I LOVE MY CAREER – STEWART MCGEHEE, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

 

 

Stewart McGehee

Owner/ Consultant

SM Consulting

Former Battalion Chief at SJFD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. What do you do for a living and how long have you been working for your company?

I just retired from the San Jose Fire Department as a Battalion Chief and my last two years were spent managing my department’s Emergency Medical Services Division and paramedic operations. Prior to that, I worked as a paramedic for a private ambulance service. I am now consulting with the country’s largest emergency ambulance provider, helping them to integrate more with the fire service on a national level.

2. How did you choose your profession?

I always had an interest in medicine. I started out working for an ambulance company to see if I had the stamina to consider medical school. One thing lead to another and I ended up becoming one of the first 20 paramedics in my county in a pilot program that was taught by Stanford University. In California, being a paramedic is a dead-end in terms of a career path so I started looking at the fire service because of the variety of choices in career direction – Training, Suppression, Arson, Hazardous Materials, Fire Prevention. I ended up at San Jose – second fire test I took (I was VERY lucky because it’s extremely competitive).

3. What is it about your job that you love and how did you know it would be the right fit for you?

I loved the variety of work, the unpredictability of what a shift held in store and the ability to make a difference. I cannot tell you how it makes you feel when you encounter a patient in a cardiac arrest and, because of my training and ability to think on the fly, if that patient responds and gains back a pulse and actually wakes up (from being clinically dead), it really stands out and is a tremendous feeling. As a Chief, even though I wasn’t able to directly provide patient care any longer, I was able to change the direction and focus of a major Metro fire department. I was one of three individuals tasked with the assignment of bringing a paramedic program into SJFD. It took 3 1/2 years to do but we were indeed successful and created a model that has been duplicated across California.

4. Did you come across any challenges or barriers to reaching your career goals along the way? How did you overcome these?

There are always challenges and barriers in civil service. The fire service is very bureaucratic and slow to change. My career goal was to attain the rank of Battalion Chief, something I was successful at accomplishing. The entire testing process for a Chief is very draining and drawn out. It takes stamina and perseverance. To overcome the barriers and hurdles, I just kept my eye on the goal I’d set for myself.

5. What do you do to work through frustrations of the daily grind?

I had a wonderful group of Captains and civilians working for me. I’ve learned to solicit opinions and perspectives from those I trust. I knew who I could go to and bounce something off of and took advantage it. Sometimes I would just take a walk around our training center when I had an issue that seemed overwhelming. Sometimes I would just let an issue percolate in my head. I found that if I did that, the correct response usually bubbled to the surface.

6. How do you ‘keep it fresh’ and stay interested from year to year?

By pushing the envelope. My industry is in line for a paradigm shift if it is to survive in a manner similar to what exists now. We need to be able to convey more objective information (data) to the policy makers that are currently amenable to making significant fiscal and operational reductions in public safety. I attend conferences, network with those in other departments and other parts of the country, join associations such as the International Association of Fire Chiefs. I like to learn from the experiences of others.

7. What advice would you give someone else searching for their passion job in life?

Once you find it, you’ll know it, because it won’t seem like work anymore. I would suggest that you simply don’t settle and that money isn’t the only reason to stay in a position you’re in. While compensation is important, so is personal reward for doing something you feel is important and gives you a genuine feeling of good.

8. Is there anything else you would like to add?

This is a tumultuous time, but it’s also a time for creativity and those that are daring enough to dream and think outside the box will likely be the ones that find their passion.

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I LOVE MY CAREER – LEA POISSON, DANCE INSTRUCTOR

 

 

 

Lea Poisson

Dance Instructor

Santa Rosa Junior College Faculty

Department of P.E.,

Dance & Athletics

 

 

 

 

 1. What do you do for a living and how long have you been working for your company?

I teach dance (Hip Hop, Jazz, and Modern) at Santa Rosa Junior College. This is my sixth year. I have worked at several other venues (Sonoma State University, Mendocino College, Santa Rosa High School, and several studios), but SRJC has been my main work staple for the last six years.

2. Are you happy you chose your profession?

Yes, and I love it! I am so glad that I followed my heart, even though dance is a hard profession to be successful in at times.

3. What is it about your job that you love and how did you know it would be the right fit for you?

As an artist and someone who wants to help others, my job is very fulfilling and one of my passions in life. I love to dance and perform, myself, but I love to help people as well. I am able to choreograph and teach dance to people who not only want a good workout, but want to enjoy the process of learning or improving their dance skills.

4. Did you come across any challenges or barriers to reaching your career goals along the way? How did you overcome these?

A big challenge was simply making the decision to follow a career in dance, and commit to the dream. That meant being a Dance Major and going to auditions, fearing that I would be a “starving artist” or that I would not work enough. It also meant working and training hard with dedication and discipline, even on college breaks. I spent my summer and winter breaks finding studios or other ways of dancing, and finding the money to do so…

There were jobs that I auditioned for and did not get. Any performing artist is in a place of rejection, which you need to have thick skin for. You must pick yourself up and dust yourself off, and keep striving for your goal to perform.

As a teacher, I found that each type of institution has different requirements. If you want to teach dance at a school with grades K-12, you need to get a specific teaching credential. A community college prefers a MA, and that resulted in my decision to pursue a Master’s degree. Although I have loved my experiences teaching both children and adults, I wanted to work at a community college with a reputation of educating and training dancers in a nurturing environment.

