skip to main content
Jad Abumrad
Jad Abumrad
01:13

Jad Abumrad

RadioLab

New York, NY USA

"There's a feeling of dread and a feeling of anxiety that you have at this point, and there's a tendency to want to curtail the uncertainty…but premature certainty is the enemy-it's always the enemy."

Career Roadmap

Jad's work combines: Music, Radio, and Being Creative

See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.

Take Roadmap Quiz

Day In The Life

Host

I created a show called Radiolab and tell stories on the radio for a living.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Creative Writing

    Oberlin College

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Music Theory and Composition

    Oberlin College

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    Went to school to study music composition and specifically wanted to write music for films.

  • 2.

    Eventually realized he just wasn't good enough to do music professionally.

  • 3.

    His girlfriend pointed out that while he might not be great at either, he was good at both writing and music; pointed him towards radio.

  • 4.

    He was making no money, couldn't see a career ahead, but had fun, felt immediate satisfaction when he did interviews.

  • 5.

    Now produces/hosts the show Radiolab and says he's stunned by how closely it resembles his original dreams.

  • 6.

    Says he constantly faced fear and dread, but he'd be more worried about young people who don't feel uncertainty than those who do.

  • 7.

    Uses the "adjacent possible" as a metaphor for building a passion or talent; ask, "What is possible right outside my border?"

  • 8.

    When he started doing the show, he received hundreds of hate-calls; says he's come to terms with that, part of his job is to "ruffle feathers."