Ep. 031: Sell Your Ideas, Not Your Skills (Larry Smith)

2016-04-20

To have a great career, you need passion. But you also need a solid plan. Specifically, you need to know how your passions and ideas will be marketable in an ever-evolving job market. This week on “Find Your Dream Job” we’re talking about career management and how to build a plan for a remarkable long-term career. Mac interviews professor and author Larry Smith, whose provocative TED talk, “Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career,” has attracted more than six million views. Larry urges his students to explore their passions--but ...

To have a great career, you need passion. But you also need a solid plan. Specifically, you need to know how your passions and ideas will be marketable in an ever-evolving job market.

This week on “Find Your Dream Job” we’re talking about career management and how to build a plan for a remarkable long-term career. Mac interviews professor and author Larry Smith, whose provocative TED talk, “Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career,” has attracted more than six million views. Larry urges his students to explore their passions--but also to think about their ongoing relevance in the job market.

In this 35-minute episode you will learn:

Why passion is a prerequisite to a great career--but not enough in-and-of-itself.
How to market yourself and your ideas
How to discipline your passion as part of your overall career management plan
Why everyone needs a 50 years career management plan
Why even non-creative professionals need to be creative when managing their career

This week’s guest:

Larry SmithAdjunct Associate Professor, University of WaterlooAuthor, No Fears, No Excuses: What You Need to Do to Have a Great CareerWaterloo, ON, Canada

Listener question of the week:

Everyone tells me to “do what I love” for a job. But how am I supposed to know if I like something before I do it? There are so many different jobs out there. I feel like I will be limiting myself if I pick a direction too early in life!

If you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode, please contact Jenna Forstrom, Mac’s List Community Manager at jenna@macslist.org.

Resources from this week’s show:

"How to Find Your Passion" | Seanwes’ Podcast, Episode 101
"Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career" | Larry Smith's TEDx Talk
Larry Smith’s Facebook Page
No Fears, No Excuses: What You Need to Do to Have a Great Career
Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond)

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org.

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Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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