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| Where are
you really going?
Knowing the destination helps!
By Keith Clark
PSW Editorial Director |
Last time, I talked about the vital role that mentoring can play
in fostering the interests of younger folks in this industry.
Reaction? I was deluged with notes and phone calls from numerous
youngsters,who somehow got the idea that I could help them find
a job.
Well...That. Wasn ’t. Quite. The .Point. The reaction got
me thinking ,though.(Look out!) So, youngsters, since I have your
attention, this one’s primarily aimed in your direction.
WHO are you? WHAT are you? I ask because after years of analysis,it
’s become clear that definitive and HONEST answers to these
questions go a long way to determining professional success.
As a follow-up, what do you WANT to be?
What ’s the single most important thing one needs to know
before departing on a journey? One must know where one is going
.In other words, one must have a destination. Without this simple
yet vital information, one just wanders around aimlessly.
Where am I going with this? Yes ,I do have a point, or for purposes
of this discussion, a destination.And it is simply this: if one
doesn’t have a professional identity, one likely doesn’t
have much of aprofession.
So,WHO are you? WHAT are you? A person drawn to live mixing, perhaps?
A person leaning toward detail work -spreadsheets and whatnot? Or
maybe a person better known as a “gearhead ”- someone
who likes to understand how electro-acoustic components work, and
likes to put them together?
Whatever the case,the important thing is to know oneself, what one
likes to do, what one doesn ’t like to do, and to be true
to this identity... This leads us to an essential truth:do what
you love and you ’ll do it well.
If you do something well,there will be demand for your services.
If one is not being true to oneself,as in pursuing what one truly
loves to do, then success is usually slim pickins, indeed.
Very few employers in this world will “give ”you a job.
Rather, this type of opportunity has to be earned.Jobs in this industry
are indeed available. Maybe not front-of-house mixer gigs with the
latest superstar band; these positions, quite rightfully, belong
to experienced professionals who have dedicated years to the quest.
So, start at the bottom, wiring racks, organizing inventory, sweeping
the floors, whatever is required and whatever you see that needs
to be done, regardless of being asked to do it. (Or as our friend
The Old Soundman says: “do you like to coil cables? You’d
better!”)
Try to acquire useful education offered by numerous organizations,
ranging from manufacturers to specialized institutions to universities.
While getting your foot in the door,think seriously about the questions
I ask above. If you’re working hard, establishing contacts,
and learning, in all likelihood, you ’ll then be ready to
realize the answers to these questions when your opportunity arrives.(And
it
will, trust me.)
Understand where it is that you want to go, and the “getting
there ”is a whole lot easier.
PSW Editorial Director Keith Clark can be reached at kclark@prosoundweb.com
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