I remember turning 30.  I celebrated this signature event by throwing my own party at my own house.  I didn't want to drive or hang out in some club.  No, this birthday was to be recognized around my friends, family and under some kind of control.  

A mentee wrote me a few weeks ago saying, "I'm 30 now and from a career standpoint, I feel like I need to start over.  I want to start over."  She's looking for career control after spending the last six years as a TV producer and then a school teacher in Nevada and California.  Her TV dream was busted and so was her school teaching dream.  But, rather than lower her head, she reached out.  We hadn't talked in a few years but it doesn't surprise me she wrote because to this day I can easily remember the first impression she made.   

It was the summer of 2004 and during the "UNITY: Journalists of Color" convention in Washington DC. Ten thousand people came to that convention and I met Jill (my mentee) for the first time at an NPR event where I lead the programs "next generation radio" and "Intern Edition,"  which were designed to attract young people to public radio, and Jill was no exception.  During the NPR event it seemed every last one of the convention attendees came to our building hoping to land a job.  It was madness, each of us surrounded by people crammed into a meeting room.   

Jill made her way to where I was standing and introduced herself and I said to her, "I can't talk with you now but if you stay here, I will.  So, she did.  She stood there and stood there and stood there.  I'm guessing 45 minutes went by and Jill remained in place, politely waiting for a chance to talk with me.  She didn't give up and go away. It was a great tactic.  I ended up talking with her at length, one-to-one and advising her on her career goals.

Much has happened in the six years since then but when she wrote saying she had turned 30 and was assessing where she was, I responded right away and we set up a time to get on the phone.  I'm fascinated that a birthday can magically bring career and personal clarity. 

But for Jill and I'm sure for so many others, 30 ain't nuthin' but a number.