My Biggest Career MISTAKE - (Don't Do What I Did)

The Biggest MISTAKE I've Made In My Career - (Don't Do What I Did). Career advice on how to find a job you love. Is there such a thing as finding a job you're passionate about? A dream career? Most people make career mistakes and when we trace back someone who hates their job, it usually starts with your formative years. Which college degree program do you study? What major should you choose? What career path is best for you? And we make these career altering decisions at a time when we're least equipped to do so. If you're a fresher, listen up!
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Are you struggling with your job search? Applying for job after job and not getting any interviews? Perhaps you’ve got a few interviews but always seem to get passed over for the job? Or maybe you’re not satisfied with your current career and want a change. Well, you’ve come to the right place.
As a corporate recruiter with over 20 years of experience hiring thousands of employees at all levels into major corporations, I’m going to spill the beans on how to get noticed by recruiters, start getting more interviews, navigate through each step of the hiring process, and ultimately land the dream job you deserve.
But that’s not all - I firmly believe that to truly experience career success, you need to think bigger. Multiple streams of income and budgeting are crucial to forming a layoff-free lifestyle and helping you achieve your goals.
If these are things you’re struggling with, that’s what I specialize in. I’ve got a website called A Life After Layoff. It’s loaded with tips and tricks for getting noticed, interviewed, and hired by your dream company. Make sure you check it out!
I’ve got weekly videos coming at you, so make sure to subscribe. You won’t want to miss a post. Join me as we explore these things, all from an insider’s perspective!
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[@alisherakhmetov628]

Seriously? You are HR we want, not the one we deserve. I would say your career turned out great, you helped, at least me, a lot by your videos.

[@maahnii6555]

I’m like 10 years behind my “peers” in terms of career, but I’m fairly happy with how my life has been and how it is now. Comparing myself to others can be motivating for some people, but not for me… we often find ourselves in situations that we can’t really get out immediately, and we just gotta find the best position to be in so that we can leap out when the opportunity comes. And if comparing myself to others is preventing me from find the best position, I gotta ditch it.

[@jekw23]

@ghost mall it’s a good point. I fell behind in my career with others years ago which spurred me never stop progressing my career. I’m now in a very senior position but with a sneaky suspicion I haven’t earned it and am under intense pressure that I find hard to deal with as I haven’t spent enough time in one position before I go to the next level. It isn’t fun or really worth the money but I find my career has too much momentum and sometimes wish I could drop down a few levels where the stress is more manageable.

[@jon6309]

Thank you this is exactly how I feel. I am in a lower paying position than some people closer to my age but I must also remember I know older people who had my position and they still continued to do their job despite having families to take care which I am not responsible for. There will always be someone better than me but there is always someone who is in a lower position than me too. I think we should focus on ourselves and just do our best and accept opportunities when the time comes!

[@jackcarraway4707]

I like how jobs call themselves a team, yet treat it like coworkers compete against each other.

[@brokenarrow-hh5xg]

When I graduated high school, I was hell bent on a Mechanical Engineering degree, when I got to engineering school, I was vastly underprepared for the amount of calculus. I ended up "wasting" 18 months and thousands of dollars to eventually drop out. Part of the reason I didnt do as well was because I was always doing computer related things, repair, games, etc. I ended up with a degree is microcontrolles from a community college and 17 years later I manage $20 million in critical equipment, telling the Mechanical Engineers designing the systems what I want to see! If I could go back and fix my lack of studying and other college distractions that got me to drop out of the university, I dont think I would at this point. Hindsight is always 20/20, the most you can do is find something to compliments your talents and likes. Just remember that the path to that isnt always well lit!

[@sp123]

majority of hisgh schools do not prepare students for STEM curriculum

[@hypocriticalsmile]

That is a very serious problem you mentioned - quite often we are pretty much "forced" to choose our career when we still don't really know what we want to do in our lives. In the country where I was born and studied people usually go to trades after 9 years in school (they are usually 16 at that time) or go to the university after 11 years in school (18 years old). And majority of them don't really know where to go at this point of their lives and quite often just choose same program as they friends with disastrous results - they either fail and drop out or graduate and never work in the profession they studied for. I was lucky and had chosen profession I really started to like later but I am still not sure if that was the best choice even though I am 37 now.

[@alr492]

This is probably the most honest and engaging video you've done so far. Thanks for the vulnerability.

[@BoringTroublemaker]

Great video. I was a music major my first time in college and left after my dad died of a genetic kidney disease at age 40 (I was 19). I was diagnosed with the same disease and it became very quickly apparent that being a musician wasn’t going to come with heath coverage. This was back in 2001 when people like us were “uninsurable” without employer health coverage. So, I quit school and got a job in retail management. It really screwed up my entire career trajectory for more than a decade. I’ve finally recovered from that single forced error, but I’m now 41 and gone back to school while working full time twice to get two degrees to help me course correct. It’s been decades of struggle.

