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Sometimes we may be passionate about a topic or multiple topics but we aren’t sure how to take that passion and turn it into a career and a way of life. So was the case for our guest for episode 29 of the How’d You Get Into That? podcast, Caleb Wojcik.
Caleb is the resident video man at Fizzle.co and the go-to guy at his web site DIY Video Guy. He knows and loves all things video-related and has since his youth. Today he joins us to talk about how he found his way to Fizzle and his video niche, what it was like to work on the corporate side and how he made that transition.
MORE ABOUT THIS SHOW
Caleb grew up in the Michigan area, born to a mom who held a stable and steady job at a local hospital and a dad who was part drummer part photographer. His dad’s income fluctuated quite a bit and caused some turmoil in his parents’ relationship. Caleb saw this firsthand and decided early on a “normal” job would be the way to avoid all that stress.
Opting for the typical route, Caleb did his undergraduate degree at Michigan State University and majored in two areas: supply chain management and telecommunications, digital media and technology. Why the two disparate topics? He knew supply chain management would secure him a job if he wanted and telecommunications, digital media and technology was an area he had always been interested in.
While in school, Caleb held a few different summer jobs. One year he worked for General Motors and another year he interned with Boeing. During his senior year, Boeing asked him to come back and work for them. After graduation, he explored a few other options but settled on Boeing.
THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:
- What traditional business education is missing today.
- Why didn’t he go into the Peace Corps?
- Did he feel ready to make the leap when he left Boeing?
- The three steps to choosing your path, either as an entrepreneur or an employee.
- How to spin that worst case scenario and make it a useful tool.
- And so much more!
Almost immediately Caleb applied for his MBA and began his graduate degree. But when the first round of lay-offs happened, Caleb sensed his corporate secure job might not be so secure. Seeing 10,000 people lose their jobs altered his perspective.
Because Boeing was footing the bill for his MBA, Caleb stuck it out just past the three-year mark. He had stock options that were coming to fruition after three years and he would have upheld his end of the bargain with Boeing to have them pay for his MBA. About the same time, Caleb and his now-wife were married.
During those three years he had been learning more and more about making money online. He discovered Corbett Barr who was then head of the Think Tank web site and Tim Ferriss of The Four-Hour WorkWeek. With his interest peaked, Caleb wrote a blog on personal finance which eventually became a blog about entrepreneurship, an area he found himself being called back into.
Eventually Corbett opened up a part-time position and Caleb applied for it. He was accepted and was free to give his notice at Boeing. His wife was also giving up her full-time job to pursue one of her interests: wedding photography. With some trepidation, they set off on a new path.
Shortly after settling in with Corbett and his team, Caleb had a hunch he was on the right path. He had taken a pay-cut and fewer responsibilities, but he had a lot more time and freedom then he had at Boeing.
Caleb was doing video editing for Corbett and soon spent more of his free time honing his video skills and photography too, his wife was going full-speed ahead with her wedding photography and portrait business. He noticed friends were coming to him with a lot of video questions and acting on the advice of his friend Nathan Barry, Caleb started teaching video skills.
Today he spends most of his days in the vide world, either at Fizzle or for his own audience at the DIY Video Guy site.
Please join me in thanking Caleb for sharing his knowledge biscuits on the show; he’s an awesome guest and it was great to chat with him. Leave him a comment or send him a Tweet.
Tweetable: “It was a step up in freedom, time and travel.” Caleb Wojcik
EPISODE RESOURCES
- 99 Designs – Complementary Power Pak
- Caleb’s video site
- Caleb on Twitter
- Fizzle
- Fizzle’s podcast
- Nathan Barry on the show
- How to connect with influential people
- Want me to speak to your group? Go here
- Email me with any questions or comments at Grant@GrantBaldwin.com
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