May 08, 2014 A fan asks Mike Row for career advice
Mike Rowe. King of them all. Mostly known for his role on Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, he was recently asked by a fan on how to secure the “right” job. Although Mike has achieved celebrity status from this role, I guarantee that he wasn’t seeking this job when it came to finding a career. I mean, who wants to work in the pits of the dirtiest jobs? No one. But Mike’s response to this fan was right on point. You just never know what could happen with anything you do so you just try it all and continue moving forward until you land on something you love – Always be experimenting.
Below is the main takeaway from Mike’s response but click here to check out the full letter.
“Stop looking for the “right” career, and start looking for a job. Any job. Forget about what you like. Focus on what’s available. Get yourself hired. Show up early. Stay late. Volunteer for the scut work. Become indispensable. You can always quit later, and be no worse off than you are today. But don’t waste another year looking for a career that doesn’t exist. And most of all, stop worrying about your happiness. 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.
Many people today resent the suggestion that they’re in charge of the way the feel. But trust me, Parker. Those people are mistaken. That was a big lesson from Dirty Jobs, and I learned it several hundred times before it stuck. What you do, who you’re with, and how you feel about the world around you, is completely up to you.”