[@y_yy_2844]

@ghost mall Employer provided health insurance is a tax write off for the employer. This was put in the tax code during the Second World War so employers would be encouraged to offer health insurance as a fringe benefit and head off the unions' demands for higher wages. The employer tax write off, as well as opposition from organized business lobbying and the AMA, has been able to stop this link to employer-provided coverage from being broken.

[@floatingsara]

I will never understand why American society accepts greedy private insurance companies to manage their healthcare system. Good luck with your struggle ❤

[@BoringTroublemaker]

@@floatingsara ironically, I ended up working for a health insurance company because I knew I would need the very best insurance when it came time for my transplant 🤦🏻‍♀️ - which I did. It’s actually kind of messed up. While my job is definitely not rewarding, they treat us really well. I’ve been working from home for the last 9 years on a completely flexible schedule with 6 weeks of vacation time per year and obscenely good medical/dental/vision/retirement/etc. the pay is outstanding (especially for being hired without a college degree) but they also reimburse the cost of my tuition to go to school back to school. In addition, they pay us our regular wage when we volunteer in our community. It’s actually frustrating that the employer that has treated me the best is the one I feel the worst about working for.

[@carlsaam7770]

Hi Bryan, I landed an amazing job about a month ago that has been going super well so far and I just wanted to say thanks for all of your insight and career advice, there's no way I would've been able to land it without you!

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Awesome, congrats!

[@rachell1249]

I always go with my intuition which has always led me in the right direction. If you feel like something isn't right for you and you are unsure before you start then that might be a huge sign that it isn't for you. Go with what you're heart wants because that is where you're passion lies within your heart and of course following you're gut.

[@stephenbayer3909]

I can relate to some of your situation. I didn't know what I wanted to do after I graduated from college with a degree in Sociology. One of my professors asked me if I was considering going to grad school and pursuing a PhD in Sociology. Not knowing what else to do at the time, I applied to several schools' graduate programs and was admitted to one of them. For the next 10 years (I'm not kidding) I was absolutely miserable but felt that if I quit, I would be admitting failure and that I was too stupid to succeed in grad school. And at the same time, all of my professors in graduate school were telling me how promising a scholar I was and I would one of their "shining stars" in the field. Finally, one day I just realized that there was no shame in quitting something that was making me miserable and that if I didn't stop now and do something else, it really would be too late, and that I needed to stop listening to what other people thought I should do and listen to my own internal voice and let it guide me to what I truly wanted to do. I had been reading the book "What Color Is Your Parachute?" (which, honestly, I thought was corny but this book transformed my life) and did the exercises in the book to discover my true skills and interests and eventually landed on market research. Through a series of fortunate connects (I knew someone who knew someone who knew someone), I eventually landed my first market research job and realized I had found something that I was both good at and (unlike academia) allowed me to earn an actual paycheck (gasp!) It is weird that I am about 10 years behind in professional position with my peers but most of the time it doesn't bother at me. I just wish I had come to my senses much earlier.

[@petercuthbertson8399]

Thanks for this. A lot of KZbinrs talk about themselves all the time, but I always find it so interesting when I watch a KZbinr for a long time based on the quality of their pure hard content - and then finally they talk about themselves and I see the person behind that.

[@maverickmace9100]

Im 20 years behind my peers. I studied network engineering in my early 20s but couldn't find a job at the time in the industry. I gave up because I was given an opportunity in earthmoving, and it's a decent paying industry. Im now 40, and full of regret. 4 months ago, I decided to do something about it. I bought some text books, and looking for an entry level networking job at 40 years old.

[@kevinmach730]

We're a lot alike, especially the part about being young and having to make a decision about what I am going to do career rise for the next 30-40 years when I haven't done anything yet! Even at 17,, I thought this was ludicrous. The other thing I will mention, as a fellow amateur musician- turning your passion into a job, can be exactly that- taking something you once loved and looked forward to doing, and then turning it into a grind. People always say "do what you love" but I know for many of us, it makes what we once loved feel a hell of a lot like work.

[@Jupiterxice]

Always follow your journey and never compare yourself to anyone.

