Below are two comments I got from my recent post, “The Sex and Cash Theory: Keep You Day Job” when it was featured on Brazen Careerist. I wanted to share theses comments for because they are great comments, and I want to encourage similar comments on this blog.  And two because they are a great addition to the original post itself, with examples and perspectives other than my own.  I have been questioning the value of comments lately, but these two comments have renewed my faith.  Thanks ladies!

From Lauree Ostrofsky, @SimplyLeapCoach

“Cameron – loved your post and book review. You’ve convinced me to check it out.

I am living the Sex and Cash Theory right now. I am self employed with two divergent careers happening simultaneously, one that I love and the other that pays my bills. At times I feel pulled in different directions and want to jump ship.

However…maybe it’s the life coach in me and the see-the-glass-as-half-full view I have. As I read your post I kept thinking that the labels “Sex” and “Cash” can be perceived as one is good and the other is bad.

If you feel that you’re slaving away in a job just for money then, guess what, it’ll be harder to get yourself out of bed every morning. If there is any possible way (and believe me, there always is) to see the value in your cash job then everything will look up.

By value I mean, feeling satisfied, successful…not just that it helps you afford to do the sexy job. You like it all by itself.

Meaning, if you are happy all day long you will be more inspired when you do the work you love. Simple concept. The more you see one job competing with the other, or that you are “forced” to live this dual life, the more that thought will get ingrained and it is ALL you see.

If you see your cash work instead for its potential – an opportunity, perhaps fodder for your writing/acting/sexy job, a great group of people to be around – it becomes less “I have to do this even though I hate it.” It becomes more “I get to do two things that I enjoy”.

I understand that seeing it as Cash and Sex could be a motivator for some, but for those who are seeing this as a downer, you always have a choice. You get to choose how you view what you’re doing, and in the process to make yourself happy and successful.

I’m pretty sure George was a happy guy regardless of his acting gig and, well, Nick Cage seems a little disgruntled. Don’t you think?”

Are you in a similar situation?  What you have a day job that pays the bills, but work on the side on a passion project that you hope to make into a career?

Share your story below or write a full-blown post and contribute to the blog.

I’m excited to present the first post from the How Did You Get Hired? Series.  Click here to contribute your story
By Linda A. Hamilton at www.HamiltonWriting.com

Even a casual conversation with a total stranger while sitting on an airplane can get you a job!

Never underestimate talking about what you can do because your confidence and talents may be exactly what a business owner seeks in a talented employee; the result can be a fun job that provides experience and a paycheck!  During a late afternoon flight returning from the Midwest from a vacation landed me a job as a trophy engraver, and honestly, I thought the employer was joking when she offered me the position.  She was serious; the job provided a stepping stone to bigger opportunities and proved to be quite rewarding!

Sitting in coach class beside a nicely dressed older woman, we struck up a casual conversation. She asked what I did and at the time.  I am founder and Principal for Hamilton Writing Services, a full service résumé and business writing/editing service specializing in crafting personalized résumés and professional profiles for individuals or businesses to position them for the perfect job or to gain new business development.  I also provide business support to small businesses that produce newsletters.  My background in journalism, which includes photojournalism, layout and design and news reporting, caught this woman’s attention.  My work requires the need for attention to detail, meeting deadlines, creativity, and the right use of font styles and verbiage for certain projects.  Our conversation turned to how I used the computer, easily learned new programs, and used creative writing and layout and design skills in my job.  Her face lit up as I described the same skills she sought for position at her company.

This woman, Kay, owned an awards company, and needed an engraver; someone who knew how to work a computer, was creative, and had a good work ethic.  She needed a part-time engraver and I found her job intriguing.  We connected.  Our casual conversation served as my interview; she liked my ability to work a computer, learn new programs, and perform layout and design from basic information.  By flight’s end, she’d offered me the position, established my salary and told me to show up by mid-week to interview.  It happened so suddenly I thought she was kidding.  I didn’t show up at her store until the deadline date, but when I met her that day she immediately put me to work.

