finding career zen

Why More People Are Choosing Unconventional Career Paths

• Pete Newsome • Episode 47

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Ever wondered how a passion for gaming or vlogging could translate into a paycheck that rivals corporate salaries? Join our hosts, Pete Newsome and Ricky Baez, as they take you through the intricate maze of unconventional career paths.

This episode peels back the layers of careers once dismissed as hobbies and reveals how authenticity and dedication can spark a transformation into a thriving profession. From the thrill of professional gaming to the art and craft of content creation, they discuss the evolving definition of success and how passion is becoming an increasingly powerful driver in carving out a niche in today's economy.

But what about the nuts and bolts of making it all work? Pete and Ricky have you covered! They share the importance of financial planning and networking, the two lifelines of any unconventional career. Understanding the value of an online presence and the necessity of staying current is paramount to keeping your edge sharp in a world where AI and technology are constantly rewriting the rules.

Gear up for a dose of inspiration and practical advice that will leave you equipped and eager to navigate your own uncharted career journey!

Additional Resources:

🧠 WANT TO LEARN MORE? Be sure to subscribe and check out https://zengig.com/

👋 FOLLOW PETE NEWSOME ONLINE:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PeteNewsome

👋 FOLLOW RICKY BAEZ ONLINE:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/efrainrickybaez/
Blog Articles: https://www.baezco.com/baezco-blog

Pete Newsome:

We're live All right. So this is the Finding Career Zen podcast. Thank you for listening. Today I'm Pete Newsom e going by Ricky Baez. Ricky, how are you today?

Ricky Baez:

Ah, man, it's Friday, it's a beautiful Friday. I just ah, I haven't started shopping yet, Pete.

Pete Newsome:

Well, you're on the clock.

Ricky Baez:

I don't know what the clock is.

Pete Newsome:

It's an hour.

Ricky Baez:

It's an hour and a half yeah, yeah, you're right so we're we're trying something new today.

Pete Newsome:

We're trying, uh, for the first time, putting our podcast on Twitter, so we'll see how that goes. I, I the features available to us, the options there, so we're going to try and um and see how it goes.

Ricky Baez:

Excellent. Well, I mean my mom. My mom, she should be in there watching.

Pete Newsome:

So if no one else watches, we can count.

Ricky Baez:

My mom will Perfect.

Pete Newsome:

So subject today so Finding Careers. Zen is a podcast that uh, we started after launching Zen gig last year. Zen gig is a career advice website. That's the easiest way to describe it. Uh, I wanted to launch Zen gig after being a staffing company owner for the past 18 years, and we have realized over uh the those years that there is a big need for better career advice and content out there. So we launched in gig about a year ago and, um, our goal is to to provide as much help and information that we think is is relevant and high quality, and so we do the podcast once a week, generally when we can, uh, when our schedules line up at least, and, uh, our goal is to share as much information as we can. That's valuable.

Pete Newsome:

So, if you um are listening for the first time and you're unfamiliar with Zen gig, check out the site. We'd love your feedback. You can always email us at questions at zen gigcom. Uh, more feedback the better. So, ricky, let's get into it. Uh, today we're going to talk about unconventional career paths and make a case for why those are important. What do you say? Up for that?

Ricky Baez:

I am definitely up to that Cause. Uh, if there's anything unconventional, that's me. That's, that's how we think of you, ricky.

Pete Newsome:

You are. You are unconventional, so I introduced myself as a longtime staffing company owner. Ricky, maybe, um, you could do the same. Yeah, so, yeah. So I'm Ricky bias. I've been doing HR for about 22 years.

Ricky Baez:

I own a boutique HR consultancy service here out of Orlando, Florida, and I'm also a professor for human resource management masters classes at Rollins college and I also have a podcast via HNHR podcast, which, by the way, Pete and I were just talking about. You're going to see Pete on the podcast really, really, really soon. So all right, Professor, you can see what we do is unconventional, right.

