FAQ
Career Advice Questions
Q: I read one of your career advice columns or articles. Can you help me find a job?
A: Unfortunately, time doesn’t permit me to answer every request for job search assistance personally. Every time a new article gets published, my inbox gets flooded with letters from readers asking about the careers I profile. For work at home jobs, I recommend looking at FreelanceSwitch, AlpineAccess, and Working Solutions. As a rule, please avoid answering ads that require you to pay a fee or to perform sample work for free.
Q: I work in one of the fields you wrote about, and I don’t earn nearly as much as you describe. Where did you get your facts?
A: Many professionals are experiencing wild pay scale swings based on experience, training, and geography. For example, a teacher with a doctorate in School District A might earn $20,000 per year and have to come up with extra money for classroom supplies. On the other hand, School District B might have a growing community or a federal grant that allows them to recruit unlicensed teachers for job training programs that pay $40,000 a year. I even encountered one school district that pays high school English teachers a starting salary of over $70,000. All of my raw information is verified by at least two sources, usually including the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. I wrote much more about this topic here.
Music Business Questions
Q: Can you represent me or my band?
A: Sorry, no. I no longer represent performers in any capacity. My own calendar’s so booked that I wouldn’t be able to properly devote the time and resources necessary to support you in your career. My book on music management describes the steps you can take to cultivate a friend or family member who can very likely do a much better job for you at this stage of your career than an established professional.
Q: Can you help me enter the American Idol Songwriter contest?
A: Sorry, no. I have no affiliation with the show or with the contest, outside of casual acquaintances involved with both projects. Many songwriters have used our free bulletin boards at spinme.com to support and to encourage each other.
Q: Can you invest in my recording project?
A: Sorry, no. I did participate in a very fun joint venture in the 1990s that produced some really excellent albums. However, the mechanics of running a record label require a lot of time and energy. I’m happy to leave that to professionals.
Q: Can you evaluate my recording?
A: Sorry, no. I have done this a few times at music conferences and at seminars, but I do not review songs or evaluate recordings. If you send a CD to my P.O. Box, it might get a casual listen if it looks professional, but I can’t promise anything. Likewise, I cannot return any material sent to me — otherwise, I would have to hire a mail clerk. Honestly, there are way better people for you to send this stuff to.
Personal Stuff
Q: After writing so much about being your own boss, why are you working for a Fortune 500 company all of a sudden?
A: An opportunity arose for me to work at one of the greatest organizations of our time. And I don’t say that just because they pay me. It’s quite seriously the only place I would want to spend more than 40 hours a week. Better yet, they give me plenty of room to be creative and keep my other projects alive. On a more practical level, the costs of paying for our own health care had become punishing while I was self-employed. Today, I know that if we ever suffered another catastrophe like we did at Christmas 2004, we’re totally taken care of without obliterating our savings.
Q: Why don’t you mention where you work, or write about your own “day job?”
A: Because they asked me not to, and I am happy to oblige. Besides, a zillion other people write about where I work, and I don’t have anything to add to the conversation.
Q: What happened to Record My Teleclass, and to the infoproduct courses you once offered?
Many parts of my previous internet businesses have been sold or licensed to other companies. With so many great tools to record and produce audio, I no longer felt compelled to run a live recording service. Some of my e-courses and other materials might re-emerge after a little refresher. My focus right now is on the great coaching and development work I do at my day job, and the copywriting and journalism projects I get to do in my spare time.