What I Learned On My Career Journey (And How YOU Can Do Better)

Isn’t it a tragedy that so many of us don't do what we love for a career? Maybe we end up just taking a job just to keep our family financially secure. Or we don’t strike out on our own because we fear failure. Or maybe, somewhere along our career path we lose sight of our passions.

As a serial entrepreneur, I’ve been lucky enough to finally find my passions of enterprise software blogging and ERP consulting. I say lucky because I never had a real plan and it took until I was about 32 years old before I even had a clue! Maybe my story can help you save some time on your path to your dream job. 

As a kid growing up in the 1970’s, one of my favorite TV shows was ‘The Waltons’ (millennials, ask your parents). While the other kids at my elementary school wanted to be sports heroes or astronauts, I thought I wanted to be a writer like John Boy.

My father had been retired from the Navy since I was baby. He had been a radar technician and a Petty Officer during the Korean War. Although he had been good at math and science in high school, he found that studying physics at the University of North Carolina was not to his liking and he dropped out to join the Navy at age 19.

The military gave him an opportunity to apply his talents to electronics, but he never rose far in the officer ranks. He said if he had to do it all over again, he would've liked to be a lawyer or a politician.

The Talk

When I told my father that I wanted to write for a career like John Boy, though, my dad tried to convince me that I should be (go figure) a lawyer or a politician. We lived in the Washington DC area at the time, so I guess those career paths made more sense than being a journalist. But I was a stubborn kid.

Our conversation went something like this:

Dad: You know that journalism means long hours and brutal deadlines. Plus, writers don’t make much money.
Me: Well, John Boy is poor and has to work hard, but at least he's doing what he loves.
Dad: Just because you think you love something doesn’t mean you’ll be successful doing it as a career. Son, you've got half a brain (thanks, Dad). Why not be a lawyer where you could have a quicker path to financial security?
Me: John Boy is one of the smartest guys on TV (how’s that for an argument?) and he chose journalism.
Dad: Yes, but he struggles every day to feed his family. He wouldn’t have to do that if he was lawyer.
Me: That’s a good point. But at least he doesn’t have to be a lawyer. He has an honorable job. (big smile)
Dad: Lawyers don’t just make lots of money, you know. They can make a difference.
Me: Sorry Pops. Unfortunately, all lawyers aren't like Atticus Finch. (“To Kill a Mockingbird” was and still is my favorite book)
Dad: Touche. OK, I understand you're not keen on being a lawyer. Well, what about a politician?

I didn’t even touch that one. At any rate, the upshot was that I got all confused about what I should do for a career. It took me about 20 years of job hopping to find out what I really wanted to do with my life! You can do better. 

The Long and Winding Road

Here are some of the twists and turns in my career journey, and what I learned at each bend. I'm not real proud of all of them, but looking back I did pick up skills with each job that helped me succeed when I finally found my dream career.

Clothing Store Manager – Took a retail manager job right out of college with DC clothing chain Britches Great Outdoors. Although I hated the job, I still learned the basics of selling and managing people, which are crucial skills as an executive or an entrepreneur. 

Unemployed - Quit Britches after one year because I was going crazy in a mind-numbing job and wanted to “do something more in line with my major” (Economics). My Dad, ever my biggest fan, congratulated me again on having half a brain. Thanks, Dad! 

During my 1+ years of unemployment, I taught myself how to use WordPerfect (pre Microsoft Word, yes I'm old) and Lotus 1-2-3 (pre Excel) by going to the public library and using PCs there. I learned how important it is to pick up marketable skills on your own, not just through work experience or school - especially if you want to switch industries! Plus, you never know when you could be "downsized".

Economic Analyst, Litigation Support – Because my only job was retail store manager, I decided to submit copies of my college Econometrics paper along with my resume. Miraculously I landed a job with an economic analysis firm called N/E/R/A. Every person I interviewed with said they read my SAS-based “baseball study” about whether it would be a good idea to have a baseball team in DC - well before the Nats. This paper essentially landed me the job. I learned that you should never sell yourself short. And that you actually can pick up something useful in college.

When my boss wanted me to learn a new skill, he simply handed me a book and said "Read it, dummy." I learned that I could pick up new programming languages pretty easily once I had one under my belt. The logic of programming appealed to my analytical side, taught me patience and gave me a real transferable skill. I highly recommend learning how to code - even if you don't end up in technology.

Project Manager, Technical Writer - While at N/E/R/A I was recruited by a government contractor (aka, "Beltway Bandit") called Washington Consulting Group. At WCG I got more advanced with my SAS Programming and was promoted to lead projects. Wow - my Britches experience did finally came in handy!

