How Brad Stevens Got His Dream Job

It's going to be hard to think about much besides basketball in Indianapolis this week. We already knew we'd be immersed in the Final Four hullaballoo by virtue of the fact that March Madness, as it often does, ends here. But little did we suspect we'd be cheering for the home team--the Butler Bulldogs--as well.

It's an irresistible story: A small school (4,500 students) led by a young coach (33-year-old Brad Stevens) defies the odds and makes it to the NCAA Final Four—just miles from their own campus. The national media has already begun to tire of its own parallels to the movie Hoosiers (part of which, of course, was filmed in Butler's home arena). But perhaps the most fascinating element is the coach himself.

Brad Stevens played high school basketball in Zionsville, where he is still the all-time leading scorer. (My brother-in-law Andrew Hand played on the high school team with him, but I haven't yet managed to parlay that into an introduction.) Brad went on to play basketball in college at DePauw while majoring in business. Upon graduation, he joined Eli Lilly in a marketing capacity. But his heart was still on the basketball court, and he volunteered as a high school coach and also in administrative roles with the Butler team.

Within seven years, he had been hired by Butler and moved up the ranks to head coach. And now, just a few years later, he's led the team to its first-ever Final Four.

I can't help but think of the book I edited, Your Dream Job Game Plan, in which sports agent Molly Fletcher puts forth the five tools you need to get your own dream job:

• Passionate style
  
• Fearlessness
  
• A game plan
  
• Flawless execution
  
• Managing choices
  

I haven't met Brad, but it's obvious that he used all five of these tools to reach—and excel in—his dream job. Imagine how scary it must have been to give up a secure and lucrative business career for a shot at coaching. He had a passion for basketball, he managed his career choices, he had a plan, and he executed his plan flawlessly. And now all of Indiana is cheering him on as his team faces Michigan State (ironically, Molly's alma mater) in the first game of the Final Four.

Reached for comment this afternoon, Molly had this to say:

Brad Stevens is a “5-tool-plus-some coach." Getting to the final four--as Brad Stevens has done--requires passion, game plans, fearlessness, execution (married with a little luck sometimes). Brad gets it. He is a heck of a x and o coach--but an equally good motivator--and has gelled his guys together to find himself home in Indianapolis living out a dream. But, as a former Spartan, I must add, so has Izzo. Go Green!

Brad and his team are already winners in our eyes, regardless of what happens on Saturday.

Blog (and Cook) Your Way to a New Career

Kansas City career coach Meg Montford (who not too many years ago joined me for a dinner of "Hot Brown" sandwiches at Louisville's Brown Hotel while we were at a conference) today blogs about a new movie that will inspire career changers. The movie is Julie & Julia, based on Julie Powell's book of the same name.

Meg shares how the movie shows Julie stuck in a miserable career. Then she gets the inspiration to cook every one of the more than 500 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking--and blogging about it--in just one year. Of course, her husband thinks she's nuts. But followers flock and before long Julie has found a new career as a writer. Meg believes you'll find some career inspiration from this delightful-looking movie.

I have to confess that I read Julie's book when it was still in galley form (I picked it up at Book Expo). And it turned me on to the magic of blogging. Seeing what it did for her, I resolved to start my own blog. And although I don't anticipate it being made into a Hollywood production anytime soon, it was still a good decision that has opened doors and made great connections for me. Best of all, it's gotten me into the discipline of writing regularly instead of always fixing other people's work. Both are noble occupations, but they take different skill sets. Keeping both sharp has been a blessing.

You'll note that publishers Little, Brown and Knopf have taken advantage of the movie's release with special editions of both Julie and Julia's books with covers that call attention to their connections to the movie. They will get a new sales boost as a result.

Of course, I want to see the movie. But I used up my "one theatre movie per year without the kid" allowance this weekend on Johnny Depp (and I do not regret it). I might have to wait for the DVD.

Hey, Unemployed Journalists: Join the Dark Side

Last week's Gannett newspaper layoffs were upsetting in many ways. It was tangible evidence of an evaporating career field, not to mention a blow to the quality and depth of the local news in nearly 100 U.S. cities. I began to wonder what will happen to all the journalists, left free-falling without an abundance of desirable career options. (And always in the back of my mind is the idea that book publishing is not far behind on the continuum.)

But along comes David Meerman Scott, writing for EconentMag.com, with an idea of how to use your journalism skills at private corporations, nonprofits, educational institutions, and government agencies (see the article here). Although media relations has always been a good tangential option, that's not what he's talking about. He's talking about using your storytelling skills to create internal and web content that educates and informs various audiences. And he says your skills are badly needed now.

