Personal Advancement
Find out what you want and chase it with a vengeanceSerious ambitionI've managed to thrive in radio broadcasting -- a business that is endlessly changing and whose death knell is sounded even as it breaks ad revenue records -- because I am ambitious, I'm not adverse to considered risk and I get things done. LISA BRANDT |
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 [ 2007-08-03 ] |
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People would call me a doer.
If something catches my interest, like abstract painting did a few years ago, I'll make the time to give it a try. Now a few of my works hang proudly in our home and I'm considering taking my budding art to a wider audience.
It was always my goal to write a book and Celebrity Tantrums: The Official Dirt was borne of that ambition.
After college, I was offered an unpaid internship at a medium market radio station in my home province.
It was a good foot-in-the-door opportunity of answering the contest phone lines and some of my fellow students were quite envious.
They were also very puzzled when I turned it down and headed west in pursuit of a real job in a smaller market.
Within a few weeks, I was on the air full-time, learning every aspect of the business in a two-station town. I simply didn't see how answering phones would make me a better announcer, faster.
The overnight announcing job led to evenings in another slightly bigger town in another province, followed by afternoons and so on.
A young broadcasting graduate who once called me for advice offers an example of ignoring what it takes to make your dream come true.
She was working at a fast food restaurant while half-heartedly looking for work in radio and secretly hoping the perfect job would find her.
I told her she had to decide what she really wanted and chase it with a vengeance, but it was obvious from her attitude that she probably wouldn't make it in radio.
She is now the restaurant's manager.
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TIPS TO GET WORK EXPERIENCE:
Decide what to do
The first step is to decide what kind of work experience you need. Use the Internet, talk with people in the business and teachers at college or university.
Find the right spot
Research to find companies that will open doors for you later on. Talk with people who have worked for various companies in the industry for ideas.
Consider moving
Many companies are based in larger cities, but have properties all over the country. It's often easier to get your foot in the door by starting small, then work for other opportunities.
Exit plan
Before you move, get an exit plan in case it doesn't work out. Maybe it's moving back in with your parents for a while or moving back to a dead-end job in the city.
Do you have you a bad boss?