Episode Details

From the outside it often looks as if the dominant factor that determines whether someone achieves their careers goals or not is luck (And you all know how I feel about “luck.”) From an insider’s perspective, having helped hundreds of people successfully make career transitions, I believe luck is simply when their hard work intersects with the right opportunity. And this intersection is no accident when you have the right strategy.

One of my favorite aspects of the Optimizer coaching & mentorship community is the relationships that are built when students support each other to pursue work they feel most passionate about. When Optimizer students Nick Towle and Fabian Corrado originally came to me, neither one of them knew each other. But they both knew they were tired of the jobs they had, they felt stuck after trying for years to make a seemingly impossible career change, and they were ready to do anything to get on the right path.

Nick Towle had been an editor in reality tv and transitioned to the scripted world as an assistant editor (AE). He was finding plenty of regular work, and he even had the opportunity to cut in addition to his AE duties, but he couldn't seem to land his first full-fledged scripted editing gig. Nobody was willing to give him the experience…without already having the experience.

Fabian Corrado was working successfully as an Assistant Editor in the trailer industry but felt unsatisfied and unfulfilled, and he knew he wanted to make the jump to scripted. He worked hard and spent many years climbing his way up the wrong ladder and felt stuck and trapped doing a job he no longer loved.

If you too are struggling to make a career transition, you feel stuck in a dead end career path, or you cringe when you think of networking, this episode will help you get unstuck and think of networking in a whole new light as you learn the strategies that both Nick & Fabian used to land huge career-changing opportunities (and ultimately work together on the same show!).

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• Fabian started his career in EPK trailer houses but after 5 years wanted to make the transition to scripted.
• How Fabian got connected with me and the Optimize Yourself program.
• Fabian describes what it was like for him to 'hit the wall' in trailer editing.
• Nick was an editor in reality tv and transitioned to scripted television as an assistant editor.
• Nick talks about what motivated him to look for the Focus Yourself program.
• Fabian explains the importance of uncovering your purpose and determining what career path is going to be most fulfilling.
• KEY TAKEAWAY: Networking strategy is all about planting the right seeds.
• Fabian was juggling two jobs while trying to do Focus Yourself.
• Nick balanced raising a 3 year old while working through the program.
• The story of how Fabian connected with an editor on his dream show.
• Nick describes how he had to make the psychological switch in his own mind to see himself as an editor.
• Why Fabian made the decision to walk away from a full-time job to do a 3 week freelance job.
• The financial component to having the freedom to turn down work that isn't the right fit.
• What made Fabian stand out amongst other qualified assistant editors to get his dream job.
• How important it is to set yourself up for success in a job even if there are knowledge gaps that need to be filled.