In the fundraising world, I always want to hear the story about how people landed in this career. Because that’s how it (used to) happen. One “landed” — with every connotation of serenditpity that implies. There were very few serious courses and no college degrees in fundraising, and people were skeptical to even call it a profession. Things have changed!
Charles Snyder is a case in point. His first job out of college was in prospect research. He may have “landed” in that job, but his career demonstrates how professionalism evolves through the quality of the people attracted to the work.
So why was I so surprised when he told me that he was moving to Ireland?
Prospect research and development operations positions are present around the globe, but especially in higher education.
Maybe I was surprised because I know how difficult it is to effect meaningful change in one’s life. I’m a fan of the book Designing Your Life by Stanford University instructors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. I only knew Charles in his role at NOVA Southeastern University in Florida. I didn’t know his ambitions. And maybe Charles wouldn’t have written a book like Designing Your Life, but he certainly has lived by many of its prescriptions!
In this podcast interview you’ll get to hear him talk about some really cool transitions in his life:
• How he decided on the three key items that are present in his definition of a dream job.
• How he decided to change-up his networking and what he did to build his skills to match his dream job.
• How (surprisingly) long it took between when he first started a serious search for his dream job and landed one (you guessed it – in Ireland!).
In this world of Instagram, it can be difficult to remember that change takes time. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the effort. It means that you need a clear plan to guide you and a mindset to enjoy the journey!
Resources Mentioned
Designing Your Life | book and website by Stanford instructors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
