Real Work, Real Life

Send us a textIn this episode, we’ll talk with Katerina Manoff, the founder and CEO of ENGin, a nonprofit organization that pairs Ukrainian youth with English-speakers for free online conversation practice and cross-cultural connection, with a mission to rebuild Ukraine through 1-on-1 connections. Katerina shares the incredibly rewarding experience of dedicating your working life to a cause that you are passionate about, but also is candid about the challenges of starting a nonprofit while raising a young family. To learn more about ENGin, volunteer, or donate to this impactful cause, visit: https://www.enginprogram.org/

Send us a textIn this episode, we'll talk with Chelsea, an electrical engineer. For the right person, electrical engineering can be a rewarding and interesting job, with the potential for excellent benefits, hours, and compensation. It requires a four year engineering degree, and often a multi-year apprenticeship and licensing exams, but that process also lends credibility to people in the field.   Listen to the end for Chelsea's advice to her younger self on work: to know your value and negotiation compensation. 

Send us a textIn this episode, we'll talk with Jake, a software engineer. For the right person, software engineering can be a rewarding and interesting job, with the potential for excellent benefits, hours, and compensation, working from nearly anywhere. It is also doesn't require a four year degree, often a prerequisite for salaried roles in the United States.   Listen to the end for Jake's advice to his younger self on work, a quote borrowed from Steve Martin: "Be so good, they can't ignore you."  Bootcamp that Jake wanted to highlight: Code Platoon, a coding bootcamp for Veterans, active duty Servicemembers, and military spouses to transition into the civilian workforce by providing technical training and career placement. More information at: https://www.codeplatoon.org/

Send us a textIn this episode, we'll talk with Sam, a former Customer Success Manager. The intersection between tech sales and customer support, this role is focused on customer loyalty and building close long-term client relationships. This could be a great role for someone that is empathetic, curious, and a strong communicator. It offers excellent earning potential, some remote options, and great work life balance, but typically requires a four year college degree and a standard, full-time working schedule. Most of Sam's experience was in start ups, which comes with it's own host of challenges and opportunities.   Resources mentioned in the show: Success Coaching: https://successcoaching.co/ Gainsight: https://www.gainsight.com/ Totango: https://www.totango.com/

Send us a textIn this episode, we'll talk with Steph, a former Certified Public Accountant, specializing in tax at a large firm. This is an example of a career that can offer enormous professional and financial benefits, but often at the cost of aspects of your personal life, requiring working long hours and meeting strict deadlines. It's also an example of a job that requires advanced certification. While this can be a challenging barrier to entry, it also creates a clearer career path and provides credibility that can open the door for flexible options like contracting for a variety of firms. 

Send us a textWhen we dream about our careers as children, we think about the work first, and then are blindsided by the reality of life in a particular career. What if we dreamed about our life first, and chose a career that fit our dreams for the perfect life for us? This podcast aims to share what real life is like in jobs across the working world. We'll share pay, benefits, day-to-day realities, how to get into different fields, and both the joys and annoyances you'd never see coming. If you'd like to be interviewed, or would like to hear about a particular job, please reach out at RealWorkRealLife@gmail.com