Designing Your Career: The Informational Interview

What is an informational interview?

An informational interview is a conversation where you ask someone about their career path, industry insights, or professional experiences to gain knowledge and guidance for your own career development.

Why are informational interviews valuable?

Informational interviews help you build professional connections, learn about different career paths, and gather insider knowledge that isn't available through job postings or public resources.

How should you prepare for an informational interview?

Research the interviewee's background, prepare thoughtful questions, dress professionally, and be respectful of their time while showing genuine interest in their experiences.

Did The Future Already Happen? - The Paradox of Time

What is the paradox of time?

The paradox of time explores conflicting theories about whether past, present and future events exist simultaneously or whether only the present moment is real.

How does this relate to the future already happening?

Some physics theories suggest all points in time exist equally in a 'block universe,' meaning the future is already determined and we simply experience it sequentially.

What are the implications of this paradox?

This challenges our notions of free will and causality, suggesting our perception of time as flowing may be an illusion of consciousness rather than fundamental reality.

Informational Interviews: Best Questions to Ask

What are good questions about career paths?

"How did you get started in this field?" "What skills are most valuable in your position?" "What would you do differently if starting over?"

What questions reveal industry insights?

"What trends are shaping your industry?" "What challenges does your field face?" "How has your industry changed since you started?"

What personal development questions work well?

"What habits contribute to your success?" "How do you continue learning?" "What professional development resources do you recommend?"

Insane Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out to be True

What's an example of a proven conspiracy?

The NSA's mass surveillance programs revealed by Edward Snowden confirmed many privacy advocates' long-standing suspicions about government monitoring.

How did the Tuskegee Syphilis Study validate conspiracy theories?

This 40-year experiment where black men were deliberately denied treatment proved claims of unethical government medical experiments on minorities.

What corporate conspiracy was actually true?

Tobacco companies were proven to have known about and concealed cigarettes' cancer risks while publicly denying the connection for decades.