For this podcast project I have chosen to interview my dad, James Quest. Out of the available family members that I could contact to conduct this interview my dad is probably the one with the most to say about all kinds of things.
I would like to talk to him about his professional work life and the parts of his career that he enjoyed and parts that he regrets. My dad and I have always gone back and forth about this, but it has almost all been out of context and, to be honest, I have not always actively listened to what lessons he has tried to teach me. So, to me, this is a great opportunity to actually listen to what my dad has been trying to tell me all these years.
Another added bonus of interviewing my dad is that he has started his own podcasting channel where he talks about project management with his colleague Braden. So, in terms of editing the interview down, it should be pretty straightforward. Ultimately, I chose to interview my dad because he has experience in podcasting and because he knows a lot of things that can be taught to others, which often makes for an interesting podcast. This is his website: https://projectpundits.com/
Even though I have yet to conduct the interview, I have a sense of how a story will emerge from it. I plan to use the questions that I have drafted below to follow his career path from the start to where he is at now, citing important lessons along the way. This will definitely help me out, especially considering that
I am a second semester graduating senior in college who is entering the professional world soon. I also hope that other listeners in the class will be able to derive some lessons from the episode that I produce.
Here are the questions that I have come up with:
- Could you tell me about your schooling and how that impacted or influenced the work that you began after college?
- If you could go back, would you have finished college? Why or why not?
- What was your early career like? From the time you left college until your mid-late twenties?
- What were some of the things you did that you were proud of around that age?
- What were some of the things you did that you were not proud of? Things that you regret or wish you did differently?
- Is there a single standout story or lesson from your career that you think would be beneficial to share to someone entering the professional world that you were (are) in?
- How has your professional career been different than you had imagined it when you were my age?
- What have you found to be most important when applying for a job? What is most important at a job? What is the best way to maintain a relationship after leaving a job or workplace?
- Has the entrepreneurial side of business always been the most appealing to you?
- Where are you at now in your career?
- Are you optimistic or hopeful about the future of your professional career?
Interview is completed as of now.
