I have a photo on my FB page of me standing with a young lady holding up a yellow pogo stick in some faux pose of victory. Ironically, her name is Victoria. She was staying with a friend for a few days in San Francisco and I was in the city for a journalism conference.  As usual, I gathered friends together in a place that had a fine beer selection and the conversation at some point always turns to jobs.

Vicky has a platinum plus resume for someone who is 24. NPR summer intern, Fulbright Scholar to Taiwan, Kaiser Health Internship at an NPR station and now has an offer on the table from an outfit in Washington, D.C.  Still, Vicky had all kinds anxiety on her face when we started talking about work.  

My colleague Tom sat next to her and in this noisy bar I heard him say, "You know Vicky, most jobs should be approached as 'I'm here to help you solve a problem. Or, here is how I can help you.  Not, OMG, I need a job!!!'"  I made Tom say that again because (1) that's something I would say and (2) I wanted to type it into my smartphone for a blog posting.

That conversation came back to mind upon returning to D.C., when I was talking with Frank, a training colleague and good friend. Frank crystallized what I wanted to add to that earlier conversation.  Recently he went back to getting his own company off the ground, leaving a steady job to do so.  Frank said he "wanted to own his own decisions."  He knows he has more control over his career than leaving it in the hands of others to decide for him.