Pete Newsome:

That's right, that's right.

Ricky Baez:

Well, uh, we try, so let's talk about so what?

Pete Newsome:

so what is that really? An unconventional career path, and it's. It's sort of a I guess it's an arbitrary term, but to me that means uh, something that you don't really have a traditional college degree for that's new, didn't exist 20 years ago, and so there's a lot of ways to make money today. That um that when I was growing up we didn't have. That a lot of parents probably are skeptical of uh. You know a lot of what we do on uh with Zingig. Um, probably our primary focus is giving advice to young professionals, students, people who are trying to figure out how to navigate their career. Now we also know a lot of people switch mid careers, realize what they thought they would like doing what they thought they would like to do what they thought they would like to want it to do for their life.

Ricky Baez:

They realize 10, 20, sometimes even 30 or 40 years into it, I want to do something differently and there's so many more options today available than existed in the not too distant past and and and this is why I find this topic so fascinating because, outside of us doing this or anybody else putting this information out there, the only other information people have about a job and career could be coming from home and, if it's coming from home, from their parents or their mom or their dad or their step parents. They came from an environment where a conventional job career path was fine at nine to five Monday to Friday, nine to five, work there for 30 years and get a pension. You don't hear about that anymore, right?

Pete Newsome:

So I'm glad we're talking about this now.

Pete Newsome:

But you know, a lot of that old way of thinking hasn't really kept up with all the changes that that uh have have taken place, certainly not with the, the digital age that we live in now. That's evolving rapidly, with AI changing the world day to day, week to week right now, at a pace that we've never seen before, and that traditional way of thinking starts to seem really dated, and you know this from so many discussions we've had. There's no worse words to say to a young person, in my opinion, is you know, get a job right, make a choice, get a degree so you can get a job. I mean, that to me, is just demoralizing for a young person to hear and you don't have to think that way anymore, and that's, that's what is, um, I'm I'm envious of of young people right now as a result of that, or anyone in a position to take a different path, do something entirely differently, because there's so many great options and you can do it from anywhere in the world a lot of them today.

Ricky Baez:

It's funny you say that you're seeing your envious. Um, I'm not, I'm, I'm. I'm happy where I'm at from a mental perspective. Here's why I I've experienced the previous conventional career path and I'm experiencing the new, unconventional one, so I have experience to compare it to the newer generation coming into the workforce right now. They have nothing to compare it to other than hearing two, two old folks on the internet box talking about it. Right, good point.

Pete Newsome:

Well, and and to and to that point, we know that while working remotely, working from home, working from anywhere in the world, has so much benefit, there's also some downside to that. You don't get the exposure to experience, seeing your people. Uh, if you're young in your career and so as much of a fan of it as I am and I am all in on working remotely and make no mistake about that we have to acknowledge that there are some downsides to it, and that, to me, is the biggest one. You don't really get the benefit of people who have more experience. So, like you just said, you know what it's like to work in a traditional office setting.

Pete Newsome:

I know what that's like to go the corporate route, and that's great for a lot of people. I mean, let's, let's, let's be honest. We're going to talk about the, the benefit of choosing a noncon, an unconventional career path, but one of the things that I know from being in staffing for so long, and you know too, as an HR professional, not everyone has a self-discipline to do that. Not everyone, um, enjoys being autonomous and on their own and remote. A lot of people need structure and that's okay. But you have. But if you don't have that option. If you haven't experienced both, it's really hard to know which side of that fence you fall on, I think.

Ricky Baez:

Yeah, I think so too. And and look, and it's, it's all about the evolving, the evolving workforce, right? Because that's that's. That's one of the things that maybe people who are baby boomers or Gen Xers right Like us, that they they find the hardest to be flexible with is what we're seeing right now as far as what is the current state of the workforce. It's nothing like what we saw growing up, right? So it's up to us, as Gen Xers, to be flexible and understanding for the new folks that are coming in that again, have nothing to compare it to. So that's what I think. I think putting multi-generational, putting a team together that comes from different generations, is the best thing you could possibly do for your team, because you get different points of view, especially with what we're going to talk about right now, because people coming into the workforce do have that unconventional thought process because of how technology has changed. So I'm excited to go through this list.