5. What do you do to work through frustrations of the daily grind?

I stay on top of doing my job the best that I can, keeping current and remembering older/classic movement and music. I also try to make sure that I have good communication with my students, co-workers, and my employers.

6. How do you ‘keep it fresh’ and stay interested from year to year?

Remember what made you love your career in the first place. From time to time, or as much as possible, I do several things to remind myself how wonderful dance is. I watch live performances of as many styles of dance as possible. I view dance shows, films, and online performances. I find music that is currently played on stations, as well as other music. This all inspires me to choreograph, and to teach more. I truly enjoy sharing my love for dance, in hopes to spread the love for it with others.

7. What advice would you give someone else searching for their passion job in life?

Try a few things out that are of interest to you and don’t just do what you may be good at. I majored in Mathematics for the first year in college, because I was good at it and liked it growing up. I thought that it was the “smarter” career option. But I also loved to dance. I decided that even though it was strenuous, unyielding, physically demanding, and monetarily challenging, I would rather try hard and follow my passion of Dance.

Often, I find that if people pay attention, they can realize what they truly enjoy, and find their passion. Once you become aware of your passion, hold on to it. You may have several passions in life, but you may choose one to focus on as a career. Just because something is your passion, though, it doesn’t mean that it will be an easy path to make it become your career. My advice is to practice patience, focus, and keep reminding yourself why you love your passion! It is all worth it in the end!

“Dancing in our heads… We dance for laughter, we dance for Tears, we dance for Madness, we dance for Fears, we dance for Hopes, we dance for Screams, we ARE the dancers, we Create the Dreams.” –Albert Einstein

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I LOVE MY CAREER – JOSEPH PURKEY, ARCHITECTURE

 

 

 

Joseph Purkey, Principal

Convergence Architecture, PC

http://www.convergencearch.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. What do you do for a living and how long have you been working for your company?

I have been in the Architecture field since college graduation 8 years ago. I worked for myself for 5 yrs, and have been the Principal at Convergence Architecture, PC for the last 2 of those.

2. Why did you choose your profession?

I have always been very spatially minded. When was growing up I would pour over plan books with hundreds of house plans, looking for good ideas for my own designs. When I went to college I actually started out in engineering before quickly realizing I needed a career path with less math and more design. That led me to the University of Oregon School of Architecture.

3. What is it about your job that you love and how did you know that would be the right fit for you?

I love the constant challenges. Every project is unique, no matter how similar. I really love management as well as design and Architecture really fits that bill. My day consists of client management, consultant/employee management, project management, and business management. I never did plan for this to be my career forever (too much pressure to ever make that decision outright), but now that I’ve been doing it for 8 years I can’t imagine being as content doing anything else. I am constantly reading up on industry trends in my spare time because that’s what interests me.

4. Did you come across any challenges or barriers along the way? How did you overcome these?

It is apparently common practice for professors to warn Architecture students away from the profession, citing poor pay, long hours, and menial work for years before only one of those aspects even has a chance of getting better. I not only had to convince several of my professors that I was Architect material (didn’t always succeed), but I also had to keep up my own self esteem after all the discouraging words. The strong support of my peers along with my own aversion to quitting helped me through that time. The experience also built up an even stronger work ethic, thicker skin, and greater self-confidence, which has served me well in my professional career.

5. What do you do to work through frustrations of the daily grind?

Figure out why they are frustrations and if I can minimize or eliminate them. Often, I find that planning ahead can help me avoid the same frustration in the future. For example, when I fill out my timesheet, I sometimes I have to just force myself to power through because there is no easy way around it. My major frustration comes from having too many things to do at once and hardly any time to do them. In that case I typically resort to listing out all my tasks and prioritizing so that I can at least get the most time sensitive things done first.

6. How do you ‘keep it fresh’ and stay interested from year to year?

 I am always looking for the next challenge and for greater fulfillment. Whenever I realize that I wish I was doing more or just something different I ask myself, “Why am I not?” Then, if it is something I think will help me feel more fulfilled, I work towards that goal. Keeping that goal a secret is almost always counter productive, too. Involve your manager/boss in your growth ambitions because they will definitely be supportive of getting a better employee. Having a mentor (or several) is also critical to quick professional growth.

7. What advice would you give someone else searching for their passion job in life?

 Look for the little pleasures in your job and build on those. Every job is unique and you make it unique with your own skill set. There is no reason not to mold your job into your dream as long as you are benefitting the company. Also, don’t worry about loving your job or career forever. No one can plan for forever. Just enjoy the now and always be looking for ways to make yourself feel even better about the work you are doing.

8. Is there anything else you would like to add?

 Don’t forget to use your time and skills for things that pay nothing. Volunteering is immensely rewarding and can remind you (or help you find) what you really love to do.

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Path to Happiness

Path to Happiness

Very special people love their careers. These are people who have allowed their passion in life take hold and shape their futures. This passion shines through in their daily interactions at work, home, and socially it makes them very interesting people. A passionate person can easily sell their skills. They will push and persevere until they can get a job that will allow them to be happy, doing what they love. In some cases they will go out and make their own jobs to ensure that they can accomplish their life goals and meet their calling.

The next post is the first in a series of interviews of people who love their careers. And they all have something amazing to share. Enjoy and feel free to ask questions along the way.

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