Not only did I  learn to manage IT projects, I also got I got pushed into writing proposals. This awoke my childhood enthusiasm for writing, even though I found the topics to be excruciatingly dull. Just like my job! No offense to government contractors – it just wasn't for me.

Meanwhile I started working part-time on my MBA in Finance and IT at George Mason University in hopes of preparing myself for another career pivot. Although I enjoyed consulting and programming, I found that I liked the "people person" aspects of the job more. I learned that if you're a people person,  you probably shouldn't be a programmer for life. Or a government contractor. 

Manufacturing ERP Consultant

•  land my dream job with Baan as a Finance consultant even though I know basically nothing about ERP software or the manufacturing industry. Learned that enterprise software can be sexy. Also learned you should always be open to career pivots, because your dream job may just be around the bend. 
• Leave Baan as the company gets acquired and become an independent consultant in L.A. Live at the beach during a period I still call my "rock star days". Learned that you can love your work and still have time to play, just like my idol Richard Branson. And that consulting and manufacturing are COOL.
• 2003 – Get over my fear of a startup enough to found Performa Apps and inforln.com. I can honestly say it's my dream job, and I've built a company that I can be proud of. Learned that being an entrepreneur can be the most thrilling and rewarding career path out there.
• 2012 - Survive a severe downturn in the market and layoffs (including my brother) before getting the business back on track. Resist the urge to sell out and get a job in another field just to have a job. Learned that no matter how bleak the situation looks or how small you feel, you should never give up! Plus you should always go with your heart if you love something.

How YOU Can Do (Much) Better...

You may be thinking that this guy was completely lost more than half his life, so why should I listen to him? Well, I believe that my story illustrates several insights that may help you find a smoother and more direct career path than mine. So, after you read them, GO DO IT!

1. Inventory your transferable skills. This are useful if you're switching careers or starting your own business. If you’re not aware of what these are, do an inventory of them right now. Then learn these 7 Social Media Secrets and start a blog on LinkedIn! 
2. Start writing. You owe it to yourself to start writing even if it's just for you. Encourage your kids to write and create art too...even if you don't think it should be a career for you or them. Who knows? It might be.
3. Get in “continuous learning” mode. At the very least you can perform at a higher level and move up the corporate ladder. At the best, you'll develop the tools to be ready for anything when the opportunity comes. And it will.
4. Go for your dream job. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be careful. I'm saying that once you figure out what your passion is, you need to make the leap!
5. Remember that you have more strength than you know. Call on this reserve when you feel you're lost. There is no feeling of exhilaration like coming back, and you can do it. Don't forget.

At the end of the day, I think that the most important thing I've learned on my career journey is that if you feel successful then you are successful. No one can take that away from you. Find what you love to do, be happy and take good care of your family.  Isn't that really what all our career journeys should be about?"

If you have a career journey that you feel will help others to navigate their career path or land their dream job, then I hope you will share it with us in the comments below. I’m always interested to hear other people’s stories about living their passions, and I firmly believe others are too.

If you liked this post, here are a few others. I'm still aspiring to be John Boy!

• How Amazon Crushed Big Competitors (And You Can Too)
• SAP ERP Customers - May the FORCE Be With You
• How to Increase the ROI of Your ERP System – Cut the Flab
• 3 Easy Ways to Put Your Enterprise Software on a Diet
• Can Enterprise Software be SEXY?
• 7 Simple Ways to Avoid an ERP Project Disaster
• 3 Leadership Secrets From Richard Branson
• 4 Simple Ways to Take the HORROR Out of a Startup
• 4 More Simple Ways to Take the HORROR Out of a Startup

Posted by Dan Aldridge

Dan Aldridge is the CEO of Performa Apps, an ERP software consulting firm specializing in Infor LN and Baan. He is also the founder of a new website for enterprise software enthusiasts called inforln.com.

Dan has almost 20 years of ERP implementation experience. He has helped dozens of companies with their enterprise software implementations and training including Carrier, Mercedes Benz, Snap-on Tools, Blue Bird, Flextronics and a host of other manufacturing companies.

Dan is also a blogger on LinkedIn and Wordpress. He is a movie buff and is trying his hand at blogs like Star Wars themed SAP ERP Customers - May the Force be With You. 

You can reach Dan on e-mail at dan(dot)aldridge(at)i-app.com or on his social networks:About.me, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Scoop.it, WordPress,Slideshare, Pinterest and Facebook. His company Performa Apps is on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Scoop.it and Slideshare.