Talking Careers
Peter Chaikin, Video Editor
Jacob Pinger, Interviewer
Talking Careers is a collection of short video interviews with people who answer questions about their professional lives and how they found them. Listeners “meet” these people and hear their stories. The conversations are chatty, inspirational, and packed with practical advice.
Over the years, students have asked CollegePath LA to introduce them to working pros in various fields. We have organized campus job fairs and workshops, and recruited speakers to make classroom presentations. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, and schools were closed, we sought a way to reach students directly in their homes.
This dilemma triggered an “Aha! moment.” Zoom, and other telecommunications services, make it possible to efficiently connect with people all over Los Angeles and beyond. Busy professionals who couldn’t skip work to attend a school event in past years were delighted to spend an hour on Zoom, sharing information about their careers, and their personal journeys to becoming what they are.
Our goal is to film as many interviews as we can and make them available on this website. Students are welcome to contact us if they are curious about a career path that isn’t represented. We will try to find a speaker to address that career.
Susan - Executive Director Education Nonprofit “Everything you do in life is going to teach you something.”
Tricia - College Counselor “What I love the most is just opening doors.”
Kaitlyn - TV Post Production Editor Assistant and Editor “It’s like a little puzzle and all the pieces are strewn everywhere.”
David - Teachers’ Union Officer “It takes struggle to make sure everyone gets what they deserve.”
Carmen - Lawyer for a Nonprofit “I’m living my dream. I’m helping people and making an impact on their lives.”
Mary Jo - VP Music Clearance for Film and Television “Watch a movie with your eyes closed and you can really get a sense for how powerful music is.”
Jacob - TV Camera Operator and Director of Photography “I had a kind of epiphany one day in Guatemala.”
Susan - Rabbi “People who wrestle with what it means to be a spiritual person are the best people to become rabbis.”