45 Seconds of Advice That Changed My Career Path

In 2011 I was living with my wife and two kids working for my dads environmental consulting company in Farmington, NM. We’d been there about 2 years and life was pretty comfortable. In February I went to a LDS business conference and during one of the meet n’ greets I met Greg Mckeown.

The conversation went something like this.

Greg: “Hi! I’m Greg, who are you and what do you do?”

Me: “Hi there, I’m Adam. I do environmental consulting in northern New Mexico. I also do some social media consulting on the side.”

Greg: “You don’t seem like an environmental consultant. Do you see yourself doing that a while?”

Me: “Yeah, I think so. Not sure. But I really like social media marketing.”

Greg: “Quit the environmental gig and go do social media marketing. And leave New Mexico. You won’t have any opportunities to grow there if you want to do social media for big brands. And also, move to California. You’ll be able to work for big brands like Apple, Facebook, and twitter and help them shape their companies. When you apply for your next job, think of how that will get you a better job, and a better one after that.”

Me: “Wow. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I’ll give that some thought. Thank you for the advice.”

All within 45 seconds~

5 minutes later I called my wife and told her we need to sell the house and leave New Mexico.

Best. Decision. Ever.

Most. Supportive. Wife. Ever.

Since then I’ve done social media marketing at Columbia Sportswear, Cabela’s, and now Experticity. Every two years we’ve moved and it’s not because we’re running away from a bad gig, we’re chasing a great opportunity that is helping us get to the next one.

My advice to you: Talk to someone that isn’t your friend or family member who can give you really honest advice. You’ll be a lot happier and you’ll be able to stand back and see a bright path for yourself.

And don’t be afraid of relocation.

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?