TEDxCMU -- Charlie Hoehn -- The New Way to Work

[babbleon12]

Love this guy's attitude, and this is indeed the story of our generation, but you can't deny that the audience for this begins and ends with entitled rich kids. This approach realizes what you knew all along, that you were indeed destined to do exactly what you want and not be bored. That attitude is the true cause of my generation's malaise, not the poor economy and not internships. If everyone who would rather go into advertising than electrical school does so, we're screwed.

[InspirationMBG]

Great points, Charlie.

I practice a similar approach, and I'm 46. I wrote about specific ideas on my blog.

[nancyfroio]

Charlie- you are spot on! Free work works!

[vdp216]

I hate to ask this but what did he study in college? I really cringed when typing this but I ask that...

[choco6]

@vdp216 Marketing and Media Studies

[steveyfrac]

Anyone else read this and think... 'Open source software development'?

[YanjaaFilms]

Goddammit I like turtles.

[salvatoremcdonagh]

Good advice. Even "engineers" and "doctors" who have just graduated have to undergo on the job training, close supervision, and several more years *learning* the real skills required for their chosen career. College does not give you skills - it gives you a piece of paper. I went back to college at 35 to get a BSc in Biotechnology. I spent years choosing carefully, and made the most of those 4 years to learn the skills too. Most college grads blindly choose their career at 17. They need this!

[davidchapter04]

I am giddy with ideas after watching this. This guy is a champion for me and I feel energized as if a rocket has been shoved up my trousers and lit with a match. Watch this and learn.

[putnampunk]

Instead of wasting $160K on college studying marketing and communications and then getting a job through free work, why not learn something that is difficult and in high demand to start? This doesn't face the real problem - kids who head off to college to have fun and who study something easy and expect a great career as a prize in the end. You need to learn something hard and rigorous to start, not begin after you get out of college.

[Icarus1919]

Three people are unemployed.

Wait, no, that doesn't sound right....

[RickWolff]

This is good advice no matter what your age. Only us "35-year-olds" (actually I'm 53) have a WHOLE BUNCH to lose.

[gillianorley]

Ultimately, I agree with what Hoehn says here:

Find a field that interests you. Develop skills that are difficult to acquire and that are in high demand. Pursue you desire to get a job in that field using the skills that make you desirable to potential employers.

All I'm saying is that I question his position that you're going to graduate from college with no marketable skills and so he is telling you how to develop such skills and get a job you like AFTER college.

I say, do it IN college.

[gillianorley]

Off hand, here are some degrees/majors that may be worth considering. This is not an exhaustive list, but what they have in common, "technical" or not, is that they develop the other skills I have discussed.

Engineering (All Kinds including software)

Accounting

Law

Economics

Mathematics

Any Natural Science

English (If you plan to get a more "practical" graduate degree)

Philosophy (If you plan to get a more "practical" graduate degree)

Business Admin. with a "rigorous" specialty like Finance

[gillianorley]

More elaboration on recommended skills to develop in college if possible: Being able to research means being able to develop ideas on your own and address difficult problems that others often cannot. Of course, "research" has changed enormously in the last 15 years, but there is a real skill to it and that should also include knowing your way around a serious research library both by online access and, GASP, in an actual building.

Degrees requiring research skills are desirable.

[gillianorley]

Elaborating on my posting regarding skills to acquire, here is a bit of detail.

If writing skills seems irrelevant in an age of Twitter and texting, that is exactly why you should develop them. If you can write well, you will stand -out among your peers.

Likewise for public speaking skills. I am often amazed at how bad people are, even those with law degrees, at public speaking. And this is a bonus skill because it tends to be high-profile. By definition, it is a skill that many will see.

[gillianorley]

Some advice, if you are going to spend huge sums, and even take on debt, to go to college, then try to acquire these skill and get a degree that does the following:

Demonstrates intellectual rigor. Get a degree that shows you can LEARN and THINK on your own. There are many and not all technical or scientific.

Learn to WRITE.

Learn to research and that means in a LIBRARY too, not only using Google.

