Career Roadmap
Dan's work combines: Education, Acting & Theatre, and Communicating / Sharing Stories
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Western Illinois University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Public Relations Specialists:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
When I was 6, my dad died right in front of me. I still have guilt for not helping him.
2.
I nearly drowned in the ocean. Surviving currents that took me far away from shore was a miracle.
3.
At age 33, I learned there was a "medical explanation" for being so easily distracted and impulsive.
4.
When I began reading about ADHD, I was excited about a possible "fix" for the challenges I'd had.
5.
The trial and error of medications was exhausting and disheartening. This was not going to be easy!
6.
After one of my speaking engagements, a woman told me I gave her hope for her son who had ADHD.
7.
It hit me that the POSITIVE traits of ADHD were making my talks humorous, inspiring, and memorable.
8.
While still a challenge, I have embraced ADHD and consider it to be the centerpiece of my success.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Give up your pipe dream.
How I responded:
The moment a dream is born in you, especially something out of the ordinary, it becomes a threat to someone in your life who has low self esteem. Chances are they will begin creating negative noise quickly once they learn of your new-found passion. They will advise you to give up your "pipe dream." The key to not letting this impact your progress is to realize their negativism is not about you. It's about something going on in them. If you have a vision/dream, then by all means, pursue it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
When I was 16, my car was slammed into by a bus that went through its red light. This taught me how fragile life is and how very quickly life can change. Since then, I drive defensively, which is truly a "life or death" skill. I cherish my days.
In college, I dreaded taking tests. Once a test was in front of me, my eyes scanned the entire document and I began to panic. So, I began bringing blank sheets of paper that shielded me from any question below the one I was presently handling.