Pete Newsome:

So I just happened to have lunch. Let's start talking about some of these professions and careers you can choose now. I was at lunch yesterday with someone who was a career guidance professional at the college level and we had a great conversation about all these different options and she told me that her neighbor across the street just bought. There was a green Ferrari in the driveway of her neighbor. She went over assuming that it was the people who own the house, their neighbors. Nope, it was their teenage son who had the Ferrari he has. I think it's TikTok that he's making a considerable amount of money on and that's his car he bought.

Pete Newsome:

So social media influencer that is a job that, needless to say, didn't exist when we were coming up, and we know that when young people tell their parents, hey, I want to be a professional gamer, I want to be a social media influencer, more often than not that's not going to be met very well, but you can't deny the results and you can't deny the income that's out there. I mean, this is very real for the right people. Now, I think for so many jobs like this, you have to point out that you don't just fall into it. Right, it's not about getting lucky or just deciding you want to do it and assume success is going to happen.

Pete Newsome:

You know I'm a big fan of Mr Beast, and the reason why I like him so much is he is. It quickly tells the story of all the work over a long period of time that he put in to becoming the expert that he is today. And he said you know his message. I'm paraphrasing, but I interpreted it as hey, if you want to put in 10 years, 24 hours a day, then you could probably have success too. But you have to be willing to climb that mountain, and so it's not a quick, quick win, but the potential is certainly there.

Ricky Baez:

So I think I think the big difference with with its employers and employees and career paths 40 years ago and now is, I think, it's the passion for it right. So back then the goal was get the career, get that job. The goal now is, whatever you're passionate about, document it. Whatever you're passionate about, throw it out. I mean, that's how you, that's how Mr Beast became to where he is. I mean, he is the number one top rated YouTuber right now and he's not even 30. He's making millions of love for that Amazing right.

Ricky Baez:

I'm pretty sure when he first started it he didn't have the idea of I'm going to make money off it. I think when he first started he's like this is what I love to do and it turned into an enterprise. I think that's the key because, people, if you're trying to find an audience, the biggest mistake you can do and I know we're, we're, we're making a left here the biggest mistake you can do is trying to find something that would appease the audience. The audience doesn't respond to that. I think if you are focused on what you're passionate about and you documented, the right audience is going to find you.

Pete Newsome:

Well, he, like you, said he was interested. He taught himself how to be good at it. I don't know that he would claim he was a natural and it because he talked so much about the hours and hours and hours over years that he put in. I mean, he was obsessed with with figuring out how to make the best videos he could, and then success followed right. So I think that is an important thing to acknowledge. And then he wasn't worried about money, which I love that part of his story and still isn't Right, I mean. But we also know that income matters.

Pete Newsome:

You can't ignore that either. So when we look at some of these unconventional careers travel, blogger well, okay, you know I don't. I don't have enough insight to say that's something you can just choose to become, but you have to, you have to know what you're getting into with that. So I would do, I would do a lot of research before you declare this is what I'm going to do with my life. Right, you have to have a basis for, for starting out.

Ricky Baez:

So I, I think I'm the opposite end of that, because, again, it has to be what you're passionate about, right, and that authenticity is going to come across. I got to tell you look, I'm 46. You know what? I go to sleep watching YouTube videos of people who blog on their travel experiences, and that's how my wife and I come up with where we're going to go to, because we've we've watched all these videos. So I get that piece. But you know what? You skipped over one that's really interesting to me professional gamer. I know you, you, you, you mentioned it. That's a big thing. Today, these gamers are making millions.

