by Sunny Lam on December 6, 2009
(Photo via Demand Studios – if you want freelance writing work you should check them out!)
The quote below by Bruce McWilliams, a physicist turned entrepreneur is one of the best I’ve run across. It sums up my experience post graduate work, diving head deep into the social enterprise frontier and fundraising.
Business in general is not best learned in the college classroom but by doing it — by being in the foxhole with bullets going over your head.
If I had anything to add it would be to say, “Life in general is not best learned in the college classroom but by doing it.” This needs to be hammered into today’s North American classrooms and universities — we’re not preparing our next generations to handle the fear of failure or the challenges of the coming century.
Most of all people want meaningful work — work that inspires them to take action and to wake up the next morning and say, “This is bigger than me and I am contributing to something bigger than me. It feels right and it feels great.” It’s about building foundations that one can stand on and that will carry everyone into the future.
Finding Your Passion Takes Faith and Sacrifice | The Corner Office
| BNET: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
(Via Bnet.)
Steve Tobak, Steve Jobs, McWilliams and other entrepreneurs gave up higher level positions (almost unimaginable for some) or college or even a normal life to follow their instincts. My sacrifice was the normal life and PhD graduate work at some university — I’m glad I’m not doing that kind of research either so maybe it’s not such a loss for the last one.
Do you know any entrepreneurs or people in your life who gave up something to follow their passion? Or do you have someone or icon you look up to whose got the entrepreneurial risk taking streak?
RESOURCES
Career Renegade
Interview With Jonathan Fields, Career Renegade
Brazen Careerist
Twenty Set/Social Pollination: A blog by Monica O’Brien
When a really great dream shows up, grab it!
Passion at Work
Work with Passion: How to Do What You Love for a Living
The Passion of Steve Jobs
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Technorati Tags: careers, entrepreneur, faith, jobs, Life, Personal Development, risk, sacrifice
by Sunny Lam on June 2, 2009
This should probably be titled as “Qualification Mismatch” or “Qualification Less” – Picture: Closed Stacks
What is surprising is that no one’s talking about re-training more people towards green economy and green sector jobs — the things we need to move forward. A lot of people talk about progress — being environmentally and socially sustainable is real progress. Everything else is more hoodwinking lip service.
Photo: Cambridgeshire Horizons
Even this article seems to “business as usual” in its talk (then again it’s Business Week, citing ‘economists’ and not a garden’s variety).
Being environmentally AND socially oriented is about saving and making money in a way that doesn’t destroy the land you stand on, the air you breathe or the community you live in. (also see Green Economy a Key to Solving Crisis)
More and more people are waking up to the madness and want meaningful work where they can spend more time with family. Where do we strike the balance? Certainly some of us enjoy the workaholic living however that’s not how all society (particularly the West) should be. To continue as we have done before is to burn out the souls of people and consequently the environment around us.
If there must be workaholics — let them be the leaders who tirelessly work to build a better world for the people around them and our children. At the same time if we want a better world all of us have to give up something for it (true leaders have to give up more).
Originally Prompted By…
Help Wanted: Why That Sign’s Bad – BusinessWeek: “Surprising statistic: In the midst of the worst recession in a generation or more, with 13 million people unemployed, there are approximately 3 million jobs that employers are actively recruiting for but so far have been unable to fill. That’s more job openings than the entire population of Mississippi.”
(Via Business Week.)
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Technorati Tags: business, career, economic crisis, experiences, green economy, green jobs, jobs, qualifications, skills, structural cycle, training
