Career Advice

 

The road is filled with obstacles (and a beaver).
Florence, SC, Mar 2024

If I say that I don't feel like writing a post tonight, don't take it the wrong way.

I'm fine.

Right now, I'm in a good spot with everything though admittedly we need a few things to go right. One way or another, I'll likely write about those things soon.

But, for tonight, I'm just taking it easy. I'm watching the Knicks/Pacers game and preparing for the balance of the week.

Baseball is tomorrow. 

Lacrosse is Wednesday but so is "The Clubhouse."

The latter part of the week won't have as heavy of a game schedule so we'll see where those days take me.

*****

OK, I sort of have a topic to add to this post.

STAA -- Sportscasters Talent Agency of America -- tweeted this question:

"What advice would you give to this year's college graduates?"

I kept my answer simple and I'll stand by it.

"Stay authentic, work hard, grind, network, and avoid #toxicpositivity"

Look, it's true. Those are the things that have helped me. 

A simple look at my career has made that clear. 

I wish I could go back and tell my teenage self to network better but we can't rewrite history. 

Then again, there would be a bit to change but why do that? 

The people I like in this business do these things also. They're aggressive without overdoing it and that's also important. I've known aggressive people in this business who felt that nagging was the way to get in the business and, at least for me, that's not the right approach.

Nagging me doesn't work.

There will be an opening next to me that I will open up about soon and the person has to have chemistry and ability. Part of that might include stepping into my shoes to call a few games when I'm not available.

But I'm not 100% to the point where I can announce any of that.

Still, I'm making my point. People have tried to elbow their way into the booth and the hard sell doesn't work with me.

My other piece of advice would be about attitude. Don't act like you know it all. You don't. That has burned others with me. Plus, respect goes a long way.

To me, this advice can be applied to basically any career pursuit. 

I'll add more. Be flexible. Honestly. 

When I started at WGCH, I was a board operator. I kept things on the air and stayed out of the way. I contributed to radio shows as needed but, sometimes, wasn't on the air at all.

When the station would ask for things like an engineer, I only asked for training. Beyond that, I'd do it.

I tried to make sure I'd never put the station in a bad spot, so when they asked me to do Election Night, I suggested I wouldn't be right for it. I was quickly assured that I'd be fine. I've done Election Night nearly every year since then.

The same went for my first hockey broadcast. Now I've done hundreds.

Oh, but that's another thing. Confidence is fine. Arrogance is not.

Humblebrags are dangerous.

I see people talking about how many games they've done in a day and, trust me, I've written such posts. But, guess what? There's always someone -- always -- who will try to one-up.

It's just a bad game to get into.

I did 29 games over a two-week stretch last year.

Big deal.

Oh, I'm proud of it but nobody is putting me in the Hall of Fame for it.

Lastly, set your standards but wait before digging in with those. I wouldn't say no to a lot of gigs years ago. Now I can be a bit more picky.

So, yes, make friends. Be flexible. Grind. And most importantly, be yourself. Be authentic.

Don't be a fake.

And recognize that, unfortunately, your talent might not win out.

Take the bumps, bruises, rejections, highs, and lows with the appropriate grains of salt.

Lastly, don't forget where you came from, and don't forget those who have walked the path with you.

Good luck.

Respectfully, you'll need it.