Career Roadmap
Dan's work combines: Film, Environment & Nature, and Communicating / Sharing Stories
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Traverse City West Senior High
Bachelor's Degree
Geology/Earth Science, General
Michigan Technological University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Photographers:
High School
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
To start with, I helped my Mom (who was an 8th grade science teacher) teach about glaciers.
2.
Then, after questioning HOW I wanted to teach, I dropped out of college.
3.
Then in 2008 I set out to hike the entire Appalachian Trail.
4.
After losing my Mom to cancer during my hike, I felt I wanted to be a teacher.
5.
Then I got the chance to work for a video production company as an assistant.
6.
Deciding that this was something that would allow me to pursue my passion for teaching, I dove in.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
If you want to be a teacher, you need to be certified and have a teaching degree. Otherwise you wont be able to be effective.
How I responded:
I spent time passionately teaching people about what I was learning on my own, reminding myself that I need to work extra hard because I am going "off the beaten path" and redefining the means by which I could teach. I showed myself that a good teacher is someone who is passionate and wants to help bring understanding.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
After losing my Mom I matured in a lot of ways, one of which being that I needed to be independent, but I needed to pursue my passions. Living simply, I allowed myself to spend more time trying out different things instead of working full time.
When I felt down, I would often get high to hide those feelings. When I realized that this was holding me back from becoming a creative person, I began to deal with sadness by expressing it through music. That was when I began moving forward.