In order for me to write this newsletter twice a month, I’ve had to become a collector of ideas and stories.
Here are 3 stories/ideas I want to share in this last newsletter of 2024.
Finding your through line.
Maya Shankar is a neuroscientist who served as a White House advisor, and worked as an advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations. She currently works at Google and has a top-rated podcast called, A Slight Change of Plans.
Prior to this impressive resume however, Maya’s goal was to attend The Juilliard School and become a professional violinist.
Until she suffered a hand injury that brought that career path to an abrupt end.
She had tied her identity to becoming a professional violinist for so long that suffering that injury felt like a blow to her existence. But then, she came to a crossroads where she began to look at the through line between all her previous experiences and why she had enjoyed them. More than playing the violin, she found that her experiences had been richest when she was connecting with other people – her fellow violinists and her teachers.
Fueled by her interest in human behavior and how people connect, she decided to pursue a PhD in cognitive neuroscience. That path would lead her to some even more incredible roles like the ones I’ve mentioned above, where she applied her skills in the neuroscience of human connection in practical ways.
I found Maya’s story to be a powerful anecdote in career change and how to go about it…especially when making that career change means you have to let go of an identity you held for so long.
Life got so much better when I discovered my through line. Two actually. It took me until my thirties to realize that my through lines were teaching and writing. At every stage in my life, I was most alive when I was either teaching or writing.
Everything I do now – whether it is for my day job or the career consulting business I run on the side – is centered around teaching and writing. And I couldn’t be happier.
Find your through line.
Creating your own game.
Actor Matt Damon (from the Bourne series of movies) started auditioning for lead roles in movies in the late 1980s.
He kept getting rejected from big roles until he and his childhood friend, Ben Affleck, wrote and starred in their own movie Good Will Hunting in 1997.
The movie went on to win several awards including both the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Screenplay. Their co-star Robin Williams won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
…and Matt Damon became a household name.
But he had to create his own game first.
This story resonated with me because I remember applying for numerous medical writing jobs and getting rejected for almost two years. I started a content writing business and served small business clients until someone saw my portfolio in 2020 and thought I would be a great fit for an agency science writer role they were hiring for.
Create your own game.
Rejecting money guilt.
The first step to getting paid better is accepting that you deserve to be paid better.
Money IS important.
Beyond bills, there are mouths to feed and families to take care of, and wealth to build so the cycle of poverty can be broken.
Never fall into the trap of “Oh my goodness, you want more money? How superficial!”
Living well and most of all, looking out for the people who depend on you is not superficial where I come from. Don’t let society use nonsense to convince you otherwise.
Reject money guilt and its cousins.
That’s it for this year.
Reply and let me know if you gleaned any useful insights today.
I wish you warmest greetings for the season.
(Personal note: I’m looking forward to cuddling with my husband and son for Christmas. They’ve been through a lot with me, and are the biggest supporters of every single crazy idea I have. And so this time of the year is precious for me because I get to soak them up for the incredible human beings they are. :))
See you in 2025.
Your Fave Career Aunty out.