The Creative Career

By day, Christie Maliyackel works for anbsp; health care consulting firm. By night, she's writing a novel called Lucyland. Listen to Christie's perspective on balancing full time work and creative side projects. This is my first in-person interview in quite some time; pardon the background noise from the coffee shop we were in.

ldquo;Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.rdquo; mdash;Isaac Asimov Josh Kaufman started The Personal MBA during his senior year in college as he was preparing to enter his career at P#38;G as an Assistant Brand Manager. He realized that many of his peers would be fresh recruits from top 15 MBA programs, and he wanted to make sure he had the knowledge, background and skills that his peers would have. In this case, Kaufman realized that an MBA certificate may not be necessarymdash;he already had the job, so why not just study on his own? He started his studies as a side projectmdash;reading, researching and eventually sharing what he had learned with others. The Personal MBA has now been featured in BusinessWeek, Fast Company, BNET and other popular sites and publications. "If you care about what you're learning about, you'll retain much more, you'll be able to use much more and what you learn is going to be thousands of time more valuable, because you'll actually be able to apply it." mdash;Josh Kaufman Josh Kaufman's recommended reading for those starting their careers: The Simplicity Survival Handbook: 32 Ways To Do Less And Accomplish More The Unwritten Laws of Business Read the full Personal MBA Recommended Reading List ShareThis

"Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is." - Isaac Asimov Josh Kaufman started The Personal MBA during his senior year in college as he was preparing to enter his career at P#38;G as an Assistant Brand Manager. He realized that many of his peers would be fresh recruits from top 15 MBA programs, and he wanted to make sure he had the knowledge, background and skills that his peers would have. In this case, Kaufman realized that an MBA certificate may not be necessarymdash;he already had the job, so why not just study on his own? He started his studies as a side projectmdash;reading, researching and eventually sharing what he had learned with others. The Personal MBA has now been featured in BusinessWeek, Fast Company, BNET and other popular sites and publications. "If you care about what you're learning about, you'll retain much more, you'll be able to use much more and what you learn is going to be thousands of time more valuable, because you'll actually be able to apply it." mdash;Josh Kaufman Josh Kaufman's recommended reading for those starting their careers: The Simplicity Survival Handbook: 32 Ways To Do Less And Accomplish More The Unwritten Laws of Business Read the full Personal MBA Recommended Reading List

Get advice and insights from successful professionals who have established themselves in marketing, advertising, public relations and interactive positions. Allie Osmar gets to the bottom of what it takes to succeed and how you can prepare yourself for a career in one of these ever-changing fields. Visit TheCreativeCareer.com to read the blog and show notes.

Monica O'Brien blogs at Social Pollination, and she recently wrote a book by the same name. She currently doesnbsp;marketing consulting for small companies. Jun Loayza is thenbsp;cofounder and chief marketing officer or Viraology and president of socialmediamarketing.com. You can find him at junloayza.com. Untemlater started after Jun wrote a blog post called Tell me the truth: Can Gen Y Team Up? The post was a call to action to bring individually successful people together to see what they could do together. Untemplater is now a company with six founders covering topics around six basic areas: Entrepreneurship Career Travel Family Mind Team Listen to the interview to hear more about Untemplater, its mission and the people behind it.ShareThis

Monica O'Brien blogs at Social Pollination, and she recently wrote a book by the same name. She currently does marketing consulting for small companies. Jun Loayza is thenbsp;cofounder and chief marketing officer or Viraology and president of socialmediamarketing.com. You can find him at junloayza.com. Untemlater started after Jun wrote a blog post called Tell me the truth: Can Gen Y Team Up? The post was a call to action to bring individually successful people together to see what they could do together. Untemplater is now a company with six founders covering topics around six basic areas: Entrepreneurship Career Travel Family Mind Team Listen to the interview to hear more about Untemplater, its mission and the people behind it.

