You would think that the son of Gloria Vanderbilt could do anything if he really wanted to. But at 24 years-old, and with no formal journalistic education to speak of, Anderson Cooper wanted to be a war correspondent but couldn’t land a job.
This month we’re reading Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper. In the early pages of his story, we learn of Cooper’s steadfast perseverance. He didn’t let a journalism degree (or lack thereof) stand between him and his dreams; instead, he dove head first into his passion and traveled to war-torn lands with nothing more than a fake press pass and a home video camera. It was through this giant leap of faith and unwavering persistence that Cooper finally landed his first job as a foreign correspondent a year later. And as we know, he built a mega successful career from there.
The roadblocks that Cooper faced early on are similar to those that so many of us face. Whether you got a degree in the “wrong” field or can’t seem to land a job in your dream profession, Cooper’s early struggles remind us that persistence, mixed with creative thinking, can help you seize a game-changing opportunity.
In life, sometimes you have to start at the bottom in order to get what you really want, but, as Cooper’s success demonstrates, from small beginnings come great things.
Conversation starter: Did you ever have to start at the bottom in order to pursue your dream job?
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Read along! This month we’re reading Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper.
I’m not reading along with you guys so maybe I would feel different if I was but my first reaction to Anderson Cooper’s story is – Well very nice for him that money is no object and he can afford to spend a year not making any money and putting himself up in foreign countries – war torn or not. I probably have a chip on my shoulder but I think there should be some acknowledgment of how his wealth helped him pursue his dreams.
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for joining in the conversation! I have to admit, I have the same “wariness” about silver spoon babies. It’s much easier to go after your dreams when you’ve got a huge safety net to fall back on. I will say that Cooper describes living in some pretty rough conditions during his “starting out” period. But to your point, it’s not clear (yet) what role his wealth played in helping fund his endeavor. Did he have a trust fund to dip into? Did his mom give him the money? I don’t know the answer to that yet. But what I was impressed by is that he wasn’t given his first job simply because of who his mother is. It sounds like he really earned the opportunity and that I can respect.
Anyone else want to chime in??
Erika