The Informational Interview Mother Lode
An informational interview is one of the more valuable modes of discovery for really understanding a given career. There’s no better way of figuring out what the job actually entails on a daily basis, what the education requirements might be, and what type of person would do well/be happy in said career. And that right there is the best part of the interview: figuring out the personality type that meshes so well with someone’s chosen field, and listening to them explain how they got from Point A to Point B on their career path.
The circuitous routes are fascinating, the direct I-Knew-What-I-Wanted-To-Be-Before-I-Could-Walk routes are compelling for their intense focus, and then there are the one-eighties who about-face partway through and head in the complete opposite direction. Honestly, when I’m at a dinner or a party and I’m forced to abandon my reclusive tendencies and talk to humans I don’t know, finding out how they got where they are professionally is much more interesting to me than what it is they do all day.
The Pursue the Passion project has an entire section of their site devoted to archived informational interviews. The idea behind the project is amazing all on its own:
Pursue the Passion started as a group of college students who had no idea what to do with their lives after graduation. The solution to their dilemma was to hit the road and explore different career options by interviewing people about their career paths. They found a sponsor in Jobing.com, bought an RV, and started exploring the possibilities. Sixteen thousand miles and hundreds of interviews later, their concept has turned into a flagship program of the Jobing Foundation.
Equally fabulous is the collection of interviews they’ve archived. Most of the interviews are conducted by the PTP team during the annual tours they take in their RV. Interviews are also conducted by high school students who’ve hit the school project jackpot and get to pick the brain of an adult currently living the teenage interviewer’s career dream (stuntman, video game designer, etc.). It’s a learning experience, so the teachers approve, and it gives the kids a much more realistic picture of what their fantasy job involves.
Pursue the Passion interviews are listed by Industry, by Name, by State or by Title.
Posted by Alexa Harrington
In college many people change their majors, some even do so several times. Once out in the “real” world people often take jobs that have little to do with their majors, or even start out in one career area only to find their skills and talents are not limited to that area, but rather lend themselves to other areas as well. I agree, the journey is the interesting part!
Thanks for the mother lode posting!
@Lynn–Since it’s looking as though retirement may not be an option for Gen-Xers (like me), I’m going for the curviest career path ever. It should be interesting.
@Brett–You’re most welcome.