[@NosurfOfficial]

You are a rockstar in a certain respect. You have a massive audience, but not in the way you expected (KZbin instead of a band)

[@edthelazyboy]

Frankly, becoming a music star is a long shot. It's very competitive and it's not just about talent. Looks and personality matter too. Successful people often engage in survivorship bias. They say things like, "If I can do it, so can you" or "Follow your passion and you won't have to work for money". They don't realize that it takes luck as well to be successful. Hard work only goes so far. My passions are eating great food, living in a comfortable home, going on long vacations with my family, and buying the latest gadgets. If anyone is willing to compensate me with good pay and benefits for those, please let me know!🤣😁😛 Otherwise, just like everyone else, I need to work to make a living and often times I am doing things that I don't like.

[@Checkers1993ify]

Agreed. For every person who actually does make it big as a musician, there's twenty or thirty others that are kinda stuck on the local pub circuit as a side gig instead of getting as big as they'd hoped when they were in high school. Yes, the internet has made it a lot easier to put your stuff out there and sometimes people do get big because people started hearing your stuff on KZbin/Spotify/whatever, but you're also competing against a lot of people who are also doing the exact same thing who never get big even after doing that for ten or fifteen years. I feel like if music is a passion for you, you sorta have to be okay with the possibility that it'll only ever be a side gig for you instead of your main career. That pub circuit is a good result for a lot of people who are into that, and a recording deal where you end up having a string of mainstream hits and a number one album is something that only happens to 1% of people who go down that path.

[@devadii24]

We have similar interests and need to turn this in a way to get paid…. but how??? 😂😂😂

[@daltonbrewster7331]

Great video. I can agree with this. I started in finance working for a financial advisor. It taught me a lot but I didn't like the corporate environment. Then I started blogging on the side and copywriting for financial/real estate companies. Now I work as a marketing manager for a real estate education company which is great. So relevant!

[@devadii24]

I am trying to go from retail banking/financial advisory into financial education/literacy but am in Canada…. sounds like it’s a lot more fulfilling and flexible

[@freddiejonesy6168]

I totally agree. After high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I didn't go to college and enjoyed my early 20s. By age 23 or 24, I started college (while working full time) and graduated with a bachelors at age 31. Today, I'm working in a career I enjoy. My 2 cents is forge your own path and disregard societal pressures like he said whether it's school, getting married, having kids, buying a house with that white picket fence, etc. And of course that could mean going to college immediately after high school if that's your path.

[@choobooloo1]

Sounds like when I was young. I ended up switching careers in my 30s because there was a down turn in the industry I was employed in. I did a few interviews after I got laid off. During one interview I just stopped in the middle, thanked the interviewers for their time and walked out. I never returned to the career I went to school for and dedicated over a decade of life for. I realized at that moment I actually hated what I did. Not every young person has a plan or knows what to do about their future. Very few people can pursue their passions and make a career out of it. Perusing a career when you are young and not feeling passionate about your choice or not continuing on in that choice is a mistake but one you can learn from and grow. Some of us when we get older wonder if we made a different career choice things would be better. You do not know what the future holds and you cannot change the past. It is good to reflect on the past but do not dwell on it and wonder what could have been.

[@Lou.sipher]

I needed this. Fantastic message, thank you!

[@jakebell7519]

I really enjoy your videos, just got a job a month ago! Your videos have guided me along the interview process.

[@serion9325]

Great video! I found out that my major wasn't the direction I wanted to go in for a career until it was too late to change. I vividly remember crying in a meeting with my academic advisor because I was so burnt out of school, and in my major, I would have had to continue on to a MA or PhD. I'm 3-4 years behind my peers in a totally different industry than I expected. But I love where I'm at now. I didn't even know what my current industry was about until my advisor helped me research it.

[@drunkdonutboy]

Thank you for having the guts to be honest and put this out there. No matter what you do even if it's what you thought or didn't think there will always be pros and cons to it. Some more than others but you have been a great contributor to others and their paths and I cant think of anything more fulfilling than that than changing lives of strangers for the better.

[@bethiciaprasek9415]

Hi! This series seems like so much fun! I went from engineering to chemistry and it was the right decision in school after my brother passed away at about a month into my Freshman year. Sad to say, but I saw no women doing what I thought I would enjoy via engineering though I saw men doing so with just a B.S.. (Working on the floor in a chemical plant.) It was then current facts. My original vision was going on (after working some) to be a doctor and developing prosthetic limbs, but after being hit with that news about my brother I decided to be more realistic...at least for a bit. At that point, I told myself to study what I wanted to (without being stupid and squandering funds). I liked chemistry, biology, psychology. Then, which one makes more money with a B.S....LOL! Chemistry. So, take those courses, but major in chemistry. I was lucky in the amount of funds set aside and chose public colleges and was otherwise frugal. Even with a B.S. in chemistry, I worked fast food for a while. Some work later in petrochemicals. Landed in chemical product development for oilfield due to being unemployed while pregnant (safer chemicals than petrochemical plants) but initially had no passion for it. It took less than a month before I realized what it really was (market driven) and how much fun it was. Sometimes you just land well. A couple decades and 19 patents later, I saw the writing on the wall with potential ageism and strategically moved to chemical regulatory compliance (more niche with significant demand). As we mature we can make those decisions based on both practical information and knowing what we love. Sometimes in youth, **it happens. Thanks! This video was very enjoyable.