If possible, learn to be an effective public speaker.

Learn basic science and mathematics.

[TezukaKohei]

Here we go again with the College argument for the 500,000,000th time...How about instead debating how our Country is run? You don't see the Spaniards blaming each other for the problems they are taking a bite out of their politician's asses. Only in America do we turn on each other instead of reinforcing one another.

[gillianorley]

No company I have ever worked for would accept the "free work" he recommends. The legal liabilities alone (in a number of respects) would never allow them to consider it.

I don't know who he worked for like that, but it was not a company or firm of any significant size. Maybe that can work for a very small or one-person operation, but even then, they should know they are opening themselves to legal liability especially in creative fields where IP rights are an issue. A great way to get sued.

[arvinyorro]

If you are good at something. Don't do it for free

[delaHackerRocker]

This quote from Good Will Hunting makes the point in one sentence. "...you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a fuckin' education you coulda' got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library."

[oldie383]

@avengingwatcher thanks I'll try it again. it did not seem to be user friendly. many systems like linked in and twitter THINK they have it working, but people don't flock to them because they are confusing to anyone other than the insiders. As an example, it took about 10 years for EBAY to "get it" but ironically they are now a waste of time because the shipping costs negate any "bargain". The site is in decline and will be similar to online selling by large sellers only.

[alexflahive]

Don't work for free for anyone else. Only work for free for yourself.

[hypnosh]

@avengingwatcher i didn't mean it in the sense that he didn't deserve to be called one. My point was it reeks of arrogance to refer to oneself as a genius. I think he has clarified that in another comment that he doesn't call himself that.

Besides, "genius" is not a job description. It's something you refer to someone as if you are mighty impressed with that person's intellect. Which is why it seems odd here IMO

[oldie383]

the lifehacker site is neat but I could not figure out how to log in there. Is it a one-way news site? This guy's concept misses a gigantic important part. Nobody so far has mentioned the real reason why this mostly talk. He loves to talk.Maybe he is really trying to enter television or something along that line. I might hire him on a trial basis.

[Theboxset]

i want to start working for free so i can pursuit what i want stress-free... but i need to pay my bills somehow :(

and then I start getting paid and the whole thing just goes on over and over...



[strangeyoungman]

"Unique Snowflake"?

...Is he referencing "Fight Club"?

[GigHarborClarkie]

and the catch? oh yeah, have a high demand skill that is difficult to learn. crap.

[hypnosh]

Does this guy call *himself* marketing genius? Really? That's the way he describes himself to others?

[choco6]

@hypnosh no, i absolutely do not call myself that. ever.

[romulusnr]

TED is rapidly becoming full of idiotic out of touch trust fund baby blowhards. Probably actually it always was that. Maybe it's good that they only allow other idiotic out of touch trust fund baby blowhards to attend their stupid Spoken Word MTV On Stage affair.

[choco6]

@romulusnr "tobias... you blow hard!"

[choco6]

@romulusnr "tobias... you blow hard!"

[kizzletharizzle]

*Don't expect to understand* - Yea, that's definitely the key. My parents wanted me to "get a real job" with a consulting firm or like that, instead I moved to Seattle to work on startups. So far, so good. All it takes is a leap of faith and then some ass kicking (yep, your own).

[choco6]

Thanks very much for the kind words and feedback, all. Yes, I will walk less for my next speech. Or run around in circles.

[tttheeheehee]

great tedWalk !! :D

[TheSkiBlog]

Charlie is a very smart kid, but, please, STOP WALKING NEXT TIME.

[rearbottoms01]

@TheSkiBlog He was very nervous... you can sense it in his voice too =p

[feteti]

@TheSkiBlog Seriously, the camera operators must have been crying by the end. May God have mercy on their poor souls.

[moneymonk33]

This sounds much like my graduation year of college. Charlie you really put things in perspective. Great speech Charlie!

[warrenmacdonald]

Nice work Charlie; a breath of fresh air in re-thinking how and what we learn...

[gillianorley]

His advice of gaining skills that are in high-demand and difficult to learn is great, but seems inconsistent with his dismissal of the value of college.

