Project Purpose
What is it? A podcast that highlights random career options. Why? To inform others about the pros and cons of certain jobs, taken from the perspective of seasoned professionals. Most of these men are close to retirement, and this podcast gives them a chance to share their advice with a curious, younger audience.
The Project
There are 5 total episodes featuring 5 unique individuals in northern CA. Each interview includes some of their trials and triumphs in their chosen profession. The volunteers aren’t career advisors, but they can certainly give tips for those interested in those same professions.
You can explore all 5 episodes for yourself on Spotify by following this link: https://open.spotify.com/show/02zKSSZljhvfEDKMJhFncv?si=d8ec2b9da9304c39
Challenges
My biggest concern with this project was mentorship. In fact, the first person who agreed to be my mentor quit on me! Fortunately, I was able to get connected with someone who helps manage a local studio. A huge thank you from me to her for being willing to fill the mentor position!
Project Processes
I primarily used DaVinci Resolve, a video editor, to polish my audio recordings. Thanks to my father’s DJI microphones, I didn’t have to resort to passing my phone back and forth during interviews. If I wasn’t sure how to edit things, I had my mentor and YouTube to give me pointers.
After editing and exporting each interview, all that was left to do was upload my work to Spotify! They make it easy for creators to add timestamps, titles, release dates and other things to help appeal to their audience.
Experience Overview
The interviewees all seemed happy to reflect on their experiences and share them with me. I got to experience a connection with these people who I originally thought of as strangers.
Additionally, I felt the thrill of self-improvement. I really wanted to make work that I was proud of, because I was going to put this out into the world. After each episode was published, I kept thinking of ways to make the next episode better. Although I imperfectly executed it, I added at least one new improvement to each episode, bringing me a greater sense of satisfaction.
Takeaways
The overarching theme of wisdom I received from each interviewee was this: “You won’t know if you like it until you try.” I used to become paralyzed with the fear of making the wrong decision regarding my career. But I’ve since realized that the worst decision to make is to make none; it’s better to make a poor decision, learn, and pivot. I’m not afraid to start trying things, and I’ll make changes if they aren’t right for me. I can do hard, uncomfortable things if I put effort into them.