[@RobertHurleyJr]

The more I watch of your videos the more i appreciate the "realness" you have with the audience.

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Appreciate it, Robert!

[@leapheap6837]

We all make mistakes when we’re young. I’m glad to see you bounced back and persevered.

[@Abioticwinter]

Young people don't listen to everyone saying you must be a BS or you have failed. Go learn a trade or Community College they also offer many trade degrees. You can do really good in life with very little cost for education. You can also test out a few things see what you like. If you find that thing that you love once you have the job in the field have the company pay for the degree.

[@LassieFarm]

But but I'ma get a masters degree so I can work at Starbucks 🤣

[@_jmeg_3436]

I don't know anyone who says that. The problem I have with people who sell the whole "learn a trade" idea is that they typically fail to mention that a lot of trades can be very taxing on the body over time. I have a friend who owns a Jeep and Nissan dealership. He doesn't have a single technician in the service center over 50. It's too much of a liability. If you run your own company, then that's different, but that's NOT most people's situation. I'm sorry to say this, but many blue collar jobs have an expiration date on them. Meanwhile, the guy who went to law school can easily work into his 70s. My dermatologist I see for my acne turns 80 next month and he's still working. My dermatologist regularly exercises and eats well, though. But I'm just saying. I have nothing against blue collar guys. We're all different.

[@dr3armer]

​​@@_jmeg_3436on top of that you cant work a blue collar job remotely. Office jobs just have a better quality of life. Not everyone wants to work a trade as a first option. Now obviously if youre not finding any traction then by all means work a trade but theres a reason people gravitate towards office jobs.

[@This_Account]

My career mistake was not dropping out of college sooner. I had life stuff pop-off late 2013 as an engineering Junior. I had engineering and data analytics internship experience that I had no idea how valuable it was. And I loved the work. I withdrew certain courses after talking with counselors, but I stayed enrolled. I should have dropped out. Grieving the aforementioned life-stuff was a process. My grades did not improve. Working would have been therapeutic. I did do more internships which I loved. I dropped out in 2015, when there was an international oil-price drop that led to layoffs in our area. The local job market was saturated, so employers considering my odd-but-valuable experience did interview me, but went with more experienced candidates. I settled for Starbucks until early 2018, when my now boss hired me on as a data analyst for his engineering department.

[@DJKhal21]

Thanks for sharing. Very interesting. We all have our unique paths in life and I am glad you found great success!

[@quarantinelife.]

I want this as series!

[@sugarsugar475]

I’m amazed at hearing your story, Bryan. You are a natural HR person, and it’s hard to imagine this field wasn’t your initial passion. I hoped to be a music teacher or a hairdresser, but my path into the business world and Corporate America was already laid out for me by parents. There was no such thing as fostering passion or natural abilities. I had to do what was supposedly acceptable and lucrative. The funny part is I’ve never been lucky enough to fall into the higher paid jobs, despite hard work and drive. I’ve never gotten into my field of study either, so I paid for a pretty useless masters degree and got pigeonholed into a field where I do not belong.

[@infragrayscale]

I'm about 4-5 years behind my friends. I'm in engineering and my friends figured out which kind they wanted much faster than I did. I'm better off than some friends, but I still live with my parents at 28 and in my first career job which pays below market average. My friends make 6 figures. At least I'm not in debt, but seeing what I could have now if I hadn't made some big mistakes during school... Getting over regret is difficult

[@tarekyared4404]

Nothing wrong with living with your parents. There are no bragging rights associated with getting into dumb debt just because you don't like how it sounds to live with your parents. Make the most of it though and do smart things with your money.

[@SurpriseMeJT]

Don't live your life according to your friends expectations - or anyones for that matter. I will likely never make 6 figures like some of my friends. Do I want to make sacrifices to earn that much? Probably not. Am I happy with what I have and my plan? Yes. That's all that matters. Live at home for as long as you can, save/invest money for retirement which will also be your "FU fund" if your employer starts to be too terrible to tolerate. Live within your means and not someone else's, otherwise, you'll be really unhappy.

[@lynnkelly4021]

Thank you for sharing. I know how you feel.

[@jackcarraway4707]

Being in a band is EXTREMELY draining. Getting exposure to "get big" is almost possible. It's also doesn't take very long beforeyou get sick of the people in your band.

