First, the work hard part. Unless you live in a cave or are fortunate enough to be independently wealthy you know companies are big on doing more with less. This not only requires that each employee does work that used to be belong to (4) employees but that they must also push themselves harder to learn new skills.  For example, in the IT industry (which I am hoping to break into after spending years in the dwindling telecom industry) there used to be a division between programmers and network engineers. Not anymore…these functions have been combined. In fact, further consolidation in IT has these folks doing more telecom engineering as well (wait…that’s my job). Of course I use this example because it hits close to home for me but across all industries this is happening. While it would be tempting to be negative about it I just look at this as an opportunity to learn new things and push myself harder.  Nothing wrong with that.

Now for the play hard part. A lot of people deal with this stress by hitting the bar after work. Not only does this create additional problems for them but also for others who have to pick up their slack when they called in “sick” the next day.  I know this from experience -  several times I had to get involved in co-workers projects while they recovered from partying or fill in for them while they felt it necessary to sneak out Friday afternoon to catch a movie.  It almost drove ME to drink:)  (By the way, before I start to sound too negative or even better let me add that I was privileged enough to work with some great colleagues…as well as the not so great ones:) .)

I have a much better definition of playing hard – exercise. Nothing relieves stress better than a nice 6 (or 3 or 2 etc.) mile run. Add strength training and you’ll be living stress free (well, almost:) ).  Also, engaging in a fitness program can help build skills valuable to your career such as:

1. Setting goals and achieving them.

Setting goals and achieving them at a bar (“I’m going for at least a 12 pack tonight.”) is sad really. There is no sense of achievement there…only a hangover which doesn’t help with stress at all nor does it prepare you for future career challenges. I don’t think anybody has felt capable of beating an expedited deadline after an all-nighter.

However, setting and achieving fitness goals can do wonders for your career.  Nothing relieves stress better and prepares you to work harder the next day than some intense exercise.  Have a bad day at the office?  Go for a run.  You’ll lose that angry feeling (especially when your realize you just ran faster than you ever have before).  You can then show up at the office the next day filled with energy rather than dread.

2. Project Management

If everything could be accomplished in an hour or less nobody would need project management skills. Obviously this is not true and the biggest achievements require strong project management skills.  Let’s say you start out with a fairly lofty and long term fitness goal such as my goal a couple years ago: lose 90 pounds in a year.  That has to be a long term goal (unless you can get yourself on ‘The Biggest Loser”) which requires research, planning, progress tracking, and execution.  Sounds pretty much like the steps required of project managers doesn’t it?

3. Leadership

Too often when working as part of a team in a day job many people may not feel able to push others to achieve the group goal.  However it is a requirement in fitness (why else on every movie or TV show involving fitness training do you see one person yelling at another?).  Find a way to translating this method of “leadership” into your professional life and you will get results.

This does not mean playing “the boss” and shouting orders at everybody.  For example, as an engineer I was not the direct supervisor of anyone yet I was still required to lead them on projects.  Since it was not my place (nor my style) to shout orders at my colleagues I tried to convey my determination to meet any request to them and my optimism that it could be done.  That approach must have worked pretty well – I was by far the most productive engineer in the group and became the “go to” guy for high priority rush projects.

4. Building Self Confidence

I would argue that nothing can build self confidence more than achieving fitness goals.  The reason is that although achieving career goals at work is rewarding you have to rely on contributions from other folks.  Sure, your self confidence will get a boost but not nearly as big as accomplishing something entirely on your own. This mainly has to do with the fact that unless you are extremely narcissistic you have to acknowledge that without the efforts of the team you would never accomplish anything.  For example, as a engineer I would often receive praise or receive instant cash awards for finishing a rush project on time.  However, I never felt entirely satisfied and often felt guilty about receiving them.  After all, if I hadn’t had the opportunity to work with so many awesome colleagues the projects never would have been completed.

Whether you work out on your own or in a group ultimately your success is dependent upon only one person – YOU.  Unlike work, if you are having a bad day nobody else can pitch in and work a little extra hard to help you out.  This discourages many people who incorrectly believe they don’t have the discipline it takes to get fit.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  If you don’t have difficulty walking to the fridge to grab a snack then you will not have any problems getting fit.

5. Networking

Although I exercise alone I have still had the opportunity to meet people.  For example, when I set out to lose 90 pounds in a year or less as folks noticed my progress I found more of them introducing themselves to me.  So although the discussions had nothing to do with my career accomplishments I gained respect from them.   In a few instances when I later would have to collaborate with some of these folks they already saw me as somebody who can get things done.  In that year my professional network expanded greatly.

Also, participating in events allows you to meet new people.  When I ran in the Kansas City Marathon last October I had plenty of time (since I am by no means a fast marathon runner) to talk.  Although in this particular event I did not meet anybody that would be directly beneficial to my career goals the number of people I even had a small conversation with proved this can be a valuable networking tool.

Hopefully I have provided you with more reasons to start (or maintain) a fitness program and also demonstrate how fitness can benefit your career as well.  Most people believe exercise is strictly a recreational activity and that the key to success at work is to stay long hours and run themselves into the ground.  Nothing could be farther from the truth though.  Yes, you do have to find a way to make time for everything but that’s just another goal to feel good about accomplishing:)

While many people tend to think a blog or web site tend to benefit only those with careers (or aspiring careers) in journalism or graphic design I (now) disagree.

