On the jobs: DP grad uploads career-focused podcast

Josh Nassar has a passion for all things tech.

By day, Nassar works as a software engineer, but by night he’s busy working on his podcast, “Tell Me About Your Job.” 

Each episode starts with an upbeat electronic song before Nassar introduces himself and the concept of his podcast.

“Hi, welcome back to ‘Tell Me About Your Job,’ the show where we learn the ins and outs of different professions straight from the professionals themselves,” Nassar, who graduated from Dr. Phillips High in 2013, says at the beginning of every show. “If you’ve ever wondered what different jobs are actually like, then you’re in good company.”

Through nine episodes, he has interviewed a range of occupations, including a claims adjuster, registered nurse, chemical engineer and consultant to learn about their jobs and what it is they actually do. 

The concept of the podcast is simple, but it’s a discussion that needs to be had, Nassar said. Often, there are jobs waiting for the right person to fill them.

“I feel like there are a lot of people — whether they are in high school or college or even working in a career — who, maybe there is a perfect job out there for them, but they don’t even know it exists, for one, and two, they definitely don’t know anything about actually working in that industry,” Nassar said. “You hear stories about different jobs, but how much of that is true and how much is exaggerated? So being able to hear from somebody who is actually working, it has a lot of value.”

Separating fact from fiction became a goal of Nassar when he and his wife, Hanna, sat down to talk about her time teaching high school. During her one year as a teacher, Hanna Nassar recalled speaking with students who often didn’t know what to do for a career.

That conversation — along with Hanna Nassar earning her master’s degree in counseling, which required a course in career counseling — sparked an idea for the podcast.

“I feel like there are a lot of people — whether they are in high school or college or even working in a career — who, maybe there is a perfect job out there for them, but they don’t even know it exists, for one, and two, they definitely don’t know anything about actually working in that industry.”

— Josh Nassar

In the beginning, Josh Nassar decided to develop a series of questions he could use across all interviews. Then, he started setting up interviews with people he knew from college or found interesting. The excitement was there to get it going, but there was a bit of nerves as he dived into the unknown world of podcasting, Josh Nassar said.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” he said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know how long this is going to be — we might be done in five minutes — and this might be the most awkward thing I’ve ever experienced.’ By nature, I’m not a super extroverted or conversational person, so it was definitely, from the get-go, something that was a little outside my comfort zone.”

But Josh Nassar got over his nerves quickly. Each week  for the past couple of months, he has interviewed a variety of people. Among them was Jeff Barnes, a chemical engineer and friend from Josh Nassar’s time at the University of Florida. 

“He’s a chemical engineer, and I knew that, but didn’t know where he was a chemical engineer,” Josh Nassar said. “He actually works at a paper mill, and that blew my mind — that paper mills have chemical engineers — and it was funny to me how much he loves working at that paper mill. 

“He was one of the first people I interviewed, and that really struck a chord with me and made me realize this is worthwhile,” he said. “ He even said — as I was talking with him — ‘I never would have thought I would work at a paper mill.’ Hearing him talk with the passion he has for what he does and the problems he is able to solve, it was like, ‘Oh wow, there might be something to this.’”

That was the third interview in Josh Nassar’s new series, and since then, he has been able to learn more about the job world outside of his tech bubble.

And while he has learned things, he hopes that those who listen will also take something away from the podcast and come away with a greater knowledge of the job market. 

“Every single job is going to be interesting to somebody,” Josh Nassar said. “They’re not going to all be interesting to the same people and that’s OK, and that’s kind of the point of this. When you’re a kid or you’re in college, you hear about all of these jobs, and so many times they’re the same stereotypical ones of, ‘Oh you should be an accountant or an engineer.’ There is no shortage of jobs to talk about, even if they might not seem interesting at first glance.”