[@paulhornbogen980]

B. I find your material gold and practical. Your insights about expectations and perceptions is spot on sir. I prof. and personally find the term passion too much of marketing term. Taking a page out of material, you have to be a free agent today. Reality is my favorite term that includes a wife, elderly parents etc. Location impacts career choices. What is available or remotely. Prof. I am the captain of my career. Keep up the good work.

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Appreciate it, Paul!

[@kane7346]

I've given up on thinking that I'll have a career I'll wake up and fully enjoy. My mentality is based on income and how to increase my value in the market place. One thing I have definitely changed is my loyalty to companies and that is how I've advanced my career. Never again will a company be able to persuade me to stay.

[@withpikachu2402]

Great video. Musicians studying business I had it before. But you were lucky as you had no parental pressure. Imagine dealing with career choices and on top of that parental pressure.

[@dylanattix2765]

I had my stepmom to thank for helping me avoid this trap. Everyone growing up said I'd make a great teacher, so I just kinda figured that that's where my future was, even applying to a school with an acclaimed teaching program. But, she could tell that I just was not at all enthusiastic about it so, knowing my love of the outdoors, hiking, biking, and my care about the environment, she suggested that I pursue an outdoor-related major (I hadn't declared my major yet). My eyes lit up, and she told me to go do that. So I ended up graduating with an Environmental Science degree and, after some trials and tribulations, I'm now two years and three ISA certifications into an arboriculture career.

[@annakarinacastillo879]

I felt so related with your story! I had the opportunity of change my major and I didn't... It was heart breaking to found out years later that I should have done that... But those are lessons that life give us... 😊

[@jaredlash5002]

I do what I do for a career because it has always come easy to me. It's not a passion, but it is what I can do and I can do it well. The decision out of high school for what to study amounted to this, "I'm good at this, I can study it in college. Those people make decent money."

[@squallgallardo]

Sorry for this long post. But this made me think a bit. So... I'm Mexican, but I had the chance to get scholarships to get into a French high-school and then French universities (the majors are kinda weird in France, so I'll let you look it up). When I tried to transfer credits here in Mexico, they wouldn't recognize it: 1) Because what I studied and my major (engineering), covered the last semesters of Mexican colleges and 2) They wanted more money, so they wanted me to start over. I declined. And I struggled to get my double diploma for years. Now I have a French and a Mexican degree in engineering. However, I thought I was destined to work on my major's path for the rest of my life... and I kinda regretted it when I didn't see much career advancement and opportunities. 13 years ago, I was jobless and with student debt. But one family member introduced me to the children of one of her acquaintances, and I got a job on an IT company as a Business Analyst. After a few months, I was requested to take on Project Management tasks. And I liked it. So much in fact, that the last 13+ years have been dedicated to my new career path. My background helps, but now I'm fully into IT working as a Program Manager. I have a ton of certifications, and I make much more money than my peers from school and have more experience in different industries from the IT view point. I kinda regret my starting professional career, but it has helped me landing some great jobs now. And I still use my knowledge from back then sometimes, even on IT. Sorry for the long post. But don't think you're enslaved to one thing. You can adapt and cope with different situations and types of jobs. Thank you for your videos. They have helped me a lot in these past years during the pandemic and afterwards.

[@nhopkins1979]

When I met the new HR lady at our company she said to me "I'm passionate about Human Resources". And I thought how odd.... Who could be passionate about HR? I guess someone would have to be for the profession to survive. I enjoy your channel and appreciate your choice.

[@mhsidibe1]

That is why outside of the US and Europe, parents actually pick your major. Parents who struggled to put their kids to college should really narrow the list of major their kids are allowed to pick.

[@williamwolf4337]

The Bhagavad Gita says "It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." Sometimes we make decisions without knowledge we have later. We can live to be our best selves working imperfectly with what decisions we have.

[@andrewr1065]

Thank you for sharing your insight and your self reflection. However, this is what I think, at least from my perspective. The passion doesn't last forever. Through the journey, you became the person you are today. Just being able to self reflect and realize your lessons is an achievement on its own. Not only that, but you've taken it to the next level and helped people with that realization. would that "growth" have come if you pursued your "passion"? Now, you are evolving a passion out of a journey of lessons, and you're guiding others through it. Thank You!

[@SurpriseMeJT]

Yeah, in hindsight 'the grass is always greener'. We simply do not know which would be the best alternative reality.