Scott admits that many journalists will see working for a corporation as selling out, but argues that it doesn't have to be like that if you adjust your thinking and align things correctly.

He doesn't go into great detail about how to get these types of jobs, however. But for now, maybe it's enough just to open the door a crack and get people thinking in that direction. Work your extensive networks and try to set up meetings with people in charge of corporate communications and web content at companies you admire in your area. Be open to the idea of working as a contractor for more than one company. Open your mind and explore your options.

Meanwhile, if you're feeling cynical about journalism, enjoy this modest proposal, from Richard Sine in the Huffington Post, who says we need to close the journalism schools and stop cranking out more gullible media hopefuls into a dying industry.

150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs

Once in a while, the stars align and a publisher puts out a book at just the right time. Finally, that's happened for JIST with the October publication of Laurence Shatkin's 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs. I claim no credit whatsoever for this book, except that when it was proposed, I said "How quickly can you get it out?" Who knew back last year that the book would come out at the precise moment that the U.S. economy appeared to dive into an irreversible downward spiral?

Lo and behold, the media are going gaga over this book's premise. Where can people shift their skills to avoid unemployment in a market that sees new casualties on a daily basis? Laurence is happy to shed light on that question, as he did yesterday on ABC News NOW (find a link to the video here). Education and health care are his top picks, as well as transportation.

In case you're curious, editors made the list, checking in at #96.

"Fan to Pro's" Tips for Getting Publishing Jobs Despite the Downturn

Fan to Pro is a neat blog that shows people how to apply their fannish and geeky interests to their jobs and careers. I guess I never thought of writing and editing as geeky, but maybe that's because I'm too fannish about it?

At any rate, this recent post caught my eye. It makes some good points about how to redirect your writing career dreams in a way that capitalizes on the fast-moving trends of the industry. I've been thinking of doing a post on this very subject, with a more specific spin toward the book sector. So stay tuned for that one (hint: I think graphic designers and page-layout people should be learning XML).

Simmons College Career Resources for Publishing and English

This morning the trusty Google alerts turned up the fact that Simmons College in Boston has a special section of its library devoted to career resources, with corresponding online help as well. So check out this great list of links provided by the Miller/Knopf Career Resource Library.

Simmons Librarian Julie Waddick also keeps a fantastic blog. She's reporting that today is National Punctuation Day; however, I have it on good authority that it's not until September 24. So I'm holding off on fixing that question-mark-shaped meatloaf until next month.

Laurence Shatkin Serves Money for Breakfast

JIST editor and author Laurence Shatkin officially became a media darling this morning with his appearance on Fox Business News' "Money for Breakfast" program. (Watch the video here--search for the segment called "Recession-Proof Jobs.")

His appearance was in support of his upcoming book, 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs, which will be in our warehouse at the end of September. Discussion centered on tech and health care jobs, which seem to be the safe haven of the foreseeable future.

So, Laurence, any advice for recession-proofing a publishing career? :)

Department of Labor Data on the Publishing Industry

One good thing about working for a career publisher is the facility I have gained with government employment data. Scarily, I have the Department of Labor URLs memorized. I thought today you'd like to take a gander at their stats and projections regarding the publishing industry--what the jobs are, how many people have them, median earnings, and the outlook for future employment. You can see it all on the Publishing page of the Career Guide to Industries.

Christine Larson on Ghostwriting as a Career

Thanks to author/editor Laurence Shatkin for pointing me to this fun piece in the New York Times by Christine Larson. Larson was surprised to find ghostwriting on the U.S. News and World Report list of best careers for 2008. She gives an overview of her career without overglamorizing it (in fact, she refers to her career as "a pig in a prom dress" compared to the other jobs on the list). You can find out more interesting information about ghostwriting in U.S. News and World Report's detail page for that job (be sure to check out the links at the bottom of the article).


I will now express equal surprise that "editor" is also on the list. Here's the detail page on that one. Since JIST is in the business of putting out books that recommend the "best jobs" for everyone, a list like this always makes me ask: What criteria are they using to pick these jobs? Here's what they said:

• Job satisfaction, defined as spending a high percentage of time on activities that many people would consider rewarding or pleasant.
• Training difficulty, defined by the length of training typically required, adjusted by the amount of science and/or math involved.
• Prestige, based on an informal survey of college-educated adults.
• Job market outlook, based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor and professional organizations, with the career's resistance to being offshored considered.
• Pay, with data provided by payscale.com, which has an extensive database of individual employee compensation profiles.

