From Actress to Software Engineer: An interview with Maren Sigson

Jennifer Turliuk interviews Smiley Poswolsky, who transitioned from working in the film industry, to working in government, to becoming an author, speaker and millennial workplace expert. Hear his story, including how he decided to make these transitions, how he went from self-publishing his book 'The Quarter-Life Breakthrough' to getting a book deal with a major publisher, and learn about his new book 'Friendship in the Age of Loneliness'.

Jennifer Turliuk interviews Amy Bond, who transitioned from full-time lawyer at tech startups in the San Francisco Bay Area, to opening her own pole and dance studios - and continuing to do part-time legal consulting on the side. Hear her story, including how she decided to make this transition, why she's always loved all types of work, and inspiration for becoming an entrepreneur.

Emmy award-winning journalist Kym McNicholas interviews author Jennifer Turliuk about key career selection lessons from her new book, How to Figure Out What to Do With Your Life (Next). BOOK DESCRIPTION: “A brilliant instruction manual on how to find purpose, build a career, and live a life of fulfillment for anyone aspiring to success in work and society.” – DEEPAK CHOPRA A surefire guide to planning your next career move and discovering the job you really want. Jennifer Turliuk was dissatisfied in her corporate job, so she quit. But she had no idea what to do next. After university, she, like so many graduates, focused on just getting a job rather than figuring out the career she really wanted. Yet how would she even begin to find out what exactly that would be? Instead of getting another degree or going back to school to change her career path, Jennifer embarked on a “self-education journey,” interviewing and shadowing some of the world’s leading professors, founders, and investors from Silicon Valley companies such as Airbnb, Square, Kiva, and more. What she discovered is not only a way to find out what she really wanted to do with her own life, but a career design process that would help others do just the same. Based on tested strategies and exercises including quantified self, design thinking, lean methodology, self-discovery, and more, Turliuk will be your guide to finding the path towards a satisfying and passion-driven career that is right for you. We partnered with local Toronto-based independent bookseller Ben McNally for this to support shopping local. If you wish to buy a copy of the book, please call them at 416.361.0032 or email them at [email protected]. For those outside the area, the book is also available via Amazon (https://www.amazon.ca/Figure-What-Your-Life-Next/dp/1459747496), Indigo, etc.

Maren Sigson was pursuing acting, but wasn't finding it to be all that she had dreamed of. But she wasn't sure what to try next. Then one day, when she was creating her acting website, she realized she'd spent hours on it and had loved every minute of it. She found out about Juno College, a bootcamp that helps people become software engineers. After some hard work, she ended up getting in. Now Maren works as a software engineer and is very happy. Listen to her story on the Career Design podcast, including tips on how to find work that you're passionate about - and how to go for it. 

This is Career Design's first podcast. Our host Jenn explains what the podcast is, what the goals of the podcast are, and what you can expect to hear on the podcast. Career Design features interviews with people who've found work they love. Over 80% of people are dissatisfied with their work - and the goal of Career Design is to reduce that by showcasing stories of people who love their careers, and digging into how they found those careers. Hope you enjoy!