I am a telecom network engineer by trade. I have spent my career designing cutting edge networks. The networks I set up helped disaster relief efforts, created the GPS constellation of satellites, and made my civilian employers a lot of money. I never actually got to be a user on these networks but I did accumulate an impressive list of acronyms for my career portfolio: ATM, IP, DWDM, SONET, and MPLS among others.

After spending all day at work in front of a computer creating system drawings, equipment diagrams, and technical specifications the last thing I wanted to do at home was sit in front of a computer. (If you want to know what I do like to do on my own time take a look at my fitness posts). Therefore, I never actually got to experience as a user the technologies I was deploying.

That changed when my engineering group took an especially large hit in what had become an annual tradition since 2001. I was fortunate enough to receive a decent voluntary separation package so I looked at crossing into a new industry – several years of layoffs was quite enough. I decided to to get deeper into IT and become an IT network engineer.

Having been out of the job search game for a decade I was more than a little rusty on current trends in job search. As I read more and more career advice one theme emerged: an online presence is essential. The first (and perhaps quickest) way was to establish a profile on LinkedIn, Twitter, Naymz, Ziggs, and Visualcv which of course I did. The next thing I heard repeatedly was start a blog which I also did (as evidenced by the page you are staring at now:) ).

At first I looked at the blog as strictly a promotional tool….an online billboard more or less. I started a hosted blog on WordPress.com but for somebody like me who likes to see HOW things work it was a little boring. However, for those who want to put together a nice blog for free it is excellent. I also noticed many of the network engineer positions I wanted included the terms PHP and SQL which I also saw in books I was reading to learn more on blogging. Suddenly my “billboard” could become a job training tool.

After trying several free web site hosting options I decided to buy my own domain. In order to dig further into the code and have more control I moved my blog over to my new corner of the web. Being able to remotely manipulate servers (or at least my space on one) and dig further into the code has been fun AND educational.

As a result, I have been compelled to write more often which I hope will reverse the years of damage to my grammar caused by communicating via e-mails and IMs. Yet another added bonus!

I am now learning how to put together a website to serve as a career portfolio. Another opportunity to dig into HTML and learn while at the same time gain more exposure to employers.

Even though I have no intention of becoming a professional writer or “social media expert” starting a blog has already had several career benefits. Regardless of what industry you are in the next time somebody tells you to start a blog or career portfolio web site listen to them. Take it from a former skeptic who used to believe social media and blogs accomplished nothing more than killing time.

Then I ran across this guy:

In an odd way he taught me some lessons about using social media:

1. Don’t be afraid to get out there – even if you’re not an “expert”.
This guy is not in the best position to be meeting new people. Yet instead of hanging out around dumpsters he was in the middle of a ritzy shopping area chatting with everybody who walked by. Since he isn’t a thin guy even for him putting himself out there must be having some degree of success.

There are several “social media experts” out there all dishing out what seems to be one size fits all advice. The advice is all excellent however it is all geared towards aspiring “social media experts”. If that IS your goal by all means do what they say. However some (perhaps in an effort to protect their own turf) have advised that unless you want to be like them you should avoid social media altogether. Being involved in some form of social media is becoming more important each day no matter what profession you’re in. Therefore unless you constantly offend people when you speak that’s bad advice. I am an engineer (not an aspiring writer) and began writing to differentiate myself from all of the other “Curtis W. Smiths” on the web. I have no intention of becoming a “social media expert”. Don’t be afraid to get out there…after all this guy isn’t.

2. Set realistic goals
I first encountered this individual while taking my daughter to Barnes and Noble. A couple weeks later while I was scouting out the KC Marathon course on my mountain bike I saw him again and took the above picture. Both times he was asking passersby “Can I have money for a down payment on a cheeseburger”. My initial thought was that it was a unique and memorable approach. On a planet getting more crowded each day standing out is important and this guy definitely does. However, he seemed to lack ambition. Was he trying to fool people into believing he just needed a little help? Let’s face it, he is sitting on a plastic bucket all day….he needs a LOT of help. He needs to just ask for the whole burger. This convinced me to move past just using Twitter occasionally to creating this site.

Someday I am going to buy that guy a cheeseburger to thank him for being so inspirational (actually I tried once but when I approached he was mumbling incoherently and swatting at something…must have been on a break from his sales pitch).

I am not the Curtis W. Smith who is the defendant in a trial somewhere in New York. I have not been in trouble with the law so other than a short dury duty stint the closest I have been to trial is watching Law & Order in HD.

I am not an orthopaedic surgeon from Cleveland. I have been fortunate enough to never have any major health issues therefore my knowledge of medicine is limited. Hopefully the only extended hospital visits I have will be to help them set up new broadband data networks.

I am not a company in Corrigan, TX although I do have a habit of doing work myself that used to take several people.

I am not into making miniature models of Captain America. However I do like to make inanimate objects talk to each other (computers, routers, handheld gadgets).

I am not an Extension Horticulture Specialist located in Arizona. I am not even sure what extension horticulture is. That’s OK because I doubt any of them know as much as I do about dense wave division multiplexing, SONET, microwave and RF radio, or even the GPS constellation of satellites (I was fortunate enough to be involved in the deployment of that system which I now use to reach fitness goals).

In case you are still wondering where I came up with this list I did what most career experts did and “Googled” myself. Except for the first one who is in court they seem to be fine upstanding people. Of course with a name like mine, or more to the point exactly like mine, they’d have to be, right?

I'm not any of these Curtis W. Smiths