And how will I get found?

Okay, so I’m working on this book, Getting To Work, which is about the steps I took to land a job as soon as I got to Boston in 1995, and I’m feeling really positive about it. It’s part “how I did it” and part motivational, and considering the job market these days (though I hear it’s supposed to be improving), I have a feeling at least some people are going to be interested in reading about a real-life situation where things actually worked out even better than expected.

But how do I spread the word…?

Well, first I have to figure out who might be interested in what I’m putting out there — I’ve written a post about this: The first step to getting found. Which reminds me yet again why I love Google Analytics.

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The first step to getting found http://o

The first step to getting found http://ow.ly/7Q6Fh

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Trotting down memory lane…

Wonder where this goes...

It’s pretty wild… I’m working on “Getting To Work” my book about how I moved to Boston from California in 1995 and lined up work (pretty much sight-unseen) in less than a week.

Thinking back on how it all came together, I’m struck by how matter-of-fact I was about the process. And I can see why people around me were so surprised at how well it was turning out. I guess when you don’t know what all can go wrong, you tend to be less daunted. The ironic thing is, all those things that “could” have gone wrong… didn’t. I’m really glad I didn’t spend a lot of time fretting about the dread possibilities, and focused on the positive ones.

How often do we stop ourselves from just getting on with things, because of what we imagine “might” happen…?

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How will people find you? http://ow.ly/7

How will people find you? http://ow.ly/7OE7F

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Pretty amazing, actually…

Boston has been very good to me

I’m working on my book about how I landed a job within days of moving to Boston. It’s bringing back a lot of memories – both encouraging and humbling. Looking back, at the time it all seemed pretty common sense and matter-of-fact, but now that I think about it, the whole experience was pretty amazing.

I did a lot of stuff right — and a lot of things wrong — but ultimately it really did work out.

And it laid a great foundation for the next 15+ years. I’ve been working steadily ever since.

Blessed? You bet. Boston has been really good to me. But the way I did things also had something to do with it.  That’s becoming increasingly clear to me. And it’s pretty exciting to think that my experience might be able to help someone else.

Gotta keep writing…

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When I (almost) met Steve Jobs

We all have this in common...

Back around 1991-92, when I was living in Philadelphia, I had a close encounter with Steve Jobs. Yes, that Steve Jobs – the guy who pretty much helped to change everything, who has now passed on. What a loss. 56… too soon. Way too soon.

Anyway, it was about 20 years ago. I was returning a rental car first thing on Monday morning, on my way to work. I was headed out to the airport, where I’d rented the car, and I needed to fill up the tank. So, I stopped at this gas station that was on just this side of the bridge, pumped my gas, and went inside to pay. There was a man standing in front of me in line who I thought looked vaguely familiar.

Now, mind you, this was the early 1990′s, before everyone and their aunt, uncle, brother, sister, niece, nephew, and grandparent had a computer of their own. Before Macs were generally cool — and known. Only people in academia and the defense industry had email. Nobody I knew could fathom why you would need a computer of your own at home. And not everybody knew who Steve Jobs was. I, on the other hand, had gone to school with people who were total Mac freaks, who stayed up till 3 a.m. ever single night, no matter what, exploring the Apple computer they had pooled their money and bought together.

So, I’m standing there, waiting to pay for my gas, when I hear someone call out to the man standing in line in front of me, “Hey Steve! How are you?” Then woman that the counter says, “Oh, hi Mr. Jobs! How are you today?” Holy smokes! It’s Steve Jobs! I thought, and I sneaked a look — sure did look like the Steve Jobs I’d heard about. The man in line in front of me greeted everyone in return — they all sounded like they knew each other from many a time of him pumping his gas at this same station. He sounded like a genuinely nice person as he chatted with everyone. I came this close to introducing myself and shaking his hand, but I figured he was a busy guy, and who was I, right?

I mean, he was Steve Jobs. And when it comes to fame and fortune, sometimes the best and kindest thing you can do for someone in the limelight, is give them their privacy and let them actually have a life, where some stranger isn’t intruding with the intention of “getting on their radar” for some indeterminate reason.

Well, the man in front of me chatted for a while with the folks in the store, then he took off, and it was my turn to pay. The feeling in the place was positive, upbeat. It was better after he left, than when he’d come in. People were actually happy, after talking to him. And this was first thing on a Monday morning — a not very nice day, if I remember correctly.

I think about that morning, now and then. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, lately. And it occurs to me, if Steve Jobs was able to continue in the ensuing years that same personal sense of, well, goodness that he once brought to a convenience store/gas station… then the world really has lost something precious and valuable.

Forget about the iPhones, Macs, iPads, iPods, and whatnot. Those can all be replaced, and someone else is bound to come up with something just as spiffy and cool, on down the line. The thing of it is, there’s just a little less good in the world.

I guess the rest of us have some work to do, to make up the difference.

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Compulsively blogging… again

Yada-yada-yada...

Okay, I go through these fits and starts with blogging — much of it a way of reducing/redirecting stress. We’re moving in… 3 weeks, which means I need to throw out a lot of old papers (there’s no room for them at the new place) and I need to work through the stages of grief around losing my actual office. I’ll be in a “pinwheel” before I know it – a workspace equipped with computer and motion-sensitive lighting that’s separated from the other 3 connected workspaces by a low wall that’s not quite high enough to actually block the view of prairie-dogging colleagues, but is high enough to keep my closest neighbors from track the movements of my eyes.

Not being overly fond of change (who is?) I have taken to blogging to help those less fortunate than myself — It’s called How I Found A Job and it’s about Real world tips and tricks I’ve used to keep working since 1988.

I hope it helps. If it doesn’t help anyone else, at least it will help me count my blessings and remember that having a job is better than looking for a job — “a bird in hand” and all that. Not to mention the awful, awful stress of looking…

Good God, I am so happy I don’t have to go out looking for a job right now. I know how to do it, and I’ve been extraordinarily successful at landing good opportunities and keeping working over the past 23 years — and then turning them into even better things — but it’s incredibly stressful, and I’m oh so glad I don’t have to do it.

One other thing that I’m really glad of, is that I don’t have to post something each and every day about this, in order for my blog to publish regularly. I can write all this stuff up on the weekends when I have the time, schedule it for publication at intervals throughout the coming week, and then sit back and relax till next weekend. And I have a steady stream of publishes that helps with my stats, and may even get me onto the main page of WordPress, which has been a fond dream of mine, on and off, for some time now.

Who knows how it will go? Who knows how it will pan out? Maybe I’ll lose interest in a few months. But I kind of doubt it. Especially when it’s so obvious how terribly people are struggling with finding work… and on top of it, companies are struggling to find qualified workers to fill their positions.

From either end of the spectrum, it sounds like everyone is deprived. And yet, if they could connect,  maybe they could fill in those gaps. I seem to have found a way to fill the gaps in my life, and if it works for me, hey, maybe it will work for others.

Anyway, it’s a thought.

Another thought I’ve got is doing a podcast about this. Talk about compulsive… This move must be making me nervous.  I think I actually have some errands to run.

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