Career

Own Your Planning

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"I hate to plan"

I hear that a lot.  *I* say it sometime, and I'm a person who uses Project Management techniques to plan his hobbies.  (I use SCRUM, if you must know).

Here's the hard fact of your career – you have to plan.  People succeed with different levels of planning, but you need to be able to plan.

I think a lot of people hate planning as it's been forced on them.  They were told to plan in school, by parents, teachers, bosses, etc. who told them to plan without telling them why – or often how.  When something is forced on us, we really don't like it.

The solution I find is to get INTO planning.  Own it.  Make it your own.  Take it back from the realm of people harassing you to get organized who clearly don't know what you're doing.

Go and own planning.  Do it your way.

A few tips:

  • Set goals you really want and make plans to reach them.  This helps motivate you but also lets you appreciate good planning.
  • Find fun ways to do it.  I confess I love playing with spreadsheets, documents, etc. to find new ways to plan.  You may like drawing things out, using Microsoft Project, etc.  Find what works for you.
  • Read books on it.  Some life coaches and writers get seriously into the planning/organizing thing and they enjoy it.  Their enthusiasm can be infectious – and their advice is helpful.  I reccomend "Getting Things Done" most heartily.

Finally, if you're reading this you're a geek, you're a fan.  You've planned cosplays, conventions, trading card shows, RPGs, and more.  You've probably got the ability and experience, you just don't realize it.

Go and own planning.

– Steven Savage

What Makes a Crush Object For Steve?

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Here at fan to pro, we talk about our Crush Objects, what goes into the Resume-Worthy Roundup, etc.  But we don't explain our philosophy about it.

Well Bonnie and I don't exactly have a unified philosophy about it, but here are the things that makes me crush on a company – and make me think that you might want to send that company a resume.  Next time you see a News of The Day or a Resume-Worthy Roundup, here's what I'm thinking, in no particular order, and not that every company has to meet all these requirements:

  • Bright Idea or Right Idea.  I want a company with good ideas, either really innovative, really stable, or both.  If a company can innovate and have a stable, reliable idea then I'm bang alongside it.  Just remember sometimes a dull idea that works is better than an unsure brilliant idea – and a brilliant idea may be better than a dull, plodding approach.
  • Right location.  This isn't always important to me, but some locations seem more promising than others because of prominence, recruitig opportunities, and the fact investors do seem biased to some physical locations.  My biases tend towards Seattle, the Bay Area, Greater Boston, Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Baltimore-DC, and Chicago.  The megaregions, in short.
  • Money.  The company should be financially stable or have some great Venture Capital.
  • Venture Capital.  Steve's Rule is that if someone invests $10 million or more in a company, I pay attention.  It's sort of an intuitive thing with me.  $10 million is the magic number – though in some cases, less is OK if there are other good factors.
  • The right person.  You hire some CEO or innovator with a good record, and I'm going to pay attention.
  • Savvy.  I want to see smarts, an edge, something clever – or something so functionally dull I can't deny it works.  I also want to see that you've addressed concerns before others raise them.
  • Communication.  This is amorphous, but I like companies that can communicate their ideas and are open about what they do (though in the case of stealth startups I know that doesn't always happen).  Tell me and others why you're good, talk to us.
  • Demo.  If you can show me why you're good, even with a prototype, I pay attention.
  • Right Time.  Are you coming in at the right time, or planning for a time that's right in the future?  Then I pay attention.
  • Survival.  I admire companies that ride out bad times.
  • Personality.  This is amorphous, so I think it's obvious.  I do like a company with a human side and that is "itself."

So that's what gets companies to crush object status with me and/or gets them into the Resume Worthy Roundup.

Now, feel free to argue – or tell me your standards!

– Steven Savage

Dirty Mythbusting Jobs Versus Nature With Bizarre Foods in The Wild

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I love Mythbusters.  That's a tame statement actually, but human vocabulary is limited.  Let's just say now and then when I fire up Netflix, the people I live with dread I'm going to watch some episode for the 3rd or 4th time.  Seriously though, how can you not watch a hot water tank take off like a rocket again and again?

In fact, I love shows like Mythbusters, though they're my prime love.  I love these oddball reality-esque shows that look at weird jobs, foods, areas, history, and more.  You know the formula – get the right host with a good personality, a subject, turn them loose, and film the fascinating results.  From blowing up toilets to eating tuna eyeballs, these shows are addictive to people like me.

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