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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Go Get Em Girl!

Anyone that knows me will you tell that I love to talk about work, and of course anything regarding the business of healthcare.  I have been hot on healthcare reform for the past year, and I have to thank John for basically putting up with my constant antics on the subject.  But this post is not about healthcare reform, it is about careers and finding a passion for a job, industry, etc that really makes you excited to get up and go to work everyday.  I mean after all statistics say that the average person will work 86,000 hours in a lifetime.  So my thought is you better make the time, and effort to go out and find something that you love to do.

I consider myself pretty lucky because I truly am passionate about what I do, and enjoy getting up and going to work everyday.  I would have to say I am one of the few that can geniuinely state the words above.  An article I read awhile back stated that less then 20% of the population actually likes what they do.  My thought is why is that?  Well my goal in the career sections of this blog is too help all of you wonderful people out there get the gusto and go out and figure out what you love!  I am not going to say it happens overnight, because it doesn't.  I am the Vice President of Business Development for a small healthcare company that develops outpatient surgery centers for GI procedures.  Getting to be in this position didn't happen over night, it started with hard work, determination, passion, and a vision for where I wanted to be.  I live by one of my favorite quotes of all time that was in Rick Pitino's last book "He only recruits players with a PHD, Passion, Hunger, and drive." With those three words sums up the main things that you need to do to get out there and follow your dreams People always ask me how did I get into this position or find a love for development/sales.  It started when I was probably 15 years old, my first job sales job per say was selling heating pads in a mall kiosk at Christmans time.  That Christmas I cleaned up, and realized that I loved being around people and bringing them something that had value.  At that point my sales pitch was selling the value of getting your hands warm within 30 seconds, at this point in my career I am selling the value of lower cost of healthcare, and a higher quality care to GI doctors in order to help them develop their own business.  Two totally different schools of thought, but with the same core passion to sell the product/service.  Now I will be the first to say it is not easy to get to where you want to be, or to figure out.  For a long time I thought I wanted to go the route of being an athletics administrator having done work for the NCAA throughout college.  Then I really took the time to reflect on the things that I really enjoyed, and what I thought myself to be somewhat good at.  I will always be the first to say to anyone in their twenties that doesn't know this already and anyone in college that is on their way out.  You are not going to like your first job, because you have to pay your do's.  Since graduating from Bentley in 2005 I have worked for 4 companies.  During college I interned at WB Mason (yes, Red Sox green monster) and sold office supplies door to door.  How glamorous was that? It wasn't, but let me tell you that experience I learned more about selling then any other.  One of my favorite memories of that job was when I was with my sales manager and we were cold calling on 95 degree New England day in this office park.  We walk in and ask to speak to the owner.  Picture two overly bubbly female sales people asking the receptionist.  This guy walks out and goes "Hi Ladies, how are you?" We respond "Great, how are you" The man proceeds to say " I am doing well, and what company are you from?"  Our response "WB Mason" the man who is being offly friendly mind you proceeds to say "Oh really, where did you go to school?"  and we say "Bentley and Stonehill" and the gentleman says "Good schools......(pause) well do you know how to read?)  Steph and I look at each other and say simultaneously "Yes, why"  then this guy who I have decided was a jerk says "Well you must have missed the no soliciting sign on the way in, so you can get out"  Talk about deflated, and that my friends was my first real business rejection that  I have not forgotten to this day but think is completely, and utterly hysterical.  After Pepsi which was a short stint on my resume, I enterered the world of healthcare. Starting in pharmaceuticals, then on to medical device sales, and now my current role. If you add that up that will equal 4 different companies in 6 years. I am not saying start jumping around to all these different companies because that isn't a good choice either. Each opportunity that came before me provided a great financial reward, and higher reponsibility role. My belief is that I should have probably not gone with Pepsi because I knew it was not what I really wanted to do. I should have gone for a healthcare positoin at that time, but everything in life happens for a reason and that opportunity taught me many things that were invaluable in my next positions. My advice for anyone that is reading this is to ask themselves three questions; Do I like going to work everyday? Am I passionate about what I am doing? Is this opportunity helping me reach my dream job? If the answer to any of this questions is no, then start thinking about what really gets you excited and go after it! It doesn't have to be today, tomorrow, or the next day but at least consider it for yourself.

One of my good friends who is an extremely inspiring woman went on a job interview a few weeks back and possibly had one of the best responses to an interview question that I have heard in a long time regarding what her "Five Year Plan Was" Now she just had a baby so her answer was crafted off her family being the most important thing in her life but it was a great for anyone because if you are going to spend time in a job YOU need to be happy and want to be successful during the time you are out at work so you are not wasting your time (Life is too short!). "I can't necesarrilly predict the future or where I will be in five years, I can't put a title on the position I hope to be in because I have been a successful person and I know that I will be successful within this organization. Ultimately if I am going to spend 40-50 hours per week in this position away from my son, then I will not except anything but success as I am sacrifcing that time away from him and need to make the best of it."

I also understand we are in one of the worst economic downturns in American History, and I like all others am blessed to have a job right now and an income. But despite all the hardship around us, you need to have your dream for where you want to be. The foundation of our country is built of the idea of the american dream, but I believe in my individuals dreams and so should you. WHY? Because we deserve it!

So I leave you with two things this week:
1. Figure out the answers to the questions above, and start implmenting your own "PIP~ For Your Career" (PIP: Personal Improvmenet Plan)
2. Read the article Millenials in the Interesting Articles section of this blog. It is interesting and talks about our generation in the work place.

Enjoy!

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