I operated a computer-based engraving machine that required placement of the words on varied sizes of metal plates or glass objects.  Placement and proper wording were imperative, so from the client orders I had to determine size of the lettering, measure placement and layout, font style and then set the machine for the proper settings and perform the tedious task of etching the plates or glass objects.  Incorrect plates were tossed, so getting the job done right the first time was essential.  I seemed to be a natural at it!  It was great fun. I worked with great people, and thoroughly enjoyed the part-time income I generated through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As my business progressed, this job was short-lived, but lent itself to experience that proved valuable.  I gained insight to the tedious job of engraving, sign printing, and the accuracy required in more artistic jobs like graphic design.  It proved the value of casual conversation and self-confidence when talking with someone about one’s personal experience, skills and knowledge.   That boss liked my attitude, my clean appearance–albeit I was in jeans and t-shirt when I met and interviewed with her on the plane–and the polite manner in which I spoke.  She liked me and I had a customer presence that intrigued her.  All these attributes are important to prospective employers regardless of where you meet them.

Never underestimate your value or self-confidence when meeting new people.  You never know when the person you meet may be a potential employer who offers you a job point blank.  The next time you’re waiting in line at Starbucks, smile at the people around you and welcome their casual conversation.  It could be a break for a job that brings personal and professional rewards along with that welcome paycheck!

Learn more about Linda A. Hamilton at www.HamiltonWriting.com, or read her blog at Merchant Circle.

This is post number three in the Do More, Plan Less Series.  Click here for the first, and second.

Last month I read Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, by Hugh Macleod. The book is amazingly readable, funny, and smart.  I highly recommend it.  With this post I want to discuss one of Hugh’s 39 keys to creativity: Keep Your Day Job.

Hugh’s take on career success is to keep your day job. This viewpoint is based on The Sex and Cash Theory:

“The creative person basically has two kinds of jobs: One is the sexy, creative kind. Second is the kind that pays the bills. Sometimes the task at hand covers both bases, but not often. This tense duality will always play at center stage. It will never be transcended.”

As a person just starting his career, this definitely makes me pause and think.  I understand where Hugh is coming from: if you split your creative passion away from having to pay the bills, you will have total control.  In the book, Hugh said he would rather have somebody say, “change that ad,” his day job, instead of, “change that cartoon,” his sexy job.  But this Theory contradicts much advice out there, which is in terms of “become an entrepreneur,” “follow your passion,” “quit your boring job.” So which one is right? Should you focus on sexy jobs by trying to merge your passion and career together? Or, should you accept the Theory, deal with the day job and work on creative pursuits on the side?

Coming from a person that studied economics, my answer is typical: It Depends. Depending on where you are in your career, you should be either dealing with the fact that the Sex and Cash Theory is true, or be trying to make your career more sex than cash.

Right now in my career I’m struggling with The Sex and Cash Theory. There are plenty of creative passions I have that I would like to incorporate into a paid, day job.  But then when I hear Hugh’s thoughts, it seems like I should separate the two.

Hopefully this quote from the book will give us further perspective behind the Theory:

“I’m thinking about the young writer who has to wait tables to pay the bills, in spite of her writing appearing in all the cool and hip magazines…who dreams of one day not having her life divided so harshly.

Well over time the “harshly” bit might go away, but not the ‘divided.’

As soon as you accept this, I mean really accept this, for some reason your career starts moving ahead faster. It’s the people who refuse to cleave their lives this way — who just want to start Day One by quitting their current crappy day job and moving straight on over to bestselling author — well, they never make it.”

In my mind, the young writer in Hugh’s example is a person that has not progressed far enough in her writing career to be a bestselling author.   She still has to put in more time if she wants to write bestselling books. In terms of The Sex and Cash Theory, the cash job is obviously her serving job and her sexy job is writing for magazines.  She is working toward becoming a full-time writer, but she just hasn’t put in the necessary work to make it happen.  Thus her life is divided rather harshly at this point.