Here's an idea, get a degree that qualifies you in a field that is in high demand, but is difficult to learn such as engineering? Then you will get a job and NOT selling phones at a Verizon store.

He seems to assume everyone graduates with useless degrees and no skills. Maybe he did. I don't know.

[lpminecraftvideos]

@gillianorley people with top degrees have these issues as well - im a neuropsychologist at 23 and just because I don't want to work in pharmaceuticals it is incredibly hard to find a job!

[gillianorley]

@lpminecraftvideos

Why would you get a degree in a field in which you do not want to work? I know that is common, but I never understood it. I have a graduate degree and it has been essential to every job I have had since I obtained it.

It seems to me that is a choice which leads to the problem Hoehn addresses, but which is easily avoidable. Don't get a degree in a field unless you intend to use it after graduation. To me, that is just common sense.

[lpminecraftvideos]

@gillianorley Um... because I wanted to be a brain surgeon. Then I decided I didn't want to after two years of training?  Instead if dropping out I just finished the course. I think thats a pretty reasonable explanation?

[gillianorley]

@lpminecraftvideos

If you changed your mind so much that you now do not even want to work in the related pharmaceuticals field, then perhaps you should have changed your major to fit your new interest even if it meant walking away from your two years of coursework.

If I study accounting for two years planning to work in that field, but then I decide I want to work in electrical engineering, I can hardly expect to get a job in that field if I stick with the accounting major.

[gillianorley]

@lpminecraftvideos

What can I say?

My point is that people should choose a field of study that will be of use to them in the field in which they wish to work. Ideally, that would be something in high demand that is difficult to learn, just as Hoehn advises.

Naturally, that choice should be made with care so that it is less likely that you will later decide it was a mistake. If you do decided that, it is certainly a setback, but then you have to study in whatever new field you decide upon.

[lpminecraftvideos]

@gillianorley

No need to just repeat yourself - >

"My point is that people should choose a field of study......... demand that is difficult to learn just as Hoehn advises."

My choice of (two) degrees was made carefully. They were made according to my current circumstance. Studying again isn't always an option. Tired of this now - we obviously disagree and I don't want to waste any more time here.

[romulusnr]

@lpminecraftvideos *hard* degree does not equal *top* degree. Not to dismiss the effort and brains it takes to get a neuropsychology degree, but I'm not exactly aware of a boom in neurotechnology jobs.

[jeremyoshindle]

@romulusnr Neuropsychology requires two degrees , neuroscience and psychology. That or at least two qualifications of equivalent stature.

Also neuroscience is one of the biggest areas of research at the moment what with them being the majority or cancer, weight loss, neuro-degenerative disorders (aka dementia and alzheimers as well as everything brought on by drugs). Neuroscientists also come up with new drugs, not medics.

Alsomost recent Nobel prize... background in Psychology.

[jackiejackjack]

@gillianorley Not everyone gets into the major of their choice, and some people graduate not wanting to do a job related to their major. Sometimes the job markets changes and by the time you finish your degree, the skills that you've learned are no longer in demand. And by skills, he means very specific skills related to a specific job. Just because you're an engineering major doesn't mean you have all the skills required to do any and all kinds of engineering...

[gillianorley]

@jackiejackjack

Anyone with a degree like chemical engineering, electrical engineering, accounting, finance, and many others can get work even in today's market. Employers complain that they cannot find qualified applicants and that is a problem where I work.

What these degrees have in common is exactly what Hoehn recommends: They involve skills that are in demand and difficult to learn.

Of course, this assumes reasonably good grades from a reasonably good school.

[jackiejackjack]

@gillianorley Well anyone can find work doing something, but I think the idea is living a life doing something that you're passionate about, or doing something that's meaningful to you rather than simply selecting a major that will get you a "good" job. Otherwise the world would be full of doctors, lawyers and engineers. Employers probably complain about not being able to get quality applicants because they require 3-5 years of industry experience, and the only ones applying are recent grads...

