Before I started this podcast, I listened to podcasts. But I had never really thought about all of the jobs that go into making those podcasts possible. In this episode, I speak with Elena Schwartz, a producer for Slate Magazine's daily news podcast "What Next." In college, Elena thought that she might want to go to law school. Much of what she did in college, both academically and extracurricularly, was geared towards examining the intersection of race, class, and the criminal justice system. But during her junior year, she got an itch to do something in the audio-journalism world. She was worried that she was "behind" her peers, but managed to graduate with a temporary role with WGBH. She decided to give herself a year to test out this alternative career path, and now she's been at it for over three years. 

Best for: breaking into the audio-journalism world even when it feels late in the game; working in an industry that requires multiple temporary roles before you can get a full-time role

Contents:

1:00 - Introduction

4:20 - Deciding that she wanted to pursue an audio-journalism career and her first gig out of college

12:40 - Day-to-day as an assistant producer at WGBH

15:07 - Her junior year internship and how it helped her pivot

18:46 - Elena's next role; finding and starting a role at Pineapple Studios

22:23 - Pros and cons of these early roles

27:41 - Applying for and starting as an intern at All Things Considered at NPR

37:37 - The challenges of an industry that starts with mostly temporary roles

41:12 - Looking for and finding a full-time role

45:26 - Day-to-day as a full-time producer at Slate

52:28 - Lessons learned

In this episode, I speak with my former co-worker, Jessica, about her path to becoming a Project Manager at an energy storage start up. In college, Jessica majored in computer science and minored in ethics and philosophy. Like me, she worked as an analyst at a boutique financial litigation firm after college, but after two years decided that it was time to move on. In deciding what she wanted to do next, Jessica looked to find a job where she felt more mission-aligned and where she could achieve better work-life balance. Now at Form Energy, she focuses on commercial strategy, business development and customer acquisition. 

Best for: people looking to pivot after their first job out of college; working at a start up in a non-technical role; learning more about clean energy jobs

Contents:

1:00 - Introduction

5:04 - Goals for her first job out of college

9:30 - Pros and cons of working as an analyst at a boutique financial litigation firm

15:50 - Pivoting after her first job and the job search

24:07 - Day-to-day as a project manager at an energy storage start up

29:19 - Pros and cons of working as a project manager at an energy storage start up

33:50 - Lessons learned

In this episode, I speak with a fellow graduate of my high school, Ogechi Musa. Ogechi is now a full-time writer, director, actor, and producer. But that's not where she started. While a student at Boston College, Ogechi thought that she would pursue a career in medicine. Initially she thought she would be a doctor, but she ultimately landed on healthcare IT consulting and training. She was always passionate about acting and filmmaking, though, and pursued that, as well. After years of balancing two careers, Ogechi recently decided to follow her purpose, quit her six-figure job in healthcare, and pursue her career in independent filmmaking full-time. 

Best for: learning about independent filmmaking; hearing about the importance of being in-tune with yourself at different stages of your life; considering different careers in the healthcare space

Contents:

1:00 - Introduction

9:43 - First steps coming out of college

13:03 - Taking time out of college to pursue filmmaking

17:41 - Healthcare IT day-to-day

24:32 - Pros and cons of healthcare IT

27:30 - Deciding to not become a doctor

32:28 - Balancing healthcare IT with filmmaking

36:53 - Day-to-day of being an independent filmmaker

40:52 - Pros and cons of independent filmmaking

47:32 - Looking back and lessons learned

Edited by Dylan Smith from Valle Verde Studios. You can follow him @valleverdestudios on Instagram and Tiktok.