I Spy With My Little Eye, a Job I’ve Always Wanted to Try
Hi everyone - for this article, I interviewed people from different occupations. I felt as if this would be very beneficial for people who want to change careers, aren’t sure of what they want to do, or if they want to know how to successfully pursue their career.
The occupations you will see in this article are
Real estate agent - Hannah Woods
Lawyer - Ed Koester
Entrepreneur - Patrick Renda
Doctor - Kelly Fontana
Insurance Agent - Hallie Richards
Author - Paulette LeBlanc
Real Estate Agent - Hannah Woods @hannahwoodsrealtor (Instagram)
What made you realize this was the career you wanted to pursue?
“I realized this was the career path for me when I was with my Godmother in New Jersey. She’s a top producing realtor in New Jersey and after we discussed different options this was an easy choice. At the end of the day, I was brought up around real estate so it made sense for me.”
What steps did you take to get there?
“Well, the first step is school, class test, and then state test. After that, you choose your brokerage and go from there. What they don’t tell you is that the test is the easy part. Selling, managing, negotiating, etc is the hard part. So many different aspects and moving parts with arguably someone’s biggest asset on the line and no one to truly take you under their wing and guide you. It’s an intense and extremely competitive career.”
What are the best parts of your job?
“Honestly, the best part of my job is going to sound so cliché but it’s truly helping all different states of families get into a new home or out of their current home. Everyone’s story is different and I get to experience everyone’s story first hand. When you see the kids choosing their bedrooms or when you make the seller more money than they thought - those are the little moments that keep you going through the extremely difficult ones.”
What are the unexpected parts of your job?
“Well, when you get into real estate you are truly a jack of all trades. You are a therapist, landscaper, handyman, best friend, and the list can go on. What you think you do as a realtor, multiply it by 100. Everyone has high expectations for you, and you need to do what you need to do, to get to the finish line.”
What advice would give someone trying to get into your field?
“Find someone who is willing to help you and guide you and keep them close. As mentioned before, you don’t just “trust” anyone because it’s a competitive career. Also, teach yourself self-discipline and consistency now. The only way you will be successful in real estate is with these two traits.”
Insurance Agent - Hallie Richards (Check her out on LinkedIn)
What made you realize this was the career you wanted to pursue?
“Honestly I never thought I wanted to do it at first! Both of my parents work in insurance so I always wanted to find my own path, but after interning for an insurance agent one summer in college I ended up loving it. I’ve been working for State Farm ever since and have gained licensing, experience, and knowledge that has helped me slowly work my way up the company!”
What steps did you take to get there?
“Once I realized that insurance was something I was genuinely interested in there were many exams I had to take to get the proper licensing! In the state of Florida, several courses and state-regulated exams were required to sell different types of insurance, and then State Farm as a private company required a couple of other separate exams. I was still in college while trying to study for and pass these exams so I took a lot of time and discipline. Even after I passed all of them it still took lots of time and effort to really learn the ins and outs of the insurance products- it’s so much different once you put things you know into practice! This past year I have really become comfortable talking to people about their needs, assets, and how we can help them protect their families.”
What are the best parts of your job?
“Although many people may look at insurance as something simply required by their state, I have realized it’s so much more than that! I’ve seen people at the lowest points in their lives (after a nearly fatal car crash, their house burning down, a loved one dying, etc.) and I’ve been able to provide them with relief during it. The feeling of providing someone with the money and protection that they’re so desperately in need of after one of these events is indescribable! For example, after Hurricane Irma hit Naples, Florida in 2017 our phones were ringing nonstop with people calling about damage to their homes, cars, etc. State Farm was able to write people checks on the spot to cover the damage that they incurred during the disaster. The faces of relief I saw in those moments helped me realize that what I am doing is truly making an impact on lives!”
What are the unexpected parts of your job?
“I didn’t realize how much of a factor psychology and social cognizance was in the insurance business. Customer relationships are so important and every day I learn more about how to interact with people (whether they’re angry, in distress, etc.). It is important to have knowledge of policies and the insurance industry, but it is JUST as important to have good social awareness and know how to properly interact with people!”
What advice would give someone trying to get into your field?
“Don’t listen to the stereotypes! Agents and the entire industry get a bad rap, and don’t get me wrong there are poor agents/companies out there, but most of us just want to help people! If there are any of you out there interested in getting into this industry I’d be so happy to talk to you. The feeling of helping people and their families is indescribable, and I’ve also learned so much about finances and other useful topics through my job! While I did get my college degree, you don’t necessarily need one in order to be in the insurance industry. There is great money to be made and so much to learn and the insurance industry is in need of smart, caring, and charismatic young people just like you!”
Entrepreneur - Patrick Renda
What made you realize this was the career you wanted to pursue?