[@ladysparkymartin]

Thank you for sharing this. I think it’s very valuable bc how many 18 year olds really know what path to take? I didn’t. I targeted a university mainly bc it was on the beach and enrolled in the Film program bc it was the only creative major that wasn’t impacted. I’d seen like three movies and wasn’t allowed to watch any TV but PBS! But I rolled with it, had too much fun while maturing, thought of transferring to more real world, stayed n added second major English junior year thinking I could always go to law school 😅 So no, I came out older and mostly just world wiser. 30 yrs later I still have love/hate with the career I sorta fell into and still don’t know what I want to do. But, on a good day, I remember I’m above average savvy, smart, capable, and adaptable and maybe that’s all I get. If I dissected the steps to now I’d be paralyzed. You did good 😊

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Sounds quite relatable!

[@francisadesina8016]

Excellent video and something more people need to hear.

[@matthewjbauer1990]

At my HS, they always made us take a survey every year that basically, by answering the questions, helped us determine what college degree we should choose OR if we should skip college and what job we should get instead. For me, it always said for me to skip and get a job as a solo long haul trucker. It never took into account that I'm short. Surveys like that are good but misleading. I remember the survey had a top 5 and bottom 5. I don't remember much about the survey other than solo long haul trucker always coming up as #1. But I do remember a couple of times that my current career of computers/IT/Technology jobs and degree were in the bottom 5.

[@barose1]

I went back to school in my mid-30s, that's *really* behind. 😂 Now I’m in my 40s with the student debt of a 25 year old and probably will be renting for the rest of my life. I know where you’re coming from though; when I was in my 20s I thought my life was 100% over. I had no hindsight and no life experience. I learned that life doesn’t happen in a formula and everyone’s path is different.

[@flyingjeff1984]

The wisdom comes with the gray hair. "You can't put an old head on young shoulders."

[@kericwilson4228]

Thanks for sharing your story!

[@jay-pd7rt]

Ha, I had that same desire growing up but the music is so different from those days. Plus learning what most bands actually make, unless your wildly successful is not worth it in my eyes.

[@blimabean3705]

My career has really been geared by coincidences and timing. At 49 I wish I had done something else but life pretty much just kept pushing me in that direction.

[@ShawnC.W-King]

Thank You, you don't know how much I needed this.

[@Tristin471]

At almost 28, I’m behind most 21-22 years old career-wise, but the fact of the matter is, it doesn’t matter. I still haven’t found the career that I truly want, but at least I didn’t go tens of thousands of dollars in debt for a BS degree that I would end up hating!

[@kimberlydonaldson4904]

It took me a long time to find my career niche!

[@milocat6387]

This happened to me as well. Fortunately, careers aren't set in stone. You can change your career as an adult, you don't have to allow society to dictate who you'll be and when you'll be that person. I'm restarting my education in my late 30s. I don't care about "being behind" others. I care about doing what's right for me, right now.

[@ayanamariemia]

Thank you for sharing. I would like to hear more.

[@BobAntelton]

Loved this video! Would like hearing more about your background

[@toddpechar8219]

ALAL - very good content in this video (as always), and I am looking forward to the next one in this new series. If you are open to constructive criticism, I found this delivery on this video to be much slower and less attention grabbing than your typical videos. You typically speak and get the info out at a faster pace than this which at least I find more enthralling, and you typically don't slow down for videos of falling rain drops or someone pondering life over a notepad. If you want to change things up, maybe you could add a clip of yourself doing a good drum solo or something! Finally, this video did get me to hit the SUBSCRIBE button after wathcing so many other of your videos.

[@NNic.]

You might try watching videos at a faster playback speed. I watch most videos at 1.25x or 1.5x depending on how fast the person is speaking. 🙂

[@shrikantpanmand7902]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TezukaKohei]

Nah I disagree, you definitely made the right choice. We need more sensible and authentic people like you in recruiting!!!!

[@reginamilkovich7539]

I remember the economy crashing my junior year in college, pell grants ran out and I was working 38 hrs and doing 18 credit hrs. It was insane. Nobody could find a job after graduation. A whole generational wealth of impact. Just laid off so it feels like a strange repeat.

[@emailuser8668]

2007-2015 great recession/jobless recovery, experienceed the same thing, from 2007-2009 only income was $79 a week in unemployment benefits, in weekly/monthly apartments in a bad area. If you want to get working fast- submit 7 applications/resumes a week, after a month, you should get calls for interviews. Hold your head high, you have nothing to be negative about, you're a citizen-career seeker. A wise man once told me, no matter how bad things seems now, it's been worse before. The fact that you have the intelligence to watch this channel means you have plenty to offer great employers. Stay strong!

[@reginamilkovich7539]

@email user I so appreciate your kind words and encouragement. Thank you and also for sharing your story. Ommiting hard facts on the unfortunate events that occur in one's life, which do greatly impact career trajectory, is a balancing script I am still trying to articulate since being truthful is most important to me. I will dig in and focus on 7 applications. I am averaging 5 a week however the number 7 is my lucky number so I will make tweaks and pursue 🙌 Best to you!

[@andremasters6006]

Don't worry about it. I waited too and missed the boat to get a good opportunity, becuase I thought I had more time. I spent 8 years working at 50% below market rate in jobs that did not require a college degree. You probably made the right move given where you are today.

[@jimsalmon5158]

The three most dangerous words in the English language are: “It’s too late.”

[@ericliberty1776]

Bryan, your videos continue to inspire. Best career channel. You are an inspiration.

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

I appreciate that!

[@kellyrutherford5885]

Spot on!

[@silver6054]

Sounds very honest, thank you! As others have said, it is very unlikely that you would have made it to rock god status (just on statistics, haven't heard your stuff, you might be a true great!) but a decent side gig might have been OK. But hopefully, you are at least OK with where you are now.

[@jasonmok4110]

Success fuels passion

[@JonMasters]

Hi from Boston. I can imagine where you’re talking about.

[@benc6503]

"Follow your passion" - One of the worst tropes of advice, EVER. It's bullshit, so throw that out right away. It's something some older people say because that's how they wish the world worked, not because it does. No, you need to consider what you're good at, and don't hate doing, even if you don't necessarily fully enjoy it (this is important). Why? Here's why. Because that lets you get good at your job, and that's what let's you make MONEY. Money might not buy happiness, but it can sure as hell buy "avoidance of sadness and desperation." Nothing ruins quality of life faster than wondering whether you'll pay the bills this month, or wondering if you should skip lunch (and perhaps dinner too). You really should have replaced those brake pads months ago, but hopefully they don't give out. And guess what? You'll probably be too depressed and miserable to ever truly enjoy whatever your old passions used to be, if you even have any money left over for them. If you like to paint, well.. paint isn't free. No, I'm not saying you should do what you hate forever, even if it's possible, even likely at some point you might do what you have to do. But, you should really reconsider whether you want to do what you really love. And yes, there's a middle ground. Still doesn't make sense? All too often, once the workplace and work politics gets involved, few things can destroy passion faster. Because now, you have to do what the boss says, and he says that because that's what the CEO says. And you have to do it, because you need MONEY. Imagine if you wrote a new song, but then the music executive tells you it's trash and he's not releasing it. Then the executive turns around, gives you a musical score written by a professional pop song writer, and tells you to record it, except you hate the song and he needs it within a week. Then also imagine if you have an agent, only he tells you to change your image. One day, you'll wake up, look in the mirror, and you won't recognize yourself anymore. Then you wonder what you ever saw in music way back when. Suppose you really like programming, so then you do whatever you can to get a job as a programmer. But now, you face deadlines, which is an anathema to anything artistic or creative. You propose features or a change to the UI, but are forced to skip them because they aren't approved. Then the CEO tells you to add features or make changes you don't agree with. Before you know it, you haven't worked on your programming hobby in years, because it reminds you too much of work. That's a source of passion and joy that is now lost to you. I've heard, and even observed that bartenders tend to be either teetotalers (not drink at all) or hardcore alcoholics, with very little in between. I even had one tell me "When I get a day off, I don't want to be anywhere NEAR a bar." No, you want to find something that you are really good at, which allows you to excel as your job, make enough MONEY to enjoy a good living, and so you don't have to be constantly worried about money, or work every waking hour, and have enough money, time, and energy leftover so you can still engage in your hobbies, whether it's music, or programming. And most importantly? You never lost your passion or joy. And if you are into performing for a live audience? A lot of cover bands here consist of members that do this on the side, part-time, for fun. They make a little money, but they don't need the money, because their primary job takes care of that. I actually like programming sometimes. And man, am I ever glad it's not a primary function of my job.

[@suleimanpeshawari1032]

This guy knows his stuff

[@monabiehl6213]

I wanted to be a DJ and a rock musician. I figured being a rock star was not something practical. Getting a 4-year degree to be a DJ seemed stupid too, so I studied to be a reporter. I really didn't want to be a reporter. I didn't want to work evenings and weekends and holidays. I valued my social life too much. While being a DJ on a part time basis, or as a second job would have been good, I should have studied something else, maybe being a teacher because I always wanted to be a teacher. At times I would have to work evenings and weekends but not always. I got out of college and found I had no skills. I ended up doing office work for 40 years, something I really didn't like and was not good at.

[@gentronseven]

I'm not happy doing anything, I feel like I need 3-6 months off every year to rebuild motivation. I've been a software engineer for 13 years and I dislike it more and more every day. I'm even great at it, I just don't care and find it harder everyday to care. I don't even think I could have chosen a profession I actually like.

