The “Work in Progress with Christopher Wong Michaelson” podcast recently recorded a four-part series titled “In Search of Careers and the Common Good,” which includes candid conversations with professionals across three different career stages – early, middle and encore.
“One thing I often say to (my students) is that if they’re only in college to get a job, then they’re failing to get the most out of the chance to prepare for life after college, not just work. But I also admit that if college hasn’t adequately prepared them to find work, then college has failed them. They get this. Like every generation of students, they need to make a living in their lives after college,” Michaelson said. “But one thing that’s apparently unique about this current generation of students entering the workforce is that they have been referred to as the purpose generation that won’t settle for meaningless work. In response, every college in university is promising to help students find their purpose, but it’s not that easy. We’ll fail our students if we promise what we can’t provide.”
This miniseries of conversations with University of St. Thomas graduates is a picture of the search and struggle to find meaningful work in life after college. Listening to these stories won’t reveal one fail-safe formula for finding purpose at work. But it will provide optimism about the promise that it is possible.
In Search of Careers for the Common Good Part One: A conversation with Cesar Osvaldo Mendez Portillo ’23
In part one of this series, Michaelson has a discussion with recent University of St. Thomas graduate Cesar Osvaldo Mendez Portillo, a self-described “banker by accident” who shares his story about the importance of building relationships in his search for a career for the common good.
In Search of Careers for the Common Good Part Two: A conversation with Katrina Anderson ’21
In part two of this series, Michaelson has a discussion with recent University of St. Thomas graduate Katrina Anderson, a park ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains, who shares her story about changing her major, her expectations and her ZIP code in her search for a career for the common good. She is still figuring out the path to that waterfall but has discovered along the way that she’s allowed to enjoy the view along the journey.
In Search of Careers for the Common Good Part Three: A conversation with Lindsey Hickey ’07
In part three of this series, Michaelson has a discussion with Lindsey Hickey, CEO of Simek’s, who shares her story about thriving in the chaos of balancing a family while leading a second-generation family business in her search for a career for the common good.
In Search of Careers for the Common Good Part Four: A conversation with John Sullivan ’80
In part four of this series, Michaelson has a discussion with John Sullivan, who recently retired from a long and distinguished career as a corporate lawyer but who remains active in volunteer engagement with organizations such as the Minneapolis Foundation and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Sullivan shares his story about following his interests rather than a preset plan in his search for a career for the common good. He says, “I doubt that my legal work will be remembered for long, but I believe that I have helped local nonprofits become more effective and I have created significant change for the lives of LGBTQ+ people and my hope is that those changes will inspire additional changes by future leaders.”
This series is co-sponsored by the following enterprises at the University of St. Thomas:
