Lessons from a Quitter Replay: A Look Back At How Blogging Helped Leslie Samuel Get And Then Quit His Dream Career
This week's episode is a replay of Episode 50: How Blogging Helped Leslie Samuel Get And Then Quit His Dream Career.
It’s hard not to smile while listening to today’s guest talk about his journey and you’ll see why. Leslie’s story is something we can all learn so much from. Through determination and a genuine love of teaching biology, he managed to land himself his dream job as a biology professor without getting a Ph.D! Crazy, right? So many of us are stuck believing that we have to go the traditional route to pursue the things we love, but that really isn’t the case anymore.
Before Leslie landed his dream job, he started out as a high school teacher with a huge love for science and biology. Coincidently, in 2008, he also stumbled upon a way to make money online through blogging. He used his newfound skills to create a blog, Interactive Biology, where he taught Biology the way he wanted. He would make interactive, high-energy videos illustrating various concepts like how an action potential works. It was this very blog that ultimately landed him his dream job.
By chance, he had received an email one day about an open teaching position in a doctoral program. Was he qualified? Absolutely not. Did it stop him from applying? Not even in the slightest. Leslie interviewed for the job and made it very clear that he wasn’t qualified, but he showed them his blog that was evidence of his knowledge and teaching style. Within an hour of leaving that interview, he received a phone call saying he got the job.
Leslie’s story is living proof that you don’t have to do everything the traditional route. You can feel (and be) unqualified for the job or position that you want, but if you truly love something enough and you put in the work, the opportunities will come!
But the best part of Leslie’s story is the fact that blogging opened up a whole new world of impact for him. He realized how many lives he was changing by teaching other people how to grow and monetize their blogs. He ultimately decided to leave his dream job as a professor to focus exclusively on his latest blog, Become A Blogger, where he is taking on the mission of “Changing The World One Blog At A Time.”
Here is what we chat about in this episode:
- Why you should make a change in your life if you’re unhappy.
- Why you don’t need to pursue things the traditional way.
- How everyone has something they can share with other people.
- How the technology today makes it easy to start a side hustle.
- And so much more!
Where to find Leslie:
Resources Mentioned: