10 years ago today an historic event took place that changed most of our lives. As I watch the television coverage, I can’t help but think about where I was that day. I was a wide-eyed, recent college graduate and had started my first real job in technology at one of the investment banks a few weeks earlier. By that point my travel routine was set. I took NJ Transit into the World Trade Center, would grab a quick coffee and head to the office on Church Street about a block away. On 9/11, I took an earlier train to get some extra work done and got to my desk before 8am. In retrospect I was lucky that I did as many of my colleagues were stuck on other trains or had just arrived at WTC as the planes struck. When the first plane hit no one knew what happened. We heard a loud explosion and rushed to the windows. Staring up at the building we saw the other plane hit. At that instant we knew this was no accident and was an act of terrorism. A small group of us decided we wanted to not only get out of the building, but also the city. We started walking uptown toward the midtown ferry, which was still running. I vividly remember the surreal experience walking down the middle of Broadway with no cars on the road and thousands of people just standing around. While I got home safe that day after about 8 hours, a ferry, bus and train ride, I can’t help but think about those who didn’t. My heart goes out to all of those people who lost loved ones ten years ago. We can honor those lost by never forgetting.

I’ve been reflecting on a few recent conversations with some former colleagues lately. Inevitably, the conversations always turn to career goals. This is a common theme in mid-career professionals and roughly those in their late 20’s/early 30’s. Why? Most mid-career types have been in the workforce for a few years, say 5 to 10, and are increasingly finding themselves unhappy with their current situation – either compensation, career field or employer. Some are interested in changing career fields. Some are contemplating going back to school. Some just don’t enjoy their day job and the people they work with. More often than not, money is the driving factor behind their unhappiness.

What’s missing? One word, passion. I’m not saying *all*, but most people don’t have passion for what they do. Forget the money for a second. Money is important, but shouldn’t be your driving factor. Hopefully, in time, you’ll be able to make enough money to support yourself and your family. The first question I usually ask when in these conversations is what do you really want to do? You’d be surprised how many people can’t answer this simple question. It’s not easy. Adults usually think in terms of what they can’t do or possible constraints to doing what they really want. That’s b.s. in my opinion. Find something that you really enjoy or interests you. Learn all you can about the career field. Blogs are a fantastic resource. Talk to current employees at companies you are interested in. Use social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. Find out about typical education requirements and work experience. Then go for it, but be patient. You are building a career for the long term.

Here’s a wake-up call for those of us who are pursuing our passion. Don’t expect to enjoy every single aspect of your job. While you may love many parts of your job there may be others that you dread and that’s okay. It’s unrealistic to have such high expectations. No job is perfect. Most people strive for the perfect situation. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. The great thing about passion is it will drive you through these obstacles.

I’ll leave you with this. We spend roughly 40 hours per week (most of us much more than that) at work. Let’s say, working 50 weeks per year for an average of 40 years. That’s 80,000 hours of our lives working. Wow! That’s a lot of hours if you think about it. Why not spend that time at something you enjoy and are passionate about?

One of my favorite books, Bringing Down the House, is finally getting released on the silver screen. For those who don’t know, it’s based on the true story of some MIT card counters that took on the casinos. Exciting read. Definitely check it out.

Here’s info on the movie at IMDB.

The Giants just won the Super Bowl. Wow, what a game! The whole team played great – the entire defense, Eli, David Tyree, Steve Smith, the list goes on and on. Overall a great win. I’ve been waiting for this for quite a while.

Happy 4th of July to all! Today we celebrate our independence and should reflect on what has made this country great.

I was on my way home today when I decided to stop by Subway for a sandwich. I noticed there was a line about 2-3 city blocks long in front of the AT&T store. We all know there has been a ton of iPhone hype, but even out here in suburbia? Yup. People had been waiting for the store to open for at least 3 hours. I know, that’s nothing compared to die-hards in San Fran and NYC that camp out all night. Here’s what I don’t understand. Who has time for this? Don’t these people work for a living? You’d think so given the phone starts at $499. The funny thing is, I doubt everyone on line will get an iPhone. On top of it, the first generation phone will definitely have bugs. The device is also not ready for business productivity (e.g. BlackBerry replacement). Will I get an iPhone? Absolutely, just not yet.

My new favorite show is Man vs. Wild. The host, Bear Grylls, strands himself in remote locations all throughout the world and demonstrates survival techniques as he makes his way back to civilization. He gets stuck in the South Pacific, French Alps, the Rockies and Mount Kileaua. Most of the situations are outlandish (e.g. on a raft surrounded by Tiger Sharks), but very exciting to watch from the comfort of your couch. Check it out here.

My wife and I are off to Italy. This is our first trip to Europe and we couldn’t be more excited. We are taking a tour and spending a few days in Rome, Venice and Florence. Along the way we will making stops all through Tuscany and eating all the gelato we can find. Ciao!

Alright, my first Wordpress post at DigitalGoggles. Woohoo!

The power of Wordpress really comes from the community support through dozens upon dozens of plugins and themes. It’s amazing how flexible and customizable WP actually is. You still need to get your hands dirty more often than not, so in that respect it’s far from mainstream usage, but suits us techies quite well.

Oh, and the Blogger import went off with out a hitch.

The screenshot below is what’s Walmart’s new video site looked like this afternoon using Firefox (not IE). Apparently someone forgot to test!

Thanks to TechCrunch and a colleague for pointing this out. Considering how much PR this service has gotten recently this is a major screwup for Walmart.