SMBMSP #52: Jumping Tracks – Tales of Radical Career Shifts

December 2nd, 2012  |  by Mykl Roventine  |  Category:  Breakfast,  Event

Friday, December 21, 2012

8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

CoCo Coworking & Collaborative Space, Minneapolis

Meet 4 people who have done that thing that many of us talk about – even threaten – but rarely do. They’ve jumped tracks entirely, going from one line of work into something completely different.

A former editor who is now making animated ebook apps

A laid-off architect who created a popular brand of hand-crafted sleeves and cases for mobile devices

A behavioral therapist who became a full-time blogger and novelist

A marketing consultant who left it all to run a shared commercial kitchen for food entrepreneurs

Don Ball, founding partner of CoCo coworking and collaborative space (and a recent track jumper himself), will elicit from the panelists the secrets of their success (or hoped-for success).

What made them jump or were they pushed? What preparations, if any, did they make? How did they stay afloat while getting started in their new careers? What did friends and family say? How do they use social media to build support for their new projects? What keeps them up at night? Do they have any regrets? How do they stay sane?

Our panelists will also take your questions. If you’re thinking about your own possible career shift, you’ll be able to share your idea (anonymously, if you wish) and get an on-the-spot evaluation.

This month’s SMBMSP will be held at CoCo Coworking & Collaborative Space in Minneapolis,  on the beautiful former trading floor of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. CoCo is a place where dreamers, thinkers and doers come to work on their big ideas. Stick around after the event for a guided tour!

PANEL

Amber L. Carter ( @ambercolorlife)

Amber is the sass-mouthed blogger of An Amber-Colored Life (MinnPost.com’s Top Ten Blogs To Watch in 2010, One of the Only Two Personal Blogs Kevin Watterson/@kwatt Reads) and the author of Holiday Chick,  All the Things You Never Knew, and Certain Things You Ought to Know.

Two years ago Amber left a ten-year career as a senior behavioral therapist to focus on her true passion, which is writing about boys and feelings. She somehow managed to also become a founding partner and the Director of Social Media & Creative Strategy for Groucho Sports Supply, a local cycling apparel start-up; as well as launch her own company, Very Damn Important (formerly Cyber Dating Sidekick), an online dating copywriting and coaching service.

A former long-time resident and lover of Minneapolis, she now lives in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, where she leads an incredibly glamorous life but keeps it real by tweeting things like “I’m comfortable in my own skin” and “Who gon’ check me, boo?” And while she’s not much of an “outdoor” girl, she just bought a North Face jacket, so she’s confident that’s all about to change.

I am super, super psyched to be the guest on the Social Media Breakfast: Minneapolis/St. Paul Podcast + Panel event for December! It’s kind of my dream to be a guest on all the podcasts and panels in existence, everywhere.

And now…my dream has begun…

Really, though – I was actually kind of scared to listen to the podcast after Mykl posted it, because it’s kind of like that thing where you talk on the phone for a couple of hours with the guy you like and you hang up and start to wonder and worry if all you did was talk too much and say a bunch of dumb, nonsensical bullshit. But I bit the bullet and listened to it because I wanted to make sure that my family wasn’t going to embarrassed by me (cue my mom mumbling, “Oh, now you care if we’re embarrassed by you…”), and you know what? It’s a fun podcast – not because of me (I mean, I’m really just my standard form of adorable, so…nothing new to you long-time readers out there) but because Mykl and Missy are totally awesome and we talk about writing, career shifts, my new book (!),  NaNoWriMo, AND our personal geek gift recommendations for this holiday season (worth listening to it for that alone). There’s also some breaking news in said podcast, because what better time to blow the lid off of it than on a podcast, right, guys?

So give it a listen, and then grab your tickets to the SMBMSP #52 Jumping Tracks: Tales of Radical Career Shifts on Friday, Dec. 21. Your girl Amber will be speaking on that particular panel, and it will be taking place at the AMAZING CoCo MSP. You won’t wanna miss it! Kevin won’t. Kevin says that he’s going to show up and sit in the front row and then leave right after, because that’s what a true friend and fan does.

* Editor’s note: The SMBMSP podcast recently had a makeover, and unfortunately, older episodes are no longer available. But, try to imagine what the most fun, hilarious, and profound podcast interview sounds like, and you’ve pretty much got the gist of it.

Written & published December 12, 2012