Ricky Baez:

And I remember when I was in middle school, right? No, elementary school, when Nintendo was big back in the 80s, right, and my teacher would say don't pay attention to those things. You're never going to make money that way. She was wrong again. She was wrong about that. She was wrong about the calculator in my pocket, right? So there's a lot of things that 30 years ago were seen as a dead and lazy type of environment, and today people are making millions. So what can we learn from that?

Pete Newsome:

That's what's so great, is that you, you, you can. You can really apply your like you said earlier your true passion and turn it in to make a living off of. So you don't even have to look back 30 years ago, right, Look back a year ago, hey, when AI look, look on LinkedIn now and you see a feed. Or on on on X, where we are now, you see a feed of nonstop people talking about how they're making money in AI.

Pete Newsome:

New jobs, new, new companies are popping up every single day in that space with things doing things that you couldn't possibly do a year ago, two years ago. So the world's evolving rapidly and career options are evolving with it, which obviously we're a big fan of. There's some more traditional jobs, though, that I think people are really embracing now and doing in a unique way and charting their own course with things like becoming a chef right, A professional chef those have always existed, obviously, but people who don't do that in a different way, personal chefs there's so many shipping options now with food, you don't even have to be in the same location. So the world continues to evolve rapidly.

Ricky Baez:

You know who's hiring personal chef, people who make you big as a professional gamer, social media influencer, travel blogger. That's right, that's right. They help each other.

Pete Newsome:

Well, but then there's things for young people too, who don't even need a lot of experience, like becoming a deckhand on a yacht. Right, there's a super yacht. Probably the same people who just referenced that are the professional bloggers who can afford it. Being a photographer no one needs to go to school to do that, right, but you have to have the passion, you have to put in the work and time and you can make.

Pete Newsome:

There's a guy who went to school with my oldest child, who is in her early 20s now, and this guy is out, lives somewhere in Montana or Wyoming and he's a photographer and I have no idea what his income level is as a result, but the pictures he takes are amazing and they're published. He's got a huge following on social media because he pursued his passion, and I know that he's making a living just doing that. I mean, what a cool thing, right, that you can post your pictures without having to anyone to do it for you, and that's one of the things that social media has allowed is you don't have to get a publisher, you publish on your own account, that's right. On your own name. There's no middleman anymore.

Pete Newsome:

So all of these options are. I think they're phenomenal.

Ricky Baez:

So what else do? We got it's, I see. What about a personal shopper? That never existed? Well, is that new?

Pete Newsome:

I don't know anything about that one. I mean either I understand the concept, but I would like that you know just. I mean, I have teenagers, so I consider them my personal shoppers.

Ricky Baez:

Well, I think we have that now, right, I mean down here in Florida, right when you and I are, we have Publix, right. Publix partner with Instacart, right, and that and I'll tell you what that was that big, that made it big during the pandemic right, they're in the pandemic. That made that service just that much more reliable and sometimes not only the work environment but you're the world can actually help you create a job that could be unconventional, because the other thing we have right now Pete right, shared driver like Lyft or Uber I mean, I could say that never existed before, but we've had cabs forever right, robert DeNiro did a great job in taxi driver right, so, but what, what, a, what a, what a different way to go about it.

Pete Newsome:

Yeah, choosing your own hours, being your, your own boss. You know you're not accountable to anyone but yourself. And you know I love every time I take, you know, uber. That's my, that's my vendor of choice, if you will, when I need a ride. Each conversation in each story is so unique, right? So I mean people who will give rides just to and from their job because they have a chance to make extra income that way. Others who've decided to leave you know, traditional employment to do it because they want the freedom that goes along with it. So I'm a big fan of that too, and it's a better experience for the user, right, that's the best thing of all. I mean, I don't know anyone who says, boy, I wish I could still take a cab, or had to take a cab. Right, nobody was a person.

Pete Newsome:

That person exists. I'd love to hear from them. I haven't met them yet.

Ricky Baez:

I don't know. I don't know if I shared this with you when I used to work in Lake Mary, and for those of you who don't know Lake Mary, it's about an hour away from the airport. I live by the airport right now, and when I used to work there, I knew a guy who lived in my area, who also worked in Lake Mary. Whenever he finishes his day job, his conventional job, on his way home, he was an Uber driver. So he would spend three hours on his way home to just, you know, just pick up a couple of extra shifts as an Uber driver, and that's how he paid for his pool, right? And then some people do that. Actually, it's quit their job and being Uber driver full time and they're in charge.

Ricky Baez:

This is important for recruiters to know. This is important for people to know because right now, if if you're recruited listening because I know this is a zen gig, but if you're recruited listening right now You'd not only have to worry about another employer offering similar or better benefits than you. You're now a running up against people's independence, and the more people realize that opportunity is out there, is harder for the recruiter to be able to to. I don't want to say justify it, but To challenge it, to say, hey, come with us, it's. I mean, come on, you can't pay me enough money Against my independence. I mean, unless I was.

Pete Newsome:

Independence and freedom. That stands in contrast to what has evolved over the years and do what I usually refer to as dependency employers dependent on their employees to Did they have to? You know, they control and and direct in a very, you know, intense way at times. And same thing for employees who have been Become dependent on employers. To I'll say take care of them, for a lack of a better way to put it, versus the growing freelance market. That is about freedom in your career. It is about a choice and not relying on an employer to take care of you. And and you know this that I am such a big fan of the freelance market because I think the relationships are so much healthier, yeah, between the person doing the work, trading their time and skill for income, and the person on the other side of that, or the group on the other side of that, who's paying for that skill. I'm a huge fan of the freelance market, needless to say, me too and all of these jobs Really fall in line with that right independence, freedom in your career.

Pete Newsome:

So let's talk just for a minute about what's driving it. Okay, the biggest one's technology, right? I mean technology has enabled all of these things to happen, as we always have to Go back to, as we talked about a few minutes ago, ai. Things that didn't exist even a year ago Now seem commonplace, almost so long list of career opportunities associated with that. What other factors you think have driven us over the past two years?

Ricky Baez:

I mean. So technology is definitely one of them. In in, I think, going further in technology right, it's giving people the opportunity to be seen. Now, remember, attention is currency and you you've heard me say this in the past that I now this is my personal belief that this country Favors attention over intellect. Right it's? I've always said that right. And if you're able to put Stuff out there and people are willing to see and and advertisers are willing to pay for, then you found that perfect formula. So I think it's the opportunity to put yourself out there more or more people to consume what you are talking about, consume what you're passionate about. That is what's fueling this more and more and more. And it started With my space about 15, 16 year. It did, it did. My space was the first official Social media. I think that's what started the whole social media craze. Now you can, you can, you can argue that it started way before. Then. It could have started with America online, aol you've got mail right.

Pete Newsome:

Yeah, a lot of that, you know certainly. Look, it's led to where we are now.

Pete Newsome:

Yeah right, and so I think, technology, economic freedom, as we talked about, and a chance to make, you know, more money with a lot of these people. So there's a there's. I think there's kind of two different paths. There's the one to have Work-life balance and freedom you have your time back to use as you choose. And then others go down these, not on unconventional routes, for the opportunity to make a living and income that they wouldn't have in a traditional role.

Ricky Baez:

Let me ask you this, pete, and I'm just gonna throw this out there. Let's say somebody's listening or watching right now and they're our age right, and they're like man. I spent so much time and effort on a college degree. I spent so much time and effort on building my career for over 20 years, only to be making one fourth of what a 16 year old with a green Ferrari Can accomplish with social media. What do you say to those folks?

