Blogs That Launch Careers – Three Examples

If you've seriously considered blogging, you have probably come across lists and reasons why a well-maintained blog can be good for your career. The online exposure can lead to new job opportunities and there are numerous examples of people who have advanced in their careers or even changed careers because of blogging. Employee Evolution is a case in point.

For me, there's something extremely satisfying about coming across a case in point or proof of concept. In blogging and virtually any other endeavor, ideas are the easy part. But the implementation, perseverance and business savvy required to move from concept to finished product are where the real challenges arise. So when it comes to blogs, I'm really impressed by individuals who start their own small operations and create something significant enough to capture the ever-expanding blogosphere's attention.

Millennials around the world are championing this model and using blogs to raise their visibility and launch exciting careers. We're certainly not the only generation doing it, but we are the first to have the opportunity to start our careers online. Blogs provide the opportunity to become a recognized expert pretty quickly. They accelerate the pace of networking and allow you to be evaluated based on your individual qualities. Conventional approaches to becoming established often take a lot longer. More simply put: it takes years to climb the corporate ladder, but your blog's readership can explode in fewer than 12 months.

Case in point: the three millennial bloggers briefly profiled below. Although there are other comparable success stories, I've taken a special interest in these bloggers over time and have followed their successes. I learn so much from this stuff and I welcome comments with similar stories.

Samantha Brett - AskSam
In 2005, Brett published "Luv'n Txt: The Secrets of Text Appeal," a book about technology and dating. It was so well received that she decided to approach the Sydney Morning Herald with the idea for a column. On Valentine's Day 2006, Brett's blog Ask Sam launched. It started receiving tens of thousands of page hits and hundreds of daily comments almost instantly. Brett quickly became Australia's go-to-guru for relationship and dating advice. This visibility recently earned her an endorsement opportunity with Impulse True Love perfume. Since the launch of her blog, she has also published a second book and appears frequently in the Australian media.

Jon Ostrower – FlightBlogger
Last March, Ostrower, 24, started blogging about aviation. Flying had always been a passion and readers of his blog, FlightBlogger, quickly picked up on his affinity for the subject and detailed understanding of the flight industry. After just six months, FlightBlogger had accumulated almost 400,000 visitors and a loyal audience. It had become so popular that the aviation news and jobs Web site Flight Global brought Ostrower on board so that he could blog full-time. As I type, Ostrower is blogging away at the Singapore Airshow, typical of the assignments he gets in his new job.

Brian Stelter – TV Decoder
Stelter is probably the most well known on this list. His transformation from anonymous college freshman blogger to New York Times journalist has been well documented in the media. In 2004, Stelter launched CableNewser, which quickly became a staple for anyone who pays attention to the TV news business. After a few months, he began talks with Mediabistro.com and eventually joined the site. The blog was renamed TVNewser and Stelter started blogging for cash. He continued working on the blog until he graduated, establishing a solid reputation as a journalist and TV news expert. Nowadays, Stelter can be found writing and blogging for the New York Times, where he has worked since graduating from college in 2007.