Perspectives Blog

Diploma in hand, the real journey is just beginning. Graduation season is almost here. For my wife and me, that means celebrating the commencement of our younger son — the second of our two boys — who will earn his undergraduate degree in May from the University of Colorado Boulder. Like so many parents, we’re filled with pride in his accomplishments, gratitude for what he has learned, and admiration for his resilience in surmounting many challenges. We’re also hopeful th

One of the hardest things about making a major career decision is that you usually have to make it with incomplete information . A path may look exciting from the outside. A role may sound impressive. A company may appear full of opportunity. A city may seem like the place where everything will come together. But none of that answers the deeper question: What would it actually feel like to live that future life? That question shows up more often than people realize. It can

A lot of job seekers approach the job market with a reasonable assumption: “If I am qualified for the job, I should have a real shot.” Then they apply and hear… nothing. There are many reasons for this. But one of the biggest is rarely talked about clearly enough. I call it Wins Above Replacement . The term comes from baseball. At a simple level, it is a way of asking: how much better does the team perform with this player in the lineup versus another plausible player? That

As I was leaving the office of one of the most influential and prolific network connectors in all of Silicon Valley, he said to me, “one last piece of advice. Never, ever, ever wrap up a networking conversation without asking the person to put you in touch with at least three other people in his or her network.” I took this advice to heart, over 25 years ago, and have kept it with me ever since. Learning how to access, nurture, and derive benefit from a professional network

When you’re deep in the job search process — especially after dozens or even hundreds of applications — it can become surprisingly hard to tell whether you are making real progress or simply running in place . That uncertainty is frustrating. It can also be draining. As one IQ Catalyst client, Allison, put it: “I’m tired of being caught in this endless cycle of applications , feeling like I’m going nowhere.” One way we help clients break that cycle is by turning the job searc

Spring is here — and for many people, this is the moment to get unstuck, get moving, and make serious progress advancing their job search and career goals. We’re opening a limited number of spots in the Career Boost Spring Cohort across all core offerings. Because these engagements are highly personalized, availability is limited. Whether you’re trying to land your first internship, turn your education into real traction, make a smart early-career move, or explore a bigger p

Before founding IQ Catalyst in 2024, I served as the Technology Vertical Chief at Academic Partnerships (now Risepoint ), a leading higher education consulting firm. My charge was to build a new business segment by helping colleges and universities launch fully online master’s degree programs in fast-growing fields like cybersecurity, data science, and healthcare informatics. It was some of the most future-focused, intellectually exciting work of my career— and it taught m

College students often master the content contained within “courses” while employers are looking for people with “skills.” To bridge the two worlds, students need to become great translators. Last week, I sat in on a simulated networking conversation between a client, Cole, and a friend of mine, Douglas—a former colleague who generously offered to help us run a practice session. I often encourage clients to “burn a few pancakes” before the real thing. Interviews and high-st

Your Job Applications Shouldn’t Be Getting Sucked Into A Black Hole. Many of my clients come to IQ Catalyst with the same story: “I’ve applied to more than 100 jobs… and heard nothing back.” No useful feedback. No guidance on how to improve. This pattern is not the fault of job candidates. It’s the result of a broken system—one I know well. Back in my days leading product and content teams globally for careers platform Monster.com (think of it as LinkedIn before there was a

There’s a lot of bad career advice floating around. One of the worst? “Find your passion, and the rest will follow.” Sounds nice, but...

One of my favorite uses for Generative AI is to get better at crushing high-stakes conversations . Its ability to assume the perspective...

What a misaligned first job taught me about careers—and why I started IQC to help others avoid the same fate . When I graduated from...

This January, I started working with Lyle , an early-career professional in tech sales who wanted a career change. He’d applied to dozens...

Last December I got a call from a college-age client - breathless with excitement. “The interview,” he said, “went REALLY well!”...