Pete Newsome:

I Say it's never too late, right? Don't don't be envious. Make it, make that change. The 16 year old Was just paying attention. Yeah, and I think that's such a Important thing to hold on to as you get older. I'm surprised pretty regularly when I have conversations with friends about my age who I've never even used chat, apt. Yeah, you're gonna be hard-pressed to find a 16 year old who hasn't right. Why? Because they're paying attention. I mean, that's that's, that's really it. And so, if you think about it, that that person you'd subscribe to is well into their career and Went to college and is doing whatever they're doing now. They've gained a lot of knowledge and experience along the way. That a 16 year old doesn't have me, that's just reality. But 16 year old is paying attention to what's relevant now. That's a really good footage.

Pete Newsome:

So why people stop doing that? I don't know. I mean I, even. I mean I'll tell you it's hard to keep up, right? I mean it is. I mean my, you know my teenage, yo, yo, kids, will you know? Tell me that new things all the time, every every week, that that I'm surprised. You know things that exist. I'm trying to think of a good example. Top my head. Nothing's coming to me, but I can't keep up and I'm trying to pay attention. I'm working to do that, so it is hard I could.

Ricky Baez:

I think I have an answer to that. I think because it's I went through that. I went through that because I, I went through such a long time to build up my career and to build up in it, to be knowledgeable in my field, that I don't want to see anything that would combat that to say that I wasted my time, right. I don't know if that makes sense or not, because I, I think what a lot of gen Xers and baby boomers are holding on to is it's what I went through has to make sense and for some reason it's not and they hold on to it, right. I think flexibility and be having an open mind in Understanding is key, and exactly what you said, pete is never too late is.

Ricky Baez:

I saw the other day it's Martha Stewart. I didn't know this. Did you know Martha Stewart started her company at 50? I didn't. I know I didn't know that, but it didn't know. That blew my mind. I'm like, really, I think you went to jail at 50. I don't know you started your company at 50, but okay, fine, it's never too late. It really is never too late. So for those of you out there listening like god, my career is over. It's not. You have all the tools in front of you and even if you're afraid to use those tools is okay. Right, because there's a college out there, a free college out there, called YouTube. Right, if you go on YouTube, you're gonna learn a lot of things on how to do all these things. You just got to invest the time and effort into it.

Pete Newsome:

So there's another side of this coin. We have to acknowledge that you not every profession. If you want to be a medical doctor, you still have to go down a traditional path, and there's a reason for that. There's, there's benefit to that. So but? But I think the main thing is to really we used to be pretty dismissive of the word passion as it ties to a career, because you have to. There's a lot of passionate, starving artists. We know that right.

Pete Newsome:

So it's not just about what you want to do, you have to be good at it, you have to have aptitude for it. That's a huge component. And then the world has to value it right and what you can do. So there has to be an opportunity to to make income, and the goal is to combine all these things together. So the downside has to be acknowledged. If you go down a path, let's say let's just use the one that we started with, right, you want to be an influencer? Okay, there's financial instability that you have to consider right there. It's not a given that you are going to, you know, be rewarded for that right. I mean, you have to be good at you have to have a Something unique about yourself, you have to have a reason that people would want to be interested in you. So yeah, it's. It's not a given right.

Ricky Baez:

No, it's not it but it. You have to have that risk factor, you have to be it's. It is risky, right, because the biggest thing people are afraid of when they want to for example, launching its social media campaign or a YouTube channel Is what if people don't like it right and they don't try it right? How do you know that I like it? Until somebody says, hey, you suck, well I mean, yeah, there is that.

Pete Newsome:

Hopefully you can figure that out quickly. Yeah, the another thing is is Benefits, health care benefits in particular? You have to account for those. So in America we've tied employment, traditional employment to health care. You know my feelings on that. Well, that's a different episode, but Regardless, that is the situation. So you have to account for the things that you will lose if you get sick. What will happen if you, when you take time off, you're not getting compensated?

Ricky Baez:

young people. Don't, don't, don't think about.

Pete Newsome:

Well, and they don't be a truth be told, they don't have to as much, right, but you do want to look ahead and then and that's a challenge the younger you are, the harder to see in the future. But that's a reality of the situation and it just needs to be considered if you're choosing an unconventional path to go down. So it's not about what's better or worse, it's just about are you looking at it holistically and and considering the pros and cons that exist and then and then choose accordingly, right?