back in 2008. She's back again to talk aboutnbsp;her latest book, New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career.nbsp;The book features stories from real people who have reinvented their own careers. Find out more about Alexandra Levit at alexandralevit.com, and read more about her new book at newjobnewyou.com. SHOW NOTES There are seven motivators that may lead you to seek a new career: Family Independence Learning Money Passion Setback Talent A few of the questions that we covered: How do I overcome the fear of making a big change? Where do I start? What are the major challenges of shifting to a new career? How should I structure my goals for the new year? What if I fail? ShareThis

Alexandra Levit is back again to talk about her latest book, New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career. The book features stories from real people who have reinvented their own careers. Find out more about Alexandra Levit at alexandralevit.com, and read more about her new book at newjobnewyou.com. SHOW NOTES There are seven motivators that may lead you to seek a new career: Family Independence Learning Money Passion Setback Talent A few of the questions that we covered: How do I overcome the fear of making a big change? Where do I start? What are the major challenges of shifting to a new career? How should I structure my goals for the new year? What if I fail?

"In many cases, and especially as you get up the ladder in the work world, you really often can't tell an introvert from an extrovertmdash;because many introverts who are far along in their careers have developed certain social skills, have developed public speaking skills, and you really can't tell us apart." mdash;Nancy Ancowitz Nancy Ancowitz is a business communications coach and author of Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead. Shenbsp;spent twelve years on Wall Street as a marketing head for major financial firms. While there, she took a personality assessment, and she was surprised to learn that she's an introvert. What is an introvert? Introverts aren't loners or antisocial. They simply gain their energy from being alone. Solo activities such as reading, writing, researching and quietly thinking will recharge their energy. What can an introvert do to better prepare for career success? -Rest up and recharge your energy before big meetings -Prepare a few opening lines, questions, contributions or topics of conversations -If you're heading into a meeting, get on the agenda before it begins -Introverts tend to be better at writing, so email a few ideas in advance or follow up with ideas through email. -Lobby your ideas in one-one situations before the big meeting -Get speech or public speaking lessons to learn how to use your voice (introverts tend to speak more quietly) -Make eye contact, sit up straight and have a firm handshake -Practice Find out more about Nancy Ancowitz atnbsp;selfpromotionforintroverts.com.ShareThis

"In many cases, and especially as you get up the ladder in the work world, you really often can't tell an introvert from an extrovert because many introverts who are far along in their careers have developed certain social skills, have developed public speaking skills, and you really can't tell us apart." mdash;Nancy Ancowitz Nancy Ancowitz is a business communications coach and author of Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead. Shenbsp;spent twelve years on Wall Street as a marketing head for major financial firms. While there, she took a personality assessment, and she was surprised to learn that she's an introvert. What is an introvert? Introverts aren't loners or antisocial. They simply gain their energy from being alone. Solo activities such as reading, writing, researching and quietly thinking will recharge their energy. What can an introvert do to better prepare for career success? -Rest up and recharge your energy before big meetings -Prepare a few opening lines, questions, contributions or topics of conversations -If you're heading into a meeting, get on the agenda before it begins -Introverts tend to be better at writing, so email a few ideas in advance or follow up with ideas through email. -Lobby your ideas in one-one situations before the big meeting -Get speech or public speaking lessons to learn how to use your voice (introverts tend to speak more quietly) -Make eye contact, sit up straight and have a firm handshake -Practice Find out more about Nancy Ancowitz at selfpromotionforintroverts.com.

Marcus Sakey started his career in advertising. Ten years later, after a combination of fateful events, he made the leap into the world of writing novels. He's now an award-winning novelist based out of Chicago, and he's about to release his fourth book, a crime thriller called The Amateurs (which will certainly end up on my book club list). Three of his novels are in development as films. Listen to the audio interview to learn more about Marcus Sakey and his adventures from the world of advertising to the world of writing novels. And while you're at it, check out a few of his favorite novels. Photo by Brett CarlsonShareThis

Marcus Sakey started his career in advertising. Ten years later, after a combination of fateful events, he made the leap into the world of writing novels. He's now an award-winning novelist based out of Chicago, and he's about to release his fourth book, a crime thriller called The Amateurs (which will certainly end up on my book club list). Three of his novels are in development as films. Listen to the audio interview to learn more about Marcus Sakey and his adventures from the world of advertising to the world of writing novels. And while you're at it, check out a few of his favorite novels.

