What should I do for a career?

Career advice: What are the best methods to decide a career you love and good at?

• Based on my experience and background, how do you choose the ideal career? My problem: I can’t find what I love to do for work? My goal: to be proud, excited, passionate about what I to do everyday while being beneficial to society and my family. Ideally, I would like to run my own business, though, neither have the capital to start nor want to be committed to a bank loan or investors. I am willing to work for a small firm in which I respect the people I’m working for both personally and career wise in which they could take me under their wing and learn from them while ultimately giving back to my mentors by earning as much as humanly possible for them. Do I create a product and worry about it selling and inventory piling up? Or do I become a broker/salesman with no product inventory though worry about people choosing me to provide a service? Then there lies the problem with service based business, when you stop working, you stop earning. Versus when you have a product that is manufactured, that business can be past on to your family and potentially earn for generations as a cash machine? Work Interests: I love business & investing. Business in that, I love new trendy ideas and business models as well as core business such as manufacturing and public storage. I’m 29 years old; I bought my first stock at 10 years (ZQK) and managed my portfolio since 20. I’ve never made a lot of money doing this because I’ve never had a huge sum of money to earn substantial returns. I’ve read Forbes and other financial & business periodicals since 14 years old in which has been a rich education. I though of many great ideas that I never acted on in which later became successful without me: Action Sports Network in early 90’s now in which you have FUEL. I’ve wanted to become a distributor for Waterless Urinals, though didn’t want the risk of huge inventory commitments and locked up capital. Wanted to broker food for a friends company and advised him that I would be targeting airline, retail and universities – we could never agree on terms – now that friend is rather successful in airline, retail and universities. Internet sites, small retail business, distribution, restaurants, bars, etc, I never followed through mostly due to financial commitments I didn’t have though glad I didn’t execute in hindsight. Work Experience: since graduating college in 2005 and during college, besides my bartending job during school, I have held jobs which I manage my own schedule and have been somewhat successful in my roles. None of my roles have been sexy or high paying at all. Though, my work experience has been extremely beneficial in that: managed and ran an online CD sales business throughout college (1 man show) giving me sales, business management, customer service, finance experience; during a 6-month contract managed two online properties for a Surf publication with roles in marketing and editing. Worked for a major telecomm corporation for past four years working with retail dealer distribution in CA and NYC as a consultant/sales manager in sales B2C & B2B, sales training, merchandising, advertising, business operations, customer services, reporting, analysis and forecasting to name a few. Education: I hold a BA in Communications from a California State University. School has was not an interest to me and I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, so I chose a general discipline, which I later regret. If I were to go back, I most likely would get a MBA or masters in engineering. Hobbies: Surf, Golf, Bicycling. Reading about business, equities. Investing. Eating, cooking, food, wine and cheese. Fly fishing, camping, traveling. Eclectic music. Attributes:                 Hard working – I work hard and mostly work smart. Both my parents are immigrants and              entrepreneurs which have definitely rubbed of on me.                 Honest, loyal, effective, motivated to succeed. Modest.                 Test results:                 - DISC – both high D & C – Dominance and Conscientiousness                 - Personality (based on employer provided test like Myers Briggs – both introverted and              extroverted                 - Work roles (based on employer provided tests) – both high analyst and sales/broker/liaison    roles I’m currently still working full-time which I would love to leave any minute because I’m simply just not happy in a corporate environment, I don’t get paid enough, I don’t like the culture, the opportunity for growth isn’t there and I don’t feel challenged or stimulated intellectually by anyone or anything at my work. I’ve attempted to start and run part-time business while working fulltime and broker deals on the side but nothing has ever clicked because, mostly, lack of time to dedicate to my other ventures. I’m currently trying to sell injection molding machines and eventually plastic resin and color, though, until I can sell consistently, I cant stop my job quite yet and unsure 100% if I can succeed in the plastic business in which I don’t have the proper education – though – I have educated myself in every other career role and venture I’ve done and so I’m not too worried. I like to sell though don’t love it, I love closing deals and nearly every successful entrepreneur has always learned how to sell so the selling experience is important to me. Based on the above, what do I do? How do I choose something I love to do and will be successful while being an entrepreneur and in control in my life style and income? What is that career? What can I get myself into in which I can still provide for my wife, my daughter to be due in 7/15/11, my dog etc. while slowly transition to being 100% self employed, earning for my family and investing into to passive cash machines, real estate and stock market. Thank you for taking the time to read and answer. Eric

• Answer:

  Thanks for asking Eric, Let me share with you something I`ve learned along the way: nobody knows anything, not even you (I´ll explain this in a second) So, eventhough it´s wise to ask people for guidance, the matter of fact is you don´t need it that much, Why? I´m sure you`ve read or heard of books such as: 8 habits for successfull people or How i got rich, etc; the problem with these books is that the authors think that if they did it that way, then, that´s they way to follow, and if you follow there steps, you will achieve greatness. You know what: BULLSHIT. For everyone of such books I can name you about hundreds of people who perform the exact same steps and never achieve a millionare status, also, I can tell you about millions of people who did exactly the opposite of what authors say, and end being successfull. Hence, there is no recipe for success. The aforementioned explains, in part, what i mean with nobody knows. People can tell you that your best shot is working for a startup in Sillicon Valley, because that´s what they do, others will tell you that´s nonesense, because the real value lies in Wall Street and the financial markets, because, as you can guess, that´s what they do for living. Until now, not one person has figured out the precise steps people need to follow in order to be successfull. Many claim it´s hard work, curiosity, braveness, honesty, bla bla bla. Honestly, I don´t know. Surely, if you are a lazy person your chances diminsih in front of a hard worker, but only and only if your background, intelligence, looks, friends, are equal, if not, then some other variable will take place. So, be a skeptic when someone tells you what you must do. However, this doesn´t mean there´s nothing you can do to improve your chances of getting better in life and find your passion. Since we don´t know how the future will play out, then, we need to gamble a liitle bit. The only thing you need to play this game is reason, in other words, beign rational when you choose your steps. Most people tell others what to do, but, maybe, a wiser advice is what no to do, the things you shall eliminate from you life. But what sort of things are those: mainly, fragile stuff. I won´t lecture you about this, you need to reflect and think for yourself, although, I can share my definition of fragile. Fragile things are those that break and perish in presence of volatility. When things remain without change, these things thrive, but the minute the landscape begins to change, trouble is on the way. In stark contrast, other stuff flourish in presence of volatitly, or at least they don´t die. For instance, you could work at a company for years and learn how to perform certain activities really well, but never develop any skill, suddenly, your boss leaves or investors find out that the books were cooked, or America faces another recession; neither of those were under your control, but you end up being fired, and except for your savings (if you were carefull) it´s back to square one. But, if you acquire certain skills that can be usefull no matter were you work, probably, your odds at finding something new improve. Thus, make an effort to detect fragility all around you: either on your work, your personality, skills, investments, etc. Finally, how to find your passion? Again, let me spare you the trouble, unless stuff that you really hate (avoid them at all costs), I´m sure there are many things you enjoy and are passionate about, so, each one could become your true calling in life, or even better, you start at something only to discover a whole new path  that you love but never contemplate. In sum:, you don´t know how life will turn out, In consequence the best thing you can do is to take action; make the calls, get involved, start and build something, fall and get up again, acept rejection and learn from it, be brave, get out of your comfort zone, put skin in the game: stay open, who knows, lighting could strike. * Footnote, When you bet on something, always compare the outcomes, The best scenario is one in which you can constantly loose, but very little, however, when you win, the prize is huge. Be aware and afraid of the opposite outcome.