Ricky Baez:

I want to get to the point in time it could be 50 years down the road, a hundred years down the road, even 300 years down the road when people are looking back at our Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and look at that whole idea as archaic. Right, I mean that's, I'm not looking towards that Are we, I think it's happening now.

Ricky Baez:

I really now that the world got smaller, because again, it's all about the internet and technology. Now that the world got smaller before the internet, it was almost impossible to have a co-worker across the world. Right right now I can have a go, I can finish my job here at 5 pm and have somebody across the world pick a right where I left off at their 8 am and we can have a continual 24-hour service provided and I'm able to communicate with them, even if I can't. I think iPhone just came out with the new iOS update that it's a button push real-time translation. If you don't know English and I'm and you speak Japanese, I could talk on my phone. It would let the person know what and we can have a phone conversation with translator. This is where we live right now. That's how technology is shaping the future of the workplace.

Pete Newsome:

Yeah, and just that simple change you can. You can see so many things that can transpire as a result of that. Right, I mean huge difference. And I put a post up on LinkedIn a couple days ago and Within 24 hours are people from multiple countries commenting on it, which I find is fascinating, right, I mean it's. And Back to the freelance Way of working. It just leads, lends to that very, very well, where you don't have to be local anymore. We already know that, right, you don't even have to be in the same, in the same city, state or country anymore, and, and that everyone wins as a result of that right except for except for, maybe, the government's involved, right, who like to collect taxes.

Pete Newsome:

But Okay, everyone, everyone that matters wins and and, and that's a really important thing. Another downside, though I do want to acknowledge quickly is is isolation. That can happen and that is something I worry about again with young people who have, who may live alone, who may not have had the time and opportunity to build their own professional network, let alone personal Right, because we know, historically, a lot of your personal Relationships are formed through your profession. So if you're not going to the office, if you're not out meeting people, if you have a job and there's so many of them right now where you don't have to leave the house, I am concerned as a father, as someone who cares very much about the evolution of young people who are critical for our future. I worry about that. Do you think that's a real concern?

Ricky Baez:

I think it is a concern, but I also think that it's a matter of knowing what technology is out there to mitigate that. Because there is technology out there to mitigate that. It's all on how you structure your workday, whereas who? I feel bad for, pete. I feel bad for people who are the opposite of us. You're an extrovert, I'm an extrovert. This is so difficult. Going out there and putting yourself out there is very difficult for somebody who's an introvert.

Ricky Baez:

Now, back to the pandemic. That, really what you just said, really came to the top. As far as people who don't have experience, people who do need to have other human contact. How do you mitigate that? How do you bring that together? Look, we're in a point right now, pete, where I don't know. Have you seen those Oculus 3 glasses? Have you seen those things? Yeah, those things. Look, for those of you who don't know, google Oculus is by Metta. You put those things on. You can have a meeting with somebody across the world across the globe, because it's a globe, it's not flat on another show, right? And you can have a conversation as if you're right there in front of the person having tea. As time goes on, that technology is going to evolve even more, and that's why I'm not worried about those folks, because I know where the technology is right now and where it's heading. We just have to know how to take advantage of it.

Pete Newsome:

Well, people still need to get together, Ricky, For the future of our species. They need to get together physically. So virtual is great, I'm a fan, but you need balance right Balance.

Ricky Baez:

So all I'm thinking about is procreation via Instacart, don't think about that, all right.

Pete Newsome:

So let's wrap this up just with a couple of tips for anyone who is considering an unconventional career path. The first one is financial planning. Consider your income, how it's going to happen, what the downside is, what the risk is. Everyone sees the upside. That's easy. We see all the success, but understand that you might need to consider how you're actually going to pay your bills, how you're going to buy food and pay your rent. So financial planning is a big component of going out on your own down an unconventional path.

