Chris Dessi - Vice President zanox, Inc

When I was in college I remember sitting with my advisor/mentor Dr. LoPresto. He sat with me as we chatted about my career options. At the time I was graduating in a few months with a degree in Psychology. I had spent my Junior year studying in Leuven, Belgium, and I had the "business bug". While was in Belgium I took core business courses next to University of Chicago business students: and I was getting straight A's. Now what?

I remember vividly Dr, LoPresto asking me what I wanted to do: and I said "I don't know".

Not the best answer to give to the man that had helped to make my Senior year at Loyola College so special. He pushed back and asked me

"where were you for the first two years at Loyola?"
"Who did you spend time with?"
"Who did you learn from"?

I had no answer. At this moment it dawned on me. Did I make an effort to get to know everyone that could assist with my career decisions? Had I consulted with students that were studying Psychology? Had I exhausted all resources in the Psychology Department - or had I waited until the last minute for the reality of graduation to set in.

What had happened here?

I hadn't set Goals
I didn't get to know EVERYONE
I didn't listen

How can these lessons translate in business?

Dr. LoPreso helped me with many things that day. He helped to point out a few things I did wrong, but he also let me know what I did right. I was on the right path to business - but I had to cultivate that path. I couldn't just aimlessly wander into a business interview with an answer like "I don't know"....

Set Goals - know what you want, and go get it. I eventually realized I needed to further my business education before I could succeed after graduation. I applied to NYU, and went on to earn a MS in Direct Marketing
Get to know EVERYONE - I put myself out there, and didn't hide. I tried to get to know everyone I could, and I picked their brains. what did they do on a day to day basis? How did they get there? Did they love it? Since then I've cultivated a network of colleagues I can say are friends as well. Life's to short to use people as stepping stones. Who am I to say I'm better than anyone?
Listen - I shut my cocky mouth and started to listen. I realized I had so much to learn - and I still do. So I shut up and listen, and it will pay dividends.

Ever notice you do your best thinking while getting ready in the morning? Those few minutes to yourself while soaping up your hair with nothing else to think about other than wondering why, in 2007 we still can't get AM news radio reception while listening to the the whizzing and buzzing of 1010WINS??

ANYWAY.....This morning, while listing to said whizzing and buzzing of 1010wins, I was thinking about the fact that come Oct, I'll have been with AzoogleAds, Inc for a Whopping 2 years! Now, to the untrained eye this may seem like only a small blip on the screen in what I hope is a very long career. The thing that struck me is that in this day and age, and especially in this industry (Online Advertising) 2 years is like an eternity (kinda like Dog years I suppose)?

At first glace on linkedin.com you can see the trend. The 30 something counterparts of mine in this industry that have been around since working for a "Dot Commer" was the "It" thing to do in thate 90's have hopped around more than Paris Hilton in the VIP lounge of the hottest club.....but why?

I have a few theories so let me start out at 10,000 feet and then I'll drill down to what I think may be at the heart of the situation.

Reason #1 Get out before they get me out
While I was at Mediaplex in 1999 there were a few rounds of layoffs before Valueclick came in and bought the company. There were young, fresh faced, hard working bright people just out of college (or in my case Grad School) that wanted to make their internet millions. Well, those same fresh faced kids got caught up in some serious downsizing. Some of our parents were lucky enough to never see that kind of company overhall in an entire career. We saw it in the first few years of ours. This was of no fault of our own, but non the less, we were unemployed at 24 years old. Many of us left the industry (I went to a design agency for 3 years). Others kept moving along, but would never have the same loyalty they felt with their first company.

Reason #2 The market is fantastic
If you're good at what you do, and people know about it, they'll offer you a job. Every conference like Ad:Tech is certainly the hotbed for this kind of activiity. Other companies seek out the Rockstars, and try to hire them away. Lots of times it works.

Reason #3 You can
When you send in a resume with 10 differnet positions at 10 different companies over the past 10 years. It's more than likley that at least one of the Sr. Executives at your company may have a similiar type resume.

Sometimes hopping around is the only way to take your career to the next level.

I have to say...at this point in my career, it's nice to finally find a spot to call home. For the first time since the early days when I was at Mediaplex I feel like we're onto something here. Maybe something big that we can say we were a part of. Soemthing worth sticking around for...

Only time will tell!