“Since I was in my early teens, I've been an entrepreneur, always finding ways to make money and invest. Over the span of my professional life, I have interned at a national PR firm in Hollywood, interned at NBC in Burbank, worked at NBC studios at Burbank, went into law which at that time I thought was a career I wanted to pursue, then leaped Wall Street which was my true passion and still is achieving tremendous success. I went back into marketing from Wall Street after my first big failure. I worked in business development in advertising for a regional radio company, then moved to a new startup turning around and building flourishing skincare, lifestyle brick, and mortar company into a regional success that is now public. From that experience, I identified opportunities that led me to start my current venture with my partner, a holding company with a lifestyle/skincare web company, a business marketing company, and now a publishing company. An entrepreneurial business career has always been my blood and a path I was interested in, given the unique aspects from the challenges to the rewards.”
What are the best parts of your job?
“The first benefit is seeing your vision and efforts come to fruition as the business begins to build and generate growth operating day to day as a successful entity. Daily, it is collaboratively working with your colleagues towards specific goals. As those milestones are accomplished, it provides more significant financial benefits and rewards for the team and the company. For the business marketing firm, the daily reward is producing great work and work that helps others, i.e., clients achieve their goals and success. If they are successful, that in part means we were successful, supporting and assisting them while accomplishing our goals. The last piece of the best interest of the job for me is working with a trusted team we assembled. They are great people and committed, which is what you want in the “foxhole” of daily business. (Foxhole is a military reference where you are literally in a dugout hole with your fellow soldiers fighting for your life)”
What are the unexpected parts of your job?
“Expectations are very high in today’s business world, and deadlines are very short.
This wasn’t the case pre-pandemic, yet the pandemic seemed to create a sense of survival management in many businesses, thus demanding more from vendors, better from vendors, value, and shorter turnaround times for deliverables.
Other unexpected items happen, but we do our best to anticipate, i.e., losing a client, an employee leaving, a partner leaving, to a biblical pandemic. It is imperative that you build a team, a management approach, and a flexible business.”
What advice would give someone trying to get into your field?
“Today it is imperative that people considering a career in business as an entrepreneur, or a career in management, understand the necessity of being a good communicator and a foundation built around integrity and the desire to succeed. Today’s professional environment moves at a very rapid pace and is highly competitive. Advancements in technology have afforded rapid industry progress and professional improvement; thus, a solid understanding of these tools is necessary. Lastly, prepare yourself for failure, not just small failure but major failure as you are likely to experience once or twice in your career. Learning from these experiences and how you respond will likely dictate your progression and eventual level of success.”
Additional Input -
“I’ve had many challenges over the course of my professional career and more times than not created my opportunities or made the most of a chance that presented itself, resulting in many accolades. At the same time, I’ve had significant setbacks, from total professional failure to personal life distractions.
Through it all, I have always focused on personal and bigger professional goals learning and applying the valuable lessons from these experiences. Clarity of your professional purpose and focus on your discipline is essential.
One other critically important lesson I have learned is being aware of your colleague’s integrity and trust and vice versa. More times than not, when the going got tough, I’ve unfortunately experienced professional abandonment or betrayal more than colleagues digging in accepting and sharing in the responsibility. Many professionals are out for their success vs. committing to the tremendous success of the team and company where everyone benefits. Lastly, have an open mind, embrace new opportunities, create opportunities, understand the importance of collaboration, and always look at the bigger picture.”
Author - Paulette LeBlanc
What made you realize this was the career you wanted to pursue?
“I’m not sure there was a particular moment that I realized writing was something I wanted to pursue, so much as, stories, outlines, and scenarios have always performed in my head, as though I am an audience of one. I sometimes have a seed of an idea and then hear the dialogue, or see it play out in my head, and once I get excited, I can write in flow for hours, as though only a few moments have gone by. I think the closest I came to an epiphany that I should write came was when I was about 11 years old and my father read something I’d written and didn’t believe I was able to write it. He made me sit in front of him and write something similar (poetry). Luckily, at that age, I wrote a ton of poetry and was able to conjure up something he found impressive. He told me then I had a gift and writing was the road I should head down. Ironically, when I was 20 and out on a first date, I showed a guy something I’d written, and he didn’t believe I had written it, because it impressed him so much- needless to say, that was our last date. I have often thought about how my father not believing I could write flattered me, and that guy made me want to punch him in the mouth.”
What steps did you take to get there?
“To get where I am now, I just kept writing. I had no idea where I would end up, I just trusted the unstoppable force within me, that wanted to express, in words, everything that came my way. On many occasions, I wrote well into the night, knowing I’d never be able to sleep until I wrote “The End” and felt satisfied with what I’d been working on. You know you’re a writer when the most rewarding thing imaginable is sculpting and re-sculpting a sentence until it reads like music or poetry. “
What are the best parts of your job?