[@Hereticxxii]

Out of pure curiosity, what kind of music did you like to play?

[@O-.-O]

If you threw away your dreams already as soon as your first college year then HR was really the best career choice for you.

[@earthsteward9]

Thank you for sharing! Maybe you could have a second channel about music

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Only so many hours in the day!

[@Whatareyoueven42]

I love my income support. Glad I do not have to deal with a job ever again.

[@alvydasjokubauskas2587]

I think it is time for you to do a career change, life is short, so trying to achieve your dreams is priority

[@alarriag1]

Very good video, deep and very true, but I’ll offer some “other side of the coin” observations from my own life and others: What you love is not necessarily what you’re good at. This is probably one of the harshest and toughest career realizations you have to make in life and ask yourself the question: Would I rather live my life doing something I love that might not pay the bills because I’m not that good at it or do something else that I’m not passionate about but that I’m decent at and actually pays the bills? “Passions” can diminish when you actually have to make a living from them. The “do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” sounds great in theory but is very hard to do because truth is that when you have to do something under someone else’s restrictions, i.e. a job, the luster of a passion diminishes. Even a passion needs a break. I know people gifted at doing something that, on top of it, love it. But even they need to alternate with other activities in life to not burn their passions. You don’t know what you don’t know, that’s why you have to live. There’re thousands of occupations, professions and activities that will wake interests and passions that you don’t know about until you stumble upon them. And that will probably not happen when you’re 16 but much later. You can’t control everything. Even when you know your passions and are willing to follow them, life may have other plans for you. Perhaps what you want to do doesn’t exist in your country. Perhaps you don’t have the money to pursue them. Perhaps your culture, family traditions, upbringing or other life circumstances push you away from them. Truth is that you have to try your best, don’t feel discouraged or disappointed if you don’t “make it” and keep in mind that there’re tons of things that you can’t control that can, and will, derail many of your expectations.

[@larriveeman]

a lot of times passion has got nothing to do with reality and paying the bills

[@lizzi437]

Here's a question: How would you change HR/Recruiting so that you could be more passionate about it (and so that employees would hate HR less)?

[@johnburr9463]

Yes, more please.

[@aaronaustrie]

Facts!

[@ethananime3773]

Don't turn your hobby to a job your clients or whatever will destroy it. Refer to the movie the menu .. I resonate with the chef

[@CarlosValenzuela-sx9xb]

What a great video

[@jahanas22]

That sounds eerily similar to how I ended up where I am now.

[@codyyarger1444]

At 4:00 I'm pretty sure I guessed the music school 😅

[@joecater894]

you also have to think about earn potential though.. its poss to do a degree where only the elite in the subject do it

[@user-nu8in3ey8c]

When it comes to careers the best advice I have ever heard is that you should never follow your passion, but instead find a career that is attainable, well compensated, and somewhat compatible with your abilities and personality. Practical jobs tend to beat the arts because they are attainable, and on average, better compensated. If one can attain, with a reasonable likelihood of success, a career that they are passionate about that is fine. Not everyone gets to be an astronaut or rock star musician.

[@RandomFandomDragon]

I would definitely do things differently if I could go back. Question / Video suggestion - two companies I am interested in do not have any roles I qualify for, but both have open or general applications. Are these worth applying to, or do they trip any kind of red flag?

[@kingjae1498]

Biggest mistake I made was starting a blog and trying to build passive income on social media...wish I never did that shyt...nothing good came from it...

[@comander47]

I honestly thought that the only way to get in to human resources was to be a psychologist. At least that's what I think most of of the people I know that works on HR are psychologist.

[@papabutter21]

Berklee?? Should post some old music one day if you have it!

[@BOSSDONMAN]

Honestly, almost all of this is driven by how expensive and time consuming college is, which is something I think you overlooked in this video. Maybe peer perception had a greater impact on you though.

[@brololler]

sunk cost fallacy, dont throw more resources into a bad project just because you've currently invested into it.

[@aaronaustrie]

Ppl need to stop telling other ppl what to do with their life!

[@JoeSmith-oy3hk]

My advice is basically the opposite and to lean into expediency. You can't know the end result of your decisions fully so you're best off putting extra weight on the immediate effects. Even in the context of this video, a youtube channel about marketing may not have gained as much ground and so hindsight may suggest that the choice you made was right all along and the present value calculation at the time was well justified.

[@yartriesthis]

keep talking about this... everyone walks the same shoes.

[@mattw8332]

Brian could have been the next John Bonham or Bill Bruford. 😉

[@floatingsara]

Do you agree with Cal Newport's claim that "Follow your passion" is bad advice ?

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

No. I don’t agree on some level. I’ll cover that in another video.