Mike,
Around 4 years ago, I came to you with questions asking what I should be doing with my career path. You came back to me answering that welding sounded like something I may be into, and taking your advice, I went to Hobart Welding Institute out here in Ohio which your foundation helped pay for with a scholarship that I am forever grateful for.
Hobart is still one of the greatest experiences of my life. I met amazing people from all over the country there and remain close friends with many of them despite living in different states and cities from each other. After Hobart I got a job in Montana where I worked for a year being bumped up from a welder to a fitter, yet another amazing experience! Do to certain events I came back to Ohio to weld but later got on with another company to do Carpentry work for which I am now going on year two for this company. They have also decided to move me up into more of a superintendent role which I am excited to pursue and keep moving up as time goes on!
I just wanted to thank you for your advice and scholarship years ago that has helped me gain all these great experiences and friends! If you’re ever around Columbus Ohio give me a shout and I’ll gladly buy you some dinner!
Thanks again!
Parker Hall
Hi Parker! So glad to hear from you, and so happy to hear about your success. It’s immensely gratifying to hear stories like this, and always nice to be invited for dinner in Ohio. Don’t be surprised if I take you up on it. It’s happened before…
I’ve re-shared your original note below, along with my reply, because I know for a fact that many thousands of other people are precisely where you were back then. People whose idea of a “dream job” is keeping them from hundreds of opportunities right under their nose.
Funny, when you reached out five years ago, there were about 750,000 people in this page. Today, they’re over five million. Our exchange reached many millions of people, and helped trigger a large part of that growth. Your original letter also inspired me to double down on the SWEAT Pledge, (which has since been brought to life on video, mikeroweworks.org/sweat) as well as our scholarship program, which has now assisted over a thousand individuals willing to do precisely what you have done.
Thanks for your help in making that happen, and thanks for reaching out when you did. I’m glad mikeroweWORKS could be of use to you. Best of luck in all you do.
Mike
PS. You realize, of course, that you’re standing under a national icon, whose existence was made possible by welders like you. Pretty great!
PPS. My friend “Claire” got married two years ago. Miracles never cease…
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April 19th, 2014
Hey Mike!
I’ve spent this last year trying to figure out the right career for myself and I still can’t figure out what to do. I have always been a hands on kind of guy and a go-getter. I could never be an office worker. I need change, excitement, and adventure in my life, but where the pay is steady. I grew up in construction and my first job was a restoration project. I love everything outdoors. I play music for extra money. I like trying pretty much everything, but get bored very easily. I want a career that will always keep me happy, but can allow me to have a family and get some time to travel. I figure if anyone knows jobs its you so I was wondering your thoughts on this if you ever get the time! Thank you!
Parker Hall
Hi Parker
My first thought is that you should learn to weld and move to North Dakota. The opportunities are enormous, and as a “hands-on go-getter,” you’re qualified for the work. But after reading your post a second time, it occurs to me that your qualifications are not the reason you can’t find the career you want.
I had drinks last night with a woman I know. Let’s call her Claire. Claire just turned 42. She’s cute, smart, and successful. She’s frustrated though, because she can’t find a man. I listened all evening about how difficult her search has been. About how all the “good ones” were taken. About how her other friends had found their soul-mates, and how it wasn’t fair that she had not.
“Look at me,” she said. “I take care of myself. I’ve put myself out there. Why is this so hard?”
“How about that guy at the end of the bar,” I said. “He keeps looking at you.”
“Not my type.”
“Really? How do you know?”
“I just know.”
“Have you tried a dating site?” I asked.”
“Are you kidding? I would never date someone I met online!”
“Alright. How about a change of scene? Your company has offices all over – maybe try living in another city?”
“What? Leave San Francisco? Never!”
“How about the other side of town? You know, mix it up a little. Visit different places. New museums, new bars, new theaters…?”
She looked at me like I had two heads. “Why the hell would I do that?”
Here’s the thing, Parker. Claire doesn’t really want a man. She wants the “right” man. She wants a soul-mate. Specifically, a soul-mate from her zip code. She assembled this guy in her mind years ago, and now, dammit, she’s tired of waiting!!
I didn’t tell her this, because Claire has the capacity for sudden violence. But it’s true. She complains about being alone, even though her rules have more or less guaranteed she’ll stay that way. She has built a wall between herself and her goal. A wall made of conditions and expectations. Is it possible that you’ve built a similar wall?
Consider your own words. You don’t want a career – you want the “right” career. You need “excitement” and “adventure,” but not at the expense of stability. You want lots of “change” and the “freedom to travel,” but you need the certainty of “steady pay.” You talk about being “easily bored” as though boredom is out of your control. It isn’t. Boredom is a choice. Like tardiness. Or interrupting. It’s one thing to “love the outdoors,” but you take it a step further. You vow to “never” take an office job. You talk about the needs of your family, even though that family doesn’t exist. And finally, you say the career you describe must “always” make you “happy.”
These are my thoughts. You may choose to ignore them and I wouldn’t blame you – especially after being compared to a 42 year old woman who can’t find love. But since you asked…
Stop looking for the “right” career, and start looking for a job. Any job. Forget about what you like. Focus on what’s available. Get yourself hired. Show up early. Stay late. Volunteer for the scut work. Become indispensable. You can always quit later, and be no worse off than you are today. But don’t waste another year looking for a career that doesn’t exist. And most of all, stop worrying about your happiness. Happiness does not come from a job. It comes from knowing what you truly value, and behaving in a way that’s consistent with those beliefs.
Many people today resent the suggestion that they’re in charge of the way the feel. But trust me, Parker. Those people are mistaken. That was a big lesson from Dirty Jobs, and I learned it several hundred times before it stuck. What you do, who you’re with, and how you feel about the world around you, is completely up to you.
Good luck –
Mike
PS. I’m serious about welding and North Dakota. Those guys are writing their own ticket.
PPS Think I should forward this to Claire?