So this looks like good news to me. The "informal survey" says my job is prestigious, and the Department of Labor says it's resistant to being offshored. Are they sure about that second one?

Giving an Informational Interview Today

I don't know how it happened, but somehow I became the official informational-interview go-to girl at JIST. An informational interview is when a job seeker or career explorer requests a meeting with someone in their target field, just to get information and advice, despite the fact that there is no job opening. Because so many of our books tell people to go out and set up these interviews, and because they are really helpful to people, I never felt like I could turn anyone down when they asked for one.

For a while after I started this blog, though, I was telling people to just go read it and then contact me again if they had further questions. Being an introvert, it was nice to be able to avoid meeting strangers and taking time out of my day.

But I've agreed to meet someone today at 11. I don't even know the person who referred her to me. She found me in a roundabout way through LinkedIn. But she seems very nice and I am happy to try to help her.

I'm in a weird position, though, because I read so many books about how to conduct these interviews (from the job seeker's perspective). I feel like I have an unfair advantage. Do I go ahead and hit her up with sports agent Molly Fletcher's key interview question: "Who are you and what do you want?"

I don't have to prep too much for this beyond reading her resume ahead of time (most books tell you not to send a resume, but I always request one because it helps me know the person and figure out how to advise him or her). I am trying to do some neglected filing and recycling so that she doesn't think I work in a dumpster with a window. And I managed to put on makeup today. But no pantyhose--not on a 90-degree July day.

Jobs and Moms: Career Treasure Hunt

Nancy Collamer founded the Jobs and Moms site quite a few years ago and it keeps getting better and better. Her site, her blog, and her e-books are all geared toward helping women blend career and family better--something so many of us could really use help with.

Today her monthly newsletter featured a novel way to discover your career passion while clearing the clutter out of your house. I've heard lots of career-coaching tricks, but this is new one on me! Here's Nancy:


Have you ever noticed how cathartic spring cleaning can be? You uncover hidden treasures, bring order to chaos and finally rid yourself of the extras that are weighing you down. Clearing out the clutter gives you that calm, free-to-exhale feeling that provides the space for both new things... and new possibilities.

This year, why not incorporate a career treasure hunt into your spring cleaning routine? The things you hold on to can provide clues to your interests and passions. As you move through your home, room by room, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do all those saved, but still unread, magazines and articles I have accumulated indicate about my interests and passions?
• Are there unfinished projects (i.e., knitting, jewelry making, etc.) that I'd like to have more time to pursue? Do these projects represent "just a hobby" or could they be the foundation of a new home-based business?
• Am I holding on to work clothes that represent a dream unfulfilled?
• Do I have a stash of wonderfully creative scarves, jewelry or clothing that never sees the light of day? What does that say about the match between who I am and what I do?
• Why am I so overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" I've accumulated? How can I streamline and simplify my life moving forward?

Dare to Dream: What Would You Do with $275 Million?

Powerball is up to $275 million for tomorrow's drawing. Whenever the jackpot gets high like that, I can't help but think what I would do if I won it.

Most people's inevitable answer involves their employment situation: "Quit my job" or "Not quit my job." I think I know myself well enough to say that I couldn't just stop working. But I think I might reinvent things a little. You know, start my own publishing company and specialize in topics that really interest me, like music, genealogy, Indiana history, parenting, the Internet, and European travel. Rent out a cool historic building on the square in downtown Noblesville and fix it up for offices. Hire a great sales and marketing team. Publish all my friends' books and be an angel investor to worthy causes such as education and green living. Start a charitable foundation for disadvantaged women and ask Oprah and Hillary and Melinda to be on the board of directors. And of course, buy a house someplace warm.

What about you? What would you do with a haul like that? If you say you want to change careers or jobs, what's stopping you from doing that now?

Tonight, when I stop and put 40 bucks worth of gas into my little Toyota, I'm gonna spend an extra $5 and buy myself a chance to dream a little.

One Day, One Job Profiles Heldref Publications

I found this cool site, One Day, One Job, that profiles a different job/company every day. Over the weekend they featured Heldref Publications, a nonprofit book publisher in Washington, D.C. The profile tells about the history and workings of the company, mentions a job opening for a proofreader, and tells you how to apply directly to a real person there.

I've put One Day, One Job on my feeds to see what other jobs and companies will come up (although they are not always publishing jobs). I also advise you to look through the list of past posts for more company profiles, including Random House, Amazon.com, and Better World Books.