M.J. Ryan, author of AdaptAbility: How to Survive Change You Didn't Ask For, is full of advice for new grads. Life after graduation, as she says, is one of the most challenging times a human being goes through. In this podcast interview, she has shared her thoughts on a few important points. What if I've lost interest in my major, but it's too late to change? Many young people agonize over what major to choose. Take comfort in the fact that this is a decision you're making for now, and the future will unfold in ways that you absolutely cannot predict or know now. We must become life-long learners and recognize that our lives will be continual process of education and growth. What are my thinking talents? These are your persistent ways of thinking that you've been doing your whole lifemdash;although you haven't necessarily been trained in them. To find out more, visit the ptp-partners.com and take an assessment to discover what yours are. A study of two million people shows that when we understand what these talents are, we create greater productivity and profitability. What if I'm having a hard time adjusting to life after college? This is a difficult stage in life. It won't always be like this, even though it feels like it now. Because it can be a challenging time in terms of your feelings, it's no time to go it alone. The question is not, "Do I need support?" but "What kind of support do I need?" Talk to people who have been through it and can offer perspective, or join a group to meet others in the same position as you. Should I create a 5 year plan? Harvard Business School did a study to find out if people who could answer this question did better than people who didn't have a plan in terms of money, success and happiness. Looking back at those who had a five year plan and those who didn't, there was no difference. "There is no such thing as a five year plan. There is no such thing, really, as a year plan. You can set intention, you can set goals#8212;but you then have to keep noticing what's actually happening and revising as you go... What we all need to do, rather than have a plan, is to keep enriching our environment with connections to other people and information." mdash;M.J. Ryan, inspired by Meg WheatleyShareThis

M.J. Ryan, author of AdaptAbility: How to Survive Change You Didn't Ask For, is full of advice for new grads. Life after graduation, as she says, is one of the most challenging times a human being goes through. In this podcast interview, she has shared her thoughts on a few important points. What if I've lost interest in my major, but it's too late to change? Many young people agonize over what major to choose. Take comfort in the fact that this is a decision you're making for now, and the future will unfold in ways that you absolutely cannot predict or know now. We must become life-long learners and recognize that our lives will be continual process of education and growth. What are my thinking talents? These are your persistent ways of thinking that you've been doing your whole lifemdash;although you haven't necessarily been trained in them. To find out more, visit the ptp-partners.com and take an assessment to discover what yours are. A study of two million people shows that when we understand what these talents are, we create greater productivity and profitability. What if I'm having a hard time adjusting to life after college? This is a difficult stage in life. It won't always be like this, even though it feels like it now. Because it can be a challenging time in terms of your feelings, it's no time to go it alone. The question is not, "Do I need support?" but "What kind of support do I need?" Talk to people who have been through it and can offer perspective, or join a group to meet others in the same position as you. Should I create a 5 year plan? Harvard Business School did a study to find out if people who could answer this question did better than people who didn't have a plan in terms of money, success and happiness. Looking back at those who had a five year plan and those who didn't, there was no difference. "There is no such thing as a five year plan. There is no such thing, really, as a year plan. You can set intention, you can set goals#8212;but you then have to keep noticing what's actually happening and revising as you go... What we all need to do, rather than have a plan, is to keep enriching our environment with connections to other people and information." M.J. Ryan, inspired by Meg Wheatley

Kathryn Marion has just published a new book filled with advice to help new grads venture into the next chapter of their lives. The book, Grads Take Charge, features advice from recent grads (including yours truly and other bloggers with great advice) on everything from finding the right job to handling money and life at home. The book is available at QwikSmarts.com, and The Creative Career readers can use the coupon code CC25 for 25% off. The Giveaway I have an extra copy of Grads Take Charge to give away to one lucky reader. To win, leave a comment with the phrase Take Charge, and if you want, tell me what you look forward to or fear about life beyond college (you don't have to be a senior to win#8212;this giveaway is available to anyone who can benefit from the advice in this book). I'll randomly select a winner next Monday, May 18.ShareThis