But, as she continues to write, gaining credibility and experience, she will move ever closer to sexy jobs taking over cash jobs. The harshly will start to fade away. It’s an evolution and a process, The Sex and Cash Theory. The better you get at your craft, whatever it may be, the more opportunities you are going to get and thus the more control you will have over your career.

Take the careers of movie actors as an example.  George Clooney didn’t begin his career playing a doctor on “ER” or starring in Oscar winning films like “Up In The Air” and “Michael Clayton.” He moved to L.A. in 1982 and tried for a year to get an acting role, all while sleeping in the closet of a friend (Source). His first movie was never released. But over time, and 65 acting roles, Clooney got better (sexier) and better (sexier) jobs. Here’s a quote George said in reference to making Ocean’s Eleven:

“It was the easiest shoot ever for any actor, and we all knew it when we were doing it. We were like, it’s never going to be better than this.”

Oceans’ Eleven was for Clooney what being a bestselling author is for the writer that waits tables during the day.

But this isn’t how Clooney’s career began in 1978. He didn’t begin his career making $15 Million for movies like “Ocean’s Thirteen.”  Or being able to direct and act in “Good Night and Good Luck” for $1. Why? Because he wasn’t that good in 1978. Becoming incredible good at something takes focused effort over time.

The opposite of Clooney are actors like Nicoloas Cage. The career Nicolas Cage is now essentially all about cash jobs, after many sexy jobs like “Gone In 60 Seconds” and “The Rock.”   Not to mention the whole career of Steven Segal.

For entry-level workers trying to get a foot in the door, chances are you’re job is going to be more about cash than sex. And for those people that have gained the experience and scarce skills that are valued highly, you will be able to pick which jobs and projects you want to work on, most likely more sexy jobs that pay well.

That’s the holy grail: Sexy Jobs That Pay Well. This is where your passion applies to the work you do on a daily basis, you have creative control and you get paid for it all.  At this point you have transcended the Sex and Cash Theory, yah!  Good for you if you are at this point in your life.  The key though, if you’re life is split harshly between your sexy job and cash job is to not give up on your sexy job. Sure it’s hard to keep doing something that isn’t making much or any money.  But the more you hone your craft by doing projects, blogging, writing or whatever it is that you love doing, the more likely you will be able to turn that love into a sexy-cash job.  Please don’t give up.

So whatever your situation is, think about how the Sex and Cash Theory applies.  If you’re a college student, how can you use the Theory to pick the right major?

But know this, you will never escape the Sex and Cash Theory, even in your dream job. There will allows be things you hate to do, but by gaining expertise and making your unique skill-set scarce, you will be able to demand work that is more sex than cash.

Kristen Fischer at the blog Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes has a great series going called “My First Job” in which she interviews people about their first job.

If you are a new college graduate looking for a new job I highly recommend checking out this series.

Here are the questions Kristen asks:

How did you land your first job after college?

Tell us about the process of getting your first job.

What was the most challenging aspect of securing your first job?

What was the biggest challenge once you were on the job? How did you overcome that?

What did you wish you did differently when it came to finding, securing and performing on the job?

What was the best thing about your first job?

What didn’t you expect about your first job?

If you’re not there anymore, why did you leave–and after how long? How long did you think you’d be at that first job? Do you wish you stayed longer? What was your next job–was it a good move for you, personally and career wise?

What is your ultimate career goal? What are your next steps in attaining that goal?

Extraordinary Stamp of Approval, Modite

Natural Talent or Practice Makes Perfect?

My natural affinity to this stuff has also kept me interested in this industry for years so I’ve gotten better at taking in knowledge really fast.

My girlfriend told me that I was going to be horrible, maybe for a long while, and that working on it was what made the accomplishment so great.

So my thought is – and I’m talking career choices here, not fun hobbies – that you should choose something that you are more naturally inclined to do, right?

Extraordinary Stamp of Approval, Swift Kick Central

Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling in Graduation Speech

School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.

But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave.