And this week they announced a new sister site called One Day, One Internship, which does the same thing with a different internship each day.

Publishing Careers Gets NY Times Mention!

Well, sorta. Actually, New York Times columnist Marci Alboher mentioned this blog in her NYT-sponsored blog on Friday (read it here). Her blog, which is excellent, is called "Shifting Careers." It's all about "the newfangled ways we are custom-blending careers."

So how did this come about? Back in late January, Marci made a call for "day in the [work] life" bloggers to let her know about their blogs in the comments section. I saw it as a perfect opportunity to spread the word about the Publishing Careers blog. I left a short comment telling about this blog and including a link. She was true to her word and checked out all of the blogs that were suggested to her in the comments. She linked to most of the ones that were genuinely relevant.

Of course, you'll always see someone trying to get more readers for their blog by mentioning it in the comments of a high-traffic blog. Often their blog is just barely relevant, or maybe not at all. Marci even mentions this phenomenon later in her Friday post. She says, and I agree, that this sort of publicity seeking is a real turnoff. But on the other hand, if you follow other blogs carefully and wait for your golden moment, as I did, it will pay off for you. Also, there's nothing wrong with contributing to blog conversations and being genuinely helpful, with the only mention of your blog being the link attached to your signature.

Now, as for the net effect of being mentioned on Marci's blog? Publishing Careers had a great day for a Friday, but it wasn't a record-breaker. There's the possibility that a lot of people will read her post on Monday and come by for a visit. Monday is always this blog's biggest day in terms of traffic, so let's see what happens! I'd love it if we could get a lot of new people to join our conversation here.

Graphic Designer Job Outlook

In response to Stephen Tiano's query, here are the OOH stats on employment outlook for graphic designers--much the same as for writers and editors:

Employment of graphic designers is expected grow about as fast as average. Keen competition for jobs is expected; individuals with a bachelor’s degree and knowledge of computer design software, particularly those with Web site design and animation experience will have the best opportunities.

Employment change. Employment of graphic designers is expected to grow 10 percent, about as fast as average for all occupations from 2006 to 2016, as demand for graphic design continues to increase from advertisers, publishers, and computer design firms. Some of this increase is expected to stem from the expansion of the video entertainment market, including television, movies, video, and made-for-Internet outlets.

Moreover, graphic designers with Web site design and animation experience will especially be needed as demand increases for design projects for interactive media—Web sites, video games, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and other technology. Demand for graphic designers also will increase as advertising firms create print and Web marketing and promotional materials for a growing number of products and services.

In recent years, some computer, printing, and publishing firms have outsourced basic layout and design work to design firms overseas. This trend is expected to continue and may have a negative impact on employment growth for low-level, technical graphic design workers. However, most high-level graphic design jobs will remain in the U.S. Strategic design, the work of developing communication strategies for clients and firms to help them to gain competitive advantages in the market, requires close proximity to the consumer in order to identify and target their needs and interests.

Job prospects. Graphic designers are expected to face keen competition for available positions. Many talented individuals are attracted to careers as graphic designers. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree and knowledge of computer design software, particularly those with Web site design and animation experience will have the best opportunities.
Graphic designers with a broad liberal arts education and experience in marketing and business management will be best suited for positions developing communication strategies.

Writer and Editor Job Forecast

The bread and butter of the careers business is the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which is compiled every two years by the U.S. Department of Labor. The new edition has just hit the Web. (If you prefer the printed version of this tome, you can get yours from JIST in March.)

Meanwhile, a major part of this reference is about the future demand for all 280-odd jobs it lists. So I thought it would be interesting to see what they are predicting for writers and editors. Looks like the news isn't bad. But it's not a virtual employment bonanza, either.

Employment of writers and editors is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations. Competition is expected for writing and editing jobs because many people with the appropriate training and talent are attracted to the occupation.

Employment change. Employment of writers and editors is expected to grow 10 percent, or about as fast as the average for all occupations, from 2006 to 2016. Employment of salaried writers and editors is expected to increase as demand grows for web-based publications. Technical writing, blogging, and other writing for interactive media that provide readers with nearly real-time information will provide opportunities for writers. Print magazines and other periodicals increasingly are developing market niches, appealing to readers with special interests, and making Internet-only content available on their websites. Businesses and organizations are developing newsletters and websites, and more companies are publishing materials directly for the Internet. Online publications and services are growing in number and sophistication, spurring the demand for writers and editors, especially those with Web experience. Professional, scientific, and technical services firms, including advertising and public relations agencies, also are growing and should be another source of new jobs.

