Careers by Design: The Interviews Careers by Design: The Interviews
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How do people decide what careers to pursue? Hear from scientists, entertainers, business people, academics, politicians and everyone in between about how they designed paths that were right for them. Hosted by Sharon Belden Castonguay, Executive Director of the Gordon Career Center at Wesleyan University (CT).
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Find Your Spark. Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, creators of How I Met Your Mother
For our Season One finale, a conversation with Carter Bays ’97 and Craig Thomas ’97, television writers, producers and show runners best known for their hit show How I Met Your Mother. “You want to find that spark of a story you have to tell, a story only you can tell, only in the way that you can tell it."
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Encore: Don't Be Scared by Ambiguity. Laura Walker, President and CEO, WNYC
We repost our 2016 conversation with Laura Walker ’79, President and CEO, WNYC, the nation’s largest public radio station. “For me a lot of the fun of it, and the challenge of it, and the kind of stuff I love to do, is the mix of the creative and the business… I think that actually started at Wesleyan… There’s something about seeing connections and drawing them and reveling in them…and not being scared by the ambiguity, but being challenged by it.”
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Engage with the Real World. Lael Brainard, US Federal Reserve Board of Governors
We speak with Lael Brainard '83, a member of the United States Federal Reserve's Board of Governors. "I found the transition [to business] relatively seamless…Wesleyan does a good job not just of exposing students to disciplinary rigors…but also of helping them and encouraging them to become engaged with the real world.”
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Take a Risk. Michael Fries, CEO of Liberty Global, the world’s largest TV and broadband company
A conversation with Mike Fries '85, President and CEO of Liberty Global, the world’s largest international TV and broadband company. “You have to be willing to take some risk in your life…I always tell younger people, just get started, figure out what you’re good at. Be patient, but if an opportunity arises be willing to take that risk, because if you’re confident in yourself and you have skills and you have that drive you’re going to land somewhere. No one is ever going to look at you and say, “Well, why did you do that?” If it doesn’t work, they’re going to say, “Wow, that was pretty gutsy. Tell me what you learned in that experience"…every stop along the way is going to help make you a better candidate for what you want to do in life.”
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ENCORE: What Brings You Joy? Bradley Whitford, film and television actor
In honor of the success of the film "Get Out" we had to repost our interview with Bradley Whitford ’81, film and television actor (The West Wing—Emmy Award, Billy Madison, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Cabin in the Woods, Trophy Wife, Saving Mr. Banks, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Happyish, Transparent). “I urge people to really examine what brings you joy creatively. That is not always going to be commercial success.”
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Share Your Passions. Jennifer Tour Chayes, Managing Dir. of Microsoft Research New England and NY
We hear from Jennifer Tour Chayes '78, Distinguished Scientist and Managing Director of Microsoft Research New England and Microsoft Research New York. "It’s really important to always be talking about what you’re passionate about…I’m always looking for somebody whose [story] is deeply engaging."
Customer Reviews
Fun career exploration
As a fellow liberal arts graduate, I love how this podcast lets you have a sort of coffee chat with successful people across a wide variety of careers. What a creative way to engage alumni and provide forward-thinking career services.
The Interviews
Incredibly interesting and informative interviews. Highly recommend listening!