The Brian Lehrer Show

I think this is great. I agree 100% by the way. My life was on autopilot. I did what I thought I was supposed to do. I finished high school, got into a college, and prepared to finish college. Then I was forced to leave college and suddenly the autopilot was turned off. I had to fly for myself and it was the scariest time of my life!

There is no plan.

While Johnny Bunko might be the first American business manga, there is at least one translated Japanese business comic and it's absolutely great for adults -- Project X Challengers. The comic basically tells really interesting, often unintentionally funny business startup stories. The one I am holding right now tells the story of the unlikely and incredibly difficult invention of the original Nissin Cup Noodle. It's great! It's full of lines like: "An instant Ramen in a ready-made container? I just can't imagine it! Because there's been nothing like it before..."

Go find it at your local comic shop.

I've had many different jobs/careers, and ended up doing exactly what I had avoided doing twenty years ago due to the risky nature of it. Now I'm an artist. (Not that I wasn't good at all the other things I tried -- I just wasn't happy doing them.) I"m doing pretty good, too -- I guess I wasn't ready twenty years ago anyway, and all my experiences serve as "material."

The moral of this story is?

what is the difference between fundemental decisions and instrumental decisions?

This is so comforting. I always thought I was crazy and the only person who thinks this way. Well, I still might be crazy, we don't know yet about that, but at least now I know I am not alone in this way of thinking about life planning or not.

As a follow up, I did go back to college. But it hadn't been that straight-shot, four-year process that most traditional students go through.

Where was this book when I started my career? I have a Master's (in Liberal Arts) and have a mid-level job at a corporation (had to sell my soul). I tried, Engineering, Pre-Med, Nursing School, Accounting, and finally settled with a Liberal Arts degree (both undergrad and grad) and it has goten me nowhere. Whatever happened to do what you love and the money will follow?

totally agree.

I have always followed my own voice. Now, at 32 I am reaping the benefits professionally. My reputation, diligence and experience generally speak for me before I ever have to submit a resumé.

This was not always the case...but patience and mindful maintenance of my integrity has paid off.

I find that many people's success stories often start with the day they were fired from a job they didn't enjoy or were a 'bad fit' with.

Thanks for the show. It's great that young people or those seeking change in their own careers might benefit from this author's message.

Re#7

You are not alone with the grad degree in the liberal arts/humanities w/o a commensurate job that pays well, or at least enough to live well in NYC, working for the benefit of the world. But it's not your fault. America's ethos, it's "spirit", is not conducive to the "spirit" of the liberal arts, the humanities. Even in the academy, the spirit is often more self-interested than not, expcept there often the self-interest driving the decisions is masked as serving higher purposes. But, you know, given the course of "capitalism" eating up the earth, America demanding economies must eat up the earth in it's sick quest for productivity and profit it calls progress, there is not much room left for decent action. We don't create jobs that sustain the earth and the people in vast numbers. It's a bummer.

I'll tell you all what. As well meaning as this book is, if you really need a book to tell you how to live your life, you're already on the wrong track!

This all reminds me of that scene in "Life of Brian" where Brian tells the crowd to be individuals and think for themselves, and they all do what he says, just because they can't think for themselves...