“The best part of my job is the affirmation I receive when someone has read something I’ve written with complete understanding and comprehension—that means I’ve done it well. When I manage to transport someone into a world they never saw coming, it makes me feel as though the ability to communicate is a tool I’m polishing.”
What are the unexpected parts of your job?
“The most unexpected thing so far has been having to write within a frame. Writing has been a life-long love for me, unleashing the most creative part of myself, so writing within a frame took practice. There is a big difference between writing creatively (which is what I do best I think) and having to convey a certain message for someone else. If one pursues writing as a career, they will learn quickly that they cannot simply write what they want- unless, and until someone else loves and is willing to pay for what they’re writing. So there are two roads there. The frame, which is, you are paid (usually very little) to emphasize an idea or advertise a product or service, and the other is the dream—that you are able to write about things that set you on fire. All great writers had to learn to write within the frame and at some point, in order to pay the bills. When you can pay the bills by writing what sets you on fire, you’ve grown a voice people trust.”
What advice would give someone trying to get into your field?
“My advice to those cursed with an insane love for the written word is:
· ALWAYS follow submission guidelines. Do not go crazy with gimmicks and schemes trying to make people read you, like weird or bolded font, colors, or exclamations. If you follow the guidelines set by the editors of whatever publication for which you’re trying to write, the odds are they will take you seriously and read your very few words (or however many they’ve told you to send them).
· Say as much as possible in as few words as possible. (I wish I could follow this guideline when speaking haha).
· Use driving words, not repetitions and redundancies.
· Let your work speak for itself. If you can do the necessary job, you don’t need more explanation than is asked for in the submission requirements. (I often made this mistake when I first began submitting- and sometimes continue to make this mistake)
· This industry is LARGELY subjective, so trust your gut with who will best represent you or your work and the direction you will go.
· NEVER GIVE UP! If you are truly a writer, and I suspect you know whether it’s a love, a talent, or just something you do here and there, don’t quit. Success in this field can be fickle and arbitrary. You will likely see someone get a writing contract without trying, who has no earthly desire to write anything. Part of the business is having a platform, so if someone had 15 minutes in the limelight, publishers know they’re recognizable, and may toss them a contract, knowing it will make them money. If you haven’t been on a reality show, or aren’t carrying the love-child of a politician, you will have to let your work speak for itself, and I suggest you do just that.
· Get good at writing in your field. I cannot recommend the following books highly enough-The Elements of Style (I keep a copy in the bathroom) this tiny book will teach you SO MUCH! Writing in Flow- The title says it all. Writing Down the Bones- this book changed my life and continues to help me to evolve as a writer every time I pick it up. A true gem!”
Doctor - Kelly Fontana
What made you realize this was the career you wanted to pursue?
“When I was seven my mother had a massive stroke and was hospitalized for months.
I saw the way certain doctors interacted with her and us and was drawn to some more than others because of their differences in bedside manner. After more reflection, I realized the impact physicians have not only on their patients but also on their families.
Learning more about the human body as I got older it fascinated me about the interrelationships between every organ system and all that we still did not know.
I loved how being a physician combined relationships and science together.”
What steps did you take to get there?
“In high school, I shadowed my pediatrician to see what day-to-day life was for a female with a medical practice. In college, because getting accepted to medical school is very competitive, I worked hard in my major to get a good GPA. I also started a chapter with friends of mine of the American Medical Student Association as they allowed Pre Med students to start to join. We had meetings and speakers regarding help with entrance exams and the challenges facing myself and my peers. I also did basic science research to see if I wanted to apply for an MD Ph.D. program.
Once in Medical School, I tried to stay active not only with my studies but also with the student government. I always wanted to do primary care but found a mentor in medical school who was a dual degree in Internal Medicine and Pediatrician. Learning more about this small subset of primary care, I realized that this was my path.”
What are the best parts of your job?
“Working with people and hopefully making a difference in their lives.”
What are the unexpected parts of your job?
“I never expected to want or start my own practice. Now that I do, I would not want it any other way.”
What advice would give someone trying to get into your field?
“You need to be passionate about helping people to practice any sort of medicine. That way you will always feel rewarded. It is a long educational road and long hours.”
Trial Lawyer - Ed Koester
What made you realize this was the career you wanted to pursue?
“When I was 10, I was able to get to know a lawyer and see him in court and just felt that I could do that!”
What steps did you take to get there?
“I stayed focused and dedicated until I achieved the goal of being a trial lawyer. When I graduated from law school I sought out the best lawyers to emulate and learn from.”
What are the best parts of your job?
“The freedom to excel and do great. Being a lawyer is amazing because you have the ability to control your own destiny.”
What are the unexpected parts of your job?
“Managing. A large part of the practice of law is managing employees, experts, and other lawyers. Learning about people and their lives is very interesting. The law is always changing and is always challenging.”
What advice would give someone trying to get into your field?
“Make your own future. Find good people to work with. Search out the best to learn from.”