Life Advice Courtesy of Mike Rowe

I’ve posted about Mike Rowe previously.  I really respect him.  Which made it a no-brainer that I would love this article.  Long story short, a guy is asking Mike for career advice and he gets some unique advice that is probably nothing like what he expected.  The moral of the story is to get to work and stop trying to wait for the perfect fit in terms of a career.  My favorite quote from the article is “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.

Enjoy!

Til Next Time,

Michael

Dirty Jobs

For those of you who don’t know Mike Rowe or have never watched his show on The Discovery Channel, he essentially profiles some of the “dirtier” jobs in America by shadowing as an apprentice to learn how tasks are accomplished for the typical laborer.

Back in 2009, Mike was invited to do a TED Talk on his profession and reflect on what it has meant to him.  While the story he uses to open up the conversation is a bit grotesque (it wouldn’t be a “dirty” job if it weren’t though), the message he provides and the lessons he shares are really remarkable.

We are entering an age where the value of previously-considered commonplace jobs (e.g. electricians, carpenters, plumbers, welders) has almost been forgotten.  I completely appreciate his sentiments on the need for a PR campaign for work.  Trade school enrollments and skilled labor training remains at an all-time low.  Our infrastructure is rapidly declining and the American Society of Chemical Engineers has stated time and time again that we have drastic investments in our infrastructure required just to keep things like roadways and bridges passable.  I know I have talked previously about the value of work of all kinds.  And while I generally push more for technology skills/training/jobs, his presentation is a calm reminder that we need to encourage people to enter into professions of all kinds if we want to continue to remain a viable world power.  The time is now; let’s all get to work!

Hope you enjoy it!

Til Next Time,

Michael