I’m looking for a mentor. I’m Spanish and live in Barcelona. I write a Spanish blog aimed at a Spanish-speaking audience.
I don’t know what real chance I have asking someone I admire in the United States to mentor me. Should I ask popular people? I have some in mind who I would like as mentors, but I’m afraid they won’t even notice me because of their popularity. Should I look for more “normal” people?
Recently my long-distance boyfriend of nearly 2 years and I have started talks about living to the same city. He is on one coast. I am on the other. My career field provides flexiblity, so thankfully, it is not as burdensome as it could be, and I do like his side of the country. What types of questions would you ask yourself if you were faced with moving across the country for a relationship and beginning everything over again, including your career?
I am 24 years old. I have been reading your blog for a while, and its actually making me feel a bit depressed. I went to college a year out of high school, and during my 2nd year found out my girlfriend was pregnant. Under the assumption that it would make me more money, I transfered in to the school’s business program. I am now almost graduated, with a bachelors in business management, and have no idea what I can do with it. I feel like I have no marketable skills, and would have better spent my time working at McDonald’s for 4 years, at least then I’d have some real good experience.
I completely disconnected from the world after my son was born. I have not made a single new friend since high school, and for the most part only hang out with my family, rarely even seeing my old friends. I have missed out on this whole blogging evolution, and just feel lost. What type of employer am I supposed to apply at? Is a bachelors of business administration worth anything to anyone? I have a lot of knowledge, but no one seems to care.
Where does someone like me go? My whole life the idea that college was what you did you get a good job was drilled into my head, but I can’t see it delivering now. I know I am smarter than many of the people I went to school with, and have abilities somewhere, but just feel so lost. I have always wanted to run a restaurant, but that takes a lot of money. I have so many ideas, but no capital. I have been applying as an assistant manager at various restaurants, hoping to build a skill set, but is that not completely lame? Most people with equivalent jobs probably got them just by working their for a few years, and earned money to get to that position rather than spend.
I don’t know, it seems like the world left me behind. Every other 24 year old seems to be so far ahead of me, and I don’t see them having a kid in the future as a way for me to catch up.
I enjoy reading your blogs. My job is very boring and is ending soon so I spend most of my time at work reading old post from your blog and trying to figure out my next step in life. I do have one question tho. As I have been applying to jobs, I have noticed one thing. Many HR representatives won’t give out the pay for the jobs that they are calling for me to interview for. Now, I don’t want to waste my time asking off from work and the companies time that I am applying for if the pay is not within my standards. So my questions is do I still go to the interview without knowing the salary upfront?
My boyfriend, JP, and I are looking at five different cities to which to move in the next two months, and it seems like you have experience in many of them, including New York City. Right now we are near you — in Madison. Could we take you out for coffee to ask you about your experiences living in all the cities you’ve lived in?
I have never had the compunction you have for creating businesses and being an entrepreneur and all of that…but maybe I need to do that anyway to be more financially successful. I grew up just wanting to be a part of the entertainment industry – which I have been for 10 years. That’s my bliss. But I listen to you and other successful entrepreneurs and business oriented people who are making big money and I think “Why can’t I have been born with their innate sense of business sense and wealth accumulation?” I admire you for your success and sense of how to earn money. I want to earn 45K/year and have health insurance – something which is becoming increasingly more difficult to do in the US
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Should I just go to business school and get the MBA even though that is not my passion but will ultimately provide (theoretically the means to an end)?
I need help earning more money. I’m a workhorse, great at ideas, and a very creative artist. Self-employed artist for 11 years. I’m busy rebuilding my financial life post-divorce.
What I need is more income to support my good ideas. I’d like to be able to hire an assistant so I can do the idea making, while someone else makes the machine work. I’ve got a new business I’m busy launching as well.
I would like you to mentor me, or coach me toward this. I can offer you ART in trade. I’m rich in art, great at color.
I would like to say that I am interested in kick starting my career or starting a business. But that would be a lie. My interests lie in writing, social work, community development and someday teaching theology on the seminary level.
However, the reality is that I’m scraping by, I have considerable college debt, and in the not so distant future will have parents to take care of. I know little about business, how to get a good job and even less about start ups.
What would you suggest for a guy like me?
I am a huge fan of your work, and I recently started to consider starting my own business. I was wondering if you have ever published a list of your favorite books for starting a company?
I just got off of a call with a very type A recruiter who asked me whether I pay for health insurance myself and if I had children who were covered under it. I’m not confrontational, therefore I didn’t tell him outright that it was an inappropriate question.
What would you recommend I do? I want to apply for the job, but if his aggressiveness and inappropriateness is any indication of the type of people I would be interviewing with then I’m not interested.
penelope@penelopetrunk.com