[gillianorley]

@jackiejackjack

I'm not saying college is the only path. Learn to fight oil as Hoehn suggests. Become a chef. Etc.

But if you go to college, acquire marketable skills. This is what Hoehn says too, but for some reason he recommends doing so AFTER college.

As a lawyer, I'm biased, but I can say from what I see at my firm and at clients that companies snap up accountants, engineers, and lawyers right out of school and pay them well.

Those fields develop skills that are widely adaptable.

[gillianorley]

@jackiejackjack

Regarding not wanting to work in a field related to one's major, as I said in response to another comment, I don't understand that and I guess I never will.

Why choose a field of study if you have no interest in working in that field? What's the point of that?

And demand for certain majors does not change that fast. Engineers and accountants were in demand 4 years ago and they still are today. No worthwhile degree is so specific that it cannot adapt to changing demands.

[jackiejackjack]

@gillianorley One of my friends was an accounting major and works as a senior accountant at Expedia.com, but after years of working in accounting, she decided she wasn't passionate about the work, and that it was sucking the life out of her, so she wanted to do something else. Is it that unbelievable that people don't want to commit the rest of their lives to doing something because of a choice they made while they were 19 years old? Adapting is learning new skills, isn't it?

[gillianorley]

@jackiejackjack I don't disagree, but I am not talking about changing interests after years working in a field. I am talking about right out of school and graduating qualified to work in a field in which you are interested.

Starting at 9:45, Hoehn says "get some skills," but then proceeds to say "so many college students leave university and they have no marketable skills."

He then recommends getting such skills. All I'm saying is it makes sense to take his advice WHILE in college.

[gillianorley]

@jackiejackjack

Regarding your friend, her accounting degree and years of experience culminating in a position as a senior accountant at a well-known company is a good starting point even for other fields. I don't mean suddenly becoming a brain surgeon, but accounting touches on skills with applicability in many fields. Several of my co-workers are engineers and our firm provides legal, tax, and accounting consulting, but an engineering degree shows you are smart and capable. Accounting too.

[delaHackerRocker]

@gillianorley Have you seen the latest statistics for college grads, their success at finding jobs, and the amount of debt they've incurred to receive their educations?

[gillianorley]

@delaHackerRocker

You're missing my point. Hoehn's approach seems to be advising people about how they can get a job after graduating with no useful skills. I am saying that people CAN graduate with useful skills if they pursue useful fields of study that fit his criteria of being skills that are in high-demand and difficult to learn. That way, the tuition will have been worthwhile and they will find jobs.

I can tell you firsthand, for example, that accounting grads can get good jobs now.

[KhashiMetal]

@gillianorley the truth is high demand and hard to learn careers are based on really competitive majors so technically the majority of people graduate with useless degrees and no skills! Just look around.. people who acquire those skills in college don't have a problem finding a job (doctors, engineers, etc.) but people who don't, really need to do something!

[tinmai]

please stop walking around. it's distracting me from paying attention to your talk

[wacksnow9]

I would like a transcript if anyone can post it. It would be very appreciated and thanks in advance.

[THORHOLT]

Excellent Charlie.

An inspiring idea, put across with a sense of humour and you kept to the time - as Dan Pink says, the keys to a great speech are, Brevity, Levity & Repetition - so, you nailed it!

[zurechtweiser]

How do you estimate whether the job you did was good? What is really good work? And what do you do if there is no follow up paid work even if you did the best you could?

These are my thoughts on that issue.

[TheCompleteSelf]

Fantastic talk Charlie. I've loved this concept ever since you published your ebook/slides on it. I've been promoting this idea to friends and family and will do so again by posting this video. Well done!

[gonzalop751]

Great talk! Short and simple but very powerful. Charlie is going places.

[juicebox2006]

awesome talk charlie. this advice could be applied to anyone. no such thing as job safety anymore... do lots of stuff, see what sticks. really liked the mediocre bar slide!

[ljfro7]

Charlie's advice kicks ass, I sent an email off for free work, now i'm project managing, working on public relations, media and sponsorship, it's a ton of work, but I love it and am gaining huge experience.