Well, sort of.
I would be four years too late if I thought I would be on the cutting edge by writing a blog about the popularity of the iPod, but everyone once in a while it still surprises me how ubiquitous those telltale white earphones really are. I was in full procrastination mode on Sunday afternoon as I sat down at mo'joe Coffeehouse to write my own term paper for a Master's course, so I concluded that an unofficial count of the percentage of people at mo'joe listening to their iPod was of the utmost importance. The results: 70% - 14 of 20 - had those white earphones in, and another 4 were listening to some kind of portable music device. My naked ears were certainly in the minority.
Aside from a brief respite from my paper - for which I could still use a little inspiration - my little research project was of particular interest because I am currently planning two career planning courses as an instructor and I'm very interested in incorporating multimedia into the curriculum. My first idea was to give students the option of listening to select chapters from the audiobook of What Should I Do With My Life by Po Bronson for the weekly reading reflections. If you have ever listened to an audiobook, you know that the reader makes all the difference in the world, so I hopped onto the iTunes music store to listen to a sample - and the book, which is an entertaining read - is read by the author who is so totally, unbelievably, surprisingly dull that I knew I had to at least explore a Plan B. So I digitally dug around in the podcast section of the music store and stumbled upon an entire collection of career-related podcasts hidden in the business section. Who knew?
Many of the podcasts are entertaining and some are genuinely thought provoking - and it is worth your time to explore - but I think it is fair to warn you that just because someone recorded a podcast and put it on iTunes does validate their advice. Everyone thinks they have unlocked the secret to the job search or teach you everything you need to know about a career real estate investing through a 10-step program. Be sure to take it all with a grain of salt. So, while no one can complain about surfing through the iTunes music store at work, I've had to listen to parts of hundreds of podcast to find even a few to include as part of my upcoming courses.
Just for fun, I do think you might be interested in seeing a quick overview of what iTunes has included in their Top Downloads:
#1) The Project Management Podcast, including Episode 92: Ten Things You Can Learn About Project Management From Britney Spears
#3) Climbing the Ladder by BusinessWeek, with a focus on navigating the workplace
#25) Strategy and the Fat Smoker, and odd title for sure, but a podcast series covering careers and whole lot more. Read by the engaging British author, David Maister
#26) The Cubicle Escape Podcast, which explores the process of starting a small business
#29) MBA Working Girl Podcast, which combines b-school school with real-world business practice for women and men
We all define the term career differently, so you might find the sixth rated (labeled explicit) podcast an interesting inclusion in careers section. And did I mention that these are all free?
