Monster Moves

MAKING A CAREER MOVE

Taking the leap from the seemingly safe environment of a full-time job into the unknown of freelance - or 'portfolio' working - can all seem a bit daunting. This is a situation where I am finding myself heading towards.

We can choose to stick to the one 'craft' or career - but there is not really any such thing as a job for life these days. So it's a good idea to get used to the idea of taking on multiple jobs and having diverse ways to bring in some money to pay the bills - even if those jobs seem a little dull and beneath us.

A job for most of us is simply a means of bringing in money to pay for the things we like doing. But there's a few lucky people who have the kind of exciting job they really love doing.

Imagine how being a monster truck racer must feel?! Thing is, doing the same thing over and over for years gets boring no matter what it is. And doing something we know we're good at but offers no new challenges, just means we're not learning any more. That's something I can look at as a graphic designer...but how does that work for car crushing?

Watching Dan Patrick - USA Monster Truck legend perform at this weekend's Santa Pod finals - with more than 30 years in Monster Truck and dragster racing, he's still 100% investing his energy in the industry he loves so much. Coming out of retirement to compete once more, I was amazed at the very humble speech he gave after coming a measly third place. It was evident from the excitement in his voice that the buzz he gets from crushing cars was still just as strong as when he first competed. It's because he is always seeking better ways to improve the cars and ultimately his performance - hence why he owns a lot of the patents for the modern day truck and has been a real visionary in the field of monster truck racing.

While I would like to have been given the chance to be a Monster Truck driver - I always believed it would eventually get boring, just driving over cars every time... but maybe that's not the case....Dan still loves doing it more than retirement....hmmm, I wonder if there's a driver's job going that I can add as part of my work portfolio now he's retired?!