? they were already podcasting, had established channels on youtube, and were—with the benefit of hindsight—far more qualified than i was.

that’s when i started the stately gentlemen network to grow my skills, build my portfolio, and prove that i can do the job. before someone picked me, i picked myself.

while the podcasts have fallen off as of late (i do still want to do another show, but i haven’t figured out what it will be yet), it’s still a reminder to me that you can go through life waiting to get the job you want, or you can decide to do it anyway.