Take a Chance: Lessons from Rick Devens

Welcome to the Ageless Careers Insider Weekly where we talk through what's top-of-mind for executives and leaders in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond.

One of my favorite weekends of the year is Virginia Tech homecoming. I didn't attend VT, but my husband is a Hokie and two of our kids are there now. The university does such a great job with the programming, and the weather is typically beautiful. We attended even before our kids were at Virginia Tech, and it honestly was one of the reasons that my two oldest were sold on the school.

We bought our football tickets back in June, and we'd been planning our visit to VT for months. Even with that advance planning, I kept an eye on the event list because Virginia Tech usually adds some fun events as the weekend gets closer. This time around was no exception: we learned that Survivor alum and Big Brother winner Rick Devens would not only be attending homecoming, but he was headlining a 3-hour public event.

My middle daughter and I are huge Survivor fans and cheered for Devens to win Big Brother, so we figured we'd stop by and check it out. Devens wasn’t just on the Drillfield hanging out - he openly welcomed and talked to everyone who stopped by. My husband (who doesn't watch Survivor and had no idea who Rick Devens was) commented after our chat with Devens: "He's a cool guy - I just really enjoyed talking with him."

What made the experience so memorable wasn't just the selfie (although that was cool too): it was that Devens really made an effort to connect with everyone. He happily answered questions. He was so approachable and willing to share his time and expertise. Let's keep in mind: he just won $800,000+ on Big Brother a few weeks ago.

If I had just spent 3 months in the Big Brother house, I might hide for the next 3 years. But there Devens was, just chatting it up on the Virginia Tech Drillfield. It was honestly super cool.

Back to the job market

When I came back from VT, I had a busy stretch of calls (16 executives and job seekers in 30 hours). It's not always like that for me, but it's just the way this week turned out.

Most of the people I spoke with were in their 50s and 60s, navigating everything from extended unemployment to deciding whether they wanted to continue climbing the corporate ladder to pay cuts to choosing between multiple job opportunities. Sometimes it's hard to cut through the noise, and that's where talking with someone can make a difference.

I've been doing career work in some capacity for the past 20 years and I've talked to literally 1000+ people in the past 4 years. I'm not going to sugar coat things: it's tough out there.

With that said, there is always hope.

Always.

If you watched Survivor 50, you saw Devens make a comeback with the Mr. Beast coin flip (IYKYK). It looked like he was down and out, but he hung on longer because he took a risk. No, he didn't win Survivor 50, but he made such a positive impression that he was invited to be on Big Brother. I overheard him telling folks at Virginia Tech that he wasn't sure about even going on Big Brother, but his wife encouraged him to take a chance.

Sure, there's risk in taking the chance. I've lived it, quitting my safe Fortune 100 job to go out on my own. It's not easy.

The thing is, you don't always know what opportunities will come from putting yourself out there.

In an age where "job hugging" is the popular trend, I hope you will take some time this weekend to think through where you want to be in the next few years and what risks you can take today to get there. Take one small step and just go from there.

ps: Thanks again to Rick Devens and Virginia Tech for making our weekend so much fun! Seriously - all universities should study Virginia Tech's approach to homecoming. I could make my thoughts into a whole post, but I will say that the event lineup is always amazing and the VT homecoming tailgate is usually my favorite day of the entire year.

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Take care of yourself and have a wonderful weekend!

Colleen