I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning. And quite frankly, now I’m scared.

We are not here to get a degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved placation after placation. There is more, and more still.

Photo Credit

This is post number two in the Do More, Plan Less Series.  Click here for the first.

I originally wrote part of this post on my Tumblr blog.  I tightened it up, adding some more thoughts and here it is. If you read nothing else, please read the last sentence.

Ever notice when talking to a successful person that when asked if they had any regrets the answer is no. Or it’s something like,

“no not really, all my past experiences helped me get to this point.”

I find this interesting.  And after a little thinking, I’ve realized the reason why successful individuals don’t regret the path they’ve taken, is because that path, with all their success and failures along the way, is the exact reason for their ultimate success.

They took action.  Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they failed.  But the common thread among successful people is persistent action.  Through action they iterated accordingly there after.  Honing their methods over time.

And you will fail.  Everyone that has done something great has messed up big time.  But let me put it this way: would you rather be a has-been, or a never-was?

Successful people also don’t care if people laugh at them for trying.  People are going to laugh, they aren’t going to understand, but that’s their problem, not yours or mine.  Seth Godin will tell you the same thing.  Godin will also tell you to “ship” your ideas, rather than wait for absolute perfection.  This is a big part of success: trying things out, getting feedback, iterating and trying again.

This process is true for everybody.  Take the average college student.  He gets to school, has no idea what to major in.  What to do?  Play around, take interesting classes.  When something clicks investigate further.  Iterate in this way until you find your thing.

Business owners should do the same.  Try new products out, market in a different way.  Find what works.  But don’t be afraid to try, fail and start all over again.

At the start of each decade, Inc. Magazine ranks the 500 fastest-growing companies.  In this year’s issue they wrote about the typical company from 2000 and 2010.  The typical or composite company from 2000 is very different from today’s company, but when they ask the imaginary CEO what accounts for his success, the answer is the same for both companies: “persistence, learning from mistakes, and surrounding himself with great people.”  Interesting, huh?

So to me the only people that have regrets are the ones that don’t take action.  Nobody says they regret doing sometime, even if it didn’t work out.  Regret comes from not knowing what could have been if you had tried.

Extraordinary Stamp of Approval, Brass Tack Thinking

Getting Organized with Evernote

I think of Evernote as one comprehensive virtual organizer, idea bank, and file system for pretty much everything I do.

Evernote has apps for my iPhone (and for many other mobile platforms, check your app store), iPad, MacBook, and a web version. Once you have an account (free), ALL of them sync between one another, seamlessly and automatically.

I keep the grocery list on there, books I want to read, new bands and music to check out, and I’ve got a notebook for recipes, too.

How did he do that?  How did he do that?

What We Learned: Making Your Own Movement

1. The Leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous
2. You need to be easy to follow.  Keep barriers to entry low
3. Your First Follower is The Movement’s spark
4. Embrace the First Follower as an equal.  Making it about them and not you.
5. The First Follower transforms a lone nut into a Leader
6. The First Follower give The Leader credibility
7. A Movement must be public
8. Make sure outsiders see more than just The Leader
9. Everyone needs to see The Followers, because new Followers emulate Followers
10. After a Movement gains momentum and goes past the tipping point it is no longer risky to join in.
11. New Followers won’t worry about standing out or being ridiculed

The Takeaway: Leadership is over-glorified.  It was the First Follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.  There’s no movement without the first follower.  The best way to start a movement is to follow and show others how to courageously follow.

What’s your leadership style?  Are you the shirtless-dancing guy?  Or are you the First Follower?

Stamp of Approval, Fast Company

Dear Young Job Seeker

Lose the objective. I don’t know who taught young job seeks to put an objective at the top of their resume, but I’d like to shoot them.

Be prepared to answer any question on anything you have listed on your resume.

Finally, if someone who is interviewing you opts to give you feedback–do yourself a favor and listen. If someone cares enough about you as a human being to go past their trepidation and tell you something about how you are coming across–consider it a gift.