Ricky Baez:

Networking, networking. So, yes, financial planning right, but you still need to build a support system either way. So you have to join these communities. You have to attend these conferences, whether it's in person or virtual. Right, you have to find out what's comfortable for you. But you cannot not do that right, because you are going to need somebody's help and you never know. That's also marketing. Networking equals marketing. Marketing equals networking. I just made that up. I'm going to make a t-shirt. I'm going to put a t-shirt. It does Connect those dots, yeah, so yeah, because it does right. You're not able to actually be successful out there unless people don't know what you have to offer, right? So networking is the best thing to do, and this is something that I had is near and dear to my heart.

Ricky Baez:

Pete, some of the tips on transitioning to an unconventional career path. If this is something you got to do, you can never, ever stop learning right? Don't ever get to a point in your career when you're like I've made it right, I know everything I need to know. Because whatever knowledge you do have, it's going to be outdated. The way things are going right now, it's going to be outdated. Two years ago, the only AI we had was Siri Mine's going to go off here in a bit, right or Google, or now you've got things that have conversations with you, right, and who knows, later on they might be a companion to people who don't like to go out, right? And then that's a whole other show.

Pete Newsome:

But I think that is a whole other show. What was learning as key? Continuous learning. You have to evolve. I think that's also part of the benefit of networking. You have to learn from others. Don't stay isolated, don't stay on an island, so to speak. You're not going to improve and evolve that way.

Pete Newsome:

So networking is necessary. It's not even a there's no option there, that's for sure. So, and then your online presence and branding. You just have to consider all of it. You mentioned marketing. Networking is marketing. So is how available and accessible you are online, how you present yourself online. You have to figure that out and unfortunately, there's no guidebook for that right, because all of these things are new. There's a lot of experts who will tell you how to gain followers on every social channel, from TikTok to Instagram to Facebook, but I don't think it's that simple. If there's a formula that actually works, I'm unaware of it I think the cream rises to the top. So if you have talent, if you have something that you're offering to the world that's unique and that people want, you will be found. But you have to be conscious of it too, right? You can't just go sing in the woods and expect to be found that way.

Ricky Baez:

Okay, that was really specific. Do you sing in the woods one?

Pete Newsome:

time. I mean, I sing in the shower same thing but no one would want to find me there, and if they did, I don't think they're paying. But you have to be conscious of that. I think that's something that a lot of people will struggle with. Naturally, right, you mentioned it earlier. Not everyone's an extrovert. You have to be willing to market yourself and I know that's uncomfortable for some folks.

Ricky Baez:

I think I got the formula though I think the formula is, I think I could be wrong. Let's let everybody else decide. I think the formula is whatever you're passionate about plus people willing to consume it equals success, right? That's the only way that's going to work. If you're passionate about something, nobody cares you're not going to be successful, right. If people want to see something but you're not passionate about it, nobody's going to want somebody who's lollygagging through something, right? Both of those things have to be present in order for the success to be the algo. So I think that is the answer. I think if you love egg rolls and you want to cook egg rolls 25 different ways, you're going to find some people like me who are going to watch that channel, right? So now I'm going to start a YouTube channel on egg rolls.

Pete Newsome:

Right, we'll look forward to that one, but I think we've covered all the bases, ricky, for the most part. So unconventional career paths, more opportunities today than ever in history, changing rapidly. There is some downside, you have to be aware of it, but generally speaking, I think I can speak for both of us and say we love it. We love what the future holds and what exists in the present as well. So if you have talent, if you have the desire and the passion, go make it happen. Throw it out there, go make it happen.

Ricky Baez:

That's the only way you'll know if it is or it's not going to work. That's the only proof of concept. That's it, all right.

Pete Newsome:

So look forward to hearing from you. Questions@zengig. com. We'd love to hear from you If you have thoughts or ideas on things you'd like to hear on career advice content. Let us know, we'll make that happen, ricky. Thanks and goodbye for now. Have a good one. Merry Christmas everyone.