Chas Wagner

Enough with my finance loathing. Let’s fast forward to three years go and the fall of 2009. I was in the middle of my first semester at Pitt Business School, prepping up to work in my family business upon graduation. Again, I learned a ton from this experience, which I think has helped me get to where I am today:

• While I love Pittsburgh and still consider it home, there just isn’t that much going on there. The energy of big cities fascinates me.
• If you want to work for a startup, business school is not worth the money.
• If you want to work for a big company in Pittsburgh, Pitt business school is a good option. Conversely, if you want to work for a startup not located in Pittsburgh, the Katz name doesn’t extend very far.
• While I have mad respect for what my grandpa has done with his beer business, it’s just not for me. I want to be my own person, and following in the footsteps of him and my uncles just isn’t that appealing.
• For all my knocks on business school, finishing my degree, and not dropping out like a fool, was definitely a wise decision. Haha, wow that would have been SO STUPID!

Ah, yes. Last year. I had closed up shop on Fanattix, and I guess the second iteration of it, Gamely, and was then working on a fucking podcast of all things. A Big East basketball podcast, with a guy I hardly knew, in a field - audio journalism - I had no skills whatsoever in. I was recording from my weird ass Bushwick apartment and living with a guy, who is quite possibly the biggest douchebag I’ve ever met. With that, here is what I learned:

• I’m super lucky to have received a seed investment from my grandpa and Dad to try side projects, like the Six Overtimes Podcast, out. No wonder, they kept asking “what the hell are you working on these days?” Great question guys cuz I had no idea, too.
• Work with people you know and trust. This is so important. My co-host was great, but he had no obligation to me. When it really came down to it, I didn’t owe him anything, and he certainly didn’t owe me anything.
• Remote working is cool, but working with people face-to-face is so powerful. You can’t get amazing work done, if you’re not with that person or team day-in, day-out.
• Living in Brooklyn changed my perspective on life. The creative energy there is incredible. You just feel weird when you’re there, and want to work on different kind of shit, that nobody else is working on, such as a non-marketable college basketball podcast, that has no commercial value. Hooray for my delusion!
• Moms like stability. This is why they love telling their friends that their son or daughter is working for Goldman or ESPN or KPMG. Corporate life equates to security. What I was doing this time last year scared the shit out of her b/c my profession was so abstract and foreign to her. She couldn’t even describe what I was doing to friends. I guess, neither could I :)

Which takes me to October 2012. Living in Boston, working for RunKeeper. Here’s what I got:

• Boston is a great town. Best of both worlds. Nightlife and culture that a big city provides, but can get out of the city easier than New York to play golf, go hiking and just be a healthier person.
• I’ve met my match: RunKeeper. I’m learning so much that it doesn’t even feel like work. We’re not perfect, and we know that, but it’s part of growing up and discovering who you really are. Passion for the job, the company and the vision is firing on all cylinders. Oh, and we’re hiring, too!
• I feel healthier, both mentally and physically, than ever before. Eating Paleo-ish, except for some benders here and there, has my self-diagnosed IBS in check. There’s still some close calls, but nothing like what it was before. Doing the whole November Project thing and the stairs/hills, lifting more and riding my bike a good amount makes for a good weekly routine. My eyes are still dry as shit after looking at the computer all week, and wish I wasn’t as tired sometimes, but heck that’s the human body.
• I like living in Beacon Hill, but I don’t love it. After coming from Fort Greene, Bushwick and the East Village, it doesn’t have anywhere near the character that these NYC neighborhoods had. Too many popped collars, pink sweaters and, I hate to say it, but white people. Where’s the diversity? Also, I wonder how many startup people live in Beacon Hill? It might be a crime to not work in finance or law and live in The Hill. Davis Square, Southie and, even Inman Square, might be more my speed. We’ll just have to see.

Wow, that was a lot, but really cathartic. Might have to do this more often. And, by using Timehop, I think I’ll be in this somewhat cheesy, reflective mindset more and more.

Cheers,

Chas