Job prospects. Opportunities should be best for technical writers and those with training in a specialized field. Demand for technical writers and writers with expertise in areas such as law, medicine, or economics is expected to increase because of the continuing expansion of scientific and technical information and the need to communicate it to others. Legal, scientific, and technological developments and discoveries generate demand for people to interpret technical information for a more general audience. Rapid growth and change in the high-technology and electronics industries result in a greater need for people to write users’ guides, instruction manuals, and training materials. This work requires people who not only are technically skilled as writers, but also are familiar with the subject area.

In addition to job openings created by employment growth, some openings will arise as experienced workers retire, transfer to other occupations, or leave the labor force. Replacement needs are relatively high in this occupation because many freelancers leave because they cannot earn enough money.

Wash. U. Students Go on a Publishing Careers Road Show

Washington University in St. Louis's career center has a fantastic program called Road Shows, in which they take a group of students on a field trip to a big city to visit employers and learn about specific careers.

Sophomore Kate Gallagher published her report about her recent Road Show trip in the Student Life newspaper. Her trip took her to the NYC offices of Random House, Meredith Corporation, Penguin Publishing, Publicis USA, and Ruder Finn, Inc. You'll definitely want to read about what she learned there, as well as her "Midwestern college student hits the big city" perspective.

Nice job, Kate! And kudos to Wash. U. for such a wonderful above-and-beyond learning experience for its students!

An Eloquent Defense of Majoring in Liberal Arts

Furrah Qureshi is just a freshman at Drexel University. Yet she has written a fantastic article for the campus paper The Triangle discussing the career merits of a major in, say, English. When I was a freshman, I can assure you I did not have the conviction that she has. And yet, it turns out that she is very, very right. Majoring in a liberal arts subject does not set you up to starve. Liberal arts is good preparation for many "stable" careers that will keep your parents from hyperventilating.

I will go a step further and say that if your heart is in the liberal arts but you study engineering to make your parents happy, you're not going to be as happy as you could be. Many people start out in a lucrative field and discover down the road that they would rather be doing something more artistic (remember the Monty Python sketch in which the accountant wants to be a lion tamer?). But by this point, it's often difficult to switch fields without taking a huge pay cut. Some people just can't get their heads wrapped around this concept and end up staying.

Publishing can be a great bridge job. Say you've studied biology and now you want to be an editor. You've got a leg up on jobs with science and medical publishers. Still, you'll need to have evidence of your writing and editing skills and some sort of related experience (non-paid is OK).

What Indexing Was Like

Just one week on the Copyediting-L list, and already it's paying off! Member Dick Margulis posted about a memoir article on the art and craft of indexing. Enid Stubin's "My Time in the Indexing Trade" is a fascinating and funny look back to a time when indexing was a more tactile occupation than it is today. Most striking was the mention that they actually did their indexes on--of all things--index cards.

Nowadays it's all computerized, and indexers often mark what they want to index by placing codes directly in the Word or layout files. Then they press a button and "poof"--it's compiled. Of course, they still have to go back and edit it to perfection. But at least they're not shuffling around with a bunch of cards.

I'm planning to post a career profile from an indexer next year, if I can talk her into it. Meanwhile, I'm hitting the road for Evansville today and won't be posting again after Christmas. Have a wonderful one!

Some Insight into British Publishing Careers

One of the ways I dig up ideas for my blog is a bunch of Google alerts, which let me know whenever their web crawlers run across something that contains my specified keywords. Often the results I get include pages relevant to publishing in the UK. I have tended to ignore those because I assume most of the people reading this blog are Americans (correct me if I'm wrong).

I love the UK. Heck, I used to live there. But I'm guessing it would be pretty difficult for an American editor to get into the field over there. Not only do they spell a lot of things differently, but their whole writing tone is different than ours (overly wordy and stilted by comparison, but with a lot of odd "cutesy-isms" thrown in).

Nonetheless, I couldn't resist sharing this link to the Publishing Skills Group's Work in Publishing site. For the aspiring British publishing professional, there's a wealth of information on the industry, training, qualifications, career paths, and job postings.

Come to think of it, I can name at least three Brits who worked for a time in Pearson's Indianapolis office. I wonder whether they had a tougher learning curve than us natives. And for the record, if there's a UK publisher out there that could use an American editor, Jason and I are ready to come back at the drop of a hat!