Sean wants to be known as "the guy comfortable standing in front of people" rather than the technical guy.
1. How To Hobby Podcast episode 175, “Excel at Work in 2026,” centers on Jon Power and Sean discussing work, careers, and job identity.
2. Jon is the host and Sean is the co-host, and Sean also leads the episode's historical dive into jobs and careers over the years.
3. The episode asks what a fresh start in 2026 looks like for work, and it argues that the answer starts with changing how people see their jobs.
4. Sean defines work as earning a living, finding purpose, building identity, and surviving within an economic and cultural system.
5. He moves from pre-industrial farming, trades, and apprenticeships to the industrial revolution's factory hours and moral language around hard work.
6. Sean then describes the mid-1900s career ladder, where loyalty to one company could lead to stability, pensions, and retirement.
7. He contrasts that with the late 20th century and today, where technology has accelerated work and made careers more flexible but more uncertain.
8. Sean says Gen X was shaped by corporate downsizing, rising divorce rates, and the end of guaranteed pensions.
9. He says millennials were formed by 9-11, student loan debt, the Great Recession in 2008, and tech growth.
10. He says Gen Z, born after 1997, is shaped by social media, COVID-19, remote work, and economic instability.
11. Sean summarizes the shift from loyalty to flexibility, from solid careers to gigs and skills, and from silence to transparency.
12. He says older workers often believe hard work pays off, while younger workers often think the system is broken and hard to survive.
13. Jon's first practical idea is to “develop a uniform,” which he reframes as building a consistent work look that reduces stress.
14. Jon says he wears a polo every day, and Sean describes his own work clothes as a waffled long-sleeve shirt, upgraded jeans, and New Balance shoes.
15. Sean says he wants to be known as a good communicator, a confident presenter, and a versatile design engineer rather than the best technical engineer.
16. Sean also says his manager told him not to say yes to everything, because spreading across 10 projects can lead to half-quality work.
17. The episode then turns to the technical-versus-managerial path, and Sean says the best managers he has had came from strong technical backgrounds.
18. Sean says he gets more energy from helping coworkers solve problems than from solving equipment problems himself.
19. The tone is conversational and reflective, with long back-and-forth stretches, personal examples, and a workplace-coaching format.
20. Listeners who work in STEM, want career advice, or like workplace identity talk will get the most from it; listeners wanting a tight, topic-only show may skip it.
