Can you please take my "Successful Person" Interview?

Question

Please help me -- I need Five "Successful People" to interview for my Senior Career Project class Can you help


1. How do you define success?

2. How did you become and stay successful?

3. What type of education did you need?

4. Is this where you imagined yourself to be?

5. Are you happy where you are?

6. How would you advise me to start my "road to success?"

7. What is the most important tip you can share with me?


Those are the 7, please help me, if you can, thanks

Answer 1

1. How do you define success?
I define success as having achieved or well on the way to achieving the family, happiness, money, career and experience life-goals that I have set out. These are internal goals that I have set out for myself as opposed to ones that anybody put in my head.


2. How did you become and stay successful?
Persistence. It starts with education. I actually took my parents' advice: got good grades, stayed balanced in my hobbies, went to a top university, graduated with a useful degree, went into a good career, carried on with continuing professional education and most of all - kept a burning desire in my heart to learn/achieve in my heart and mind.

3. What type of education did you need?
B.S. Business Administration (Accounting/Finance) - UC Berkeley, CPA, CFA Charterholder

4. Is this where you imagined yourself to be?
Yup. Set out my goals. Went out and achieved them instead of just being happy-go-lucky.

5. Are you happy where you are?
Happier than I ever dreamed.

6. How would you advise me to start my "road to success?"
Ask lots and lots of questions. Don't take it to fate. Don't know what to do? Go interview people what they do and how to get there. Don't know the answer to something? Say "I don't know by I'm going to go find out" and then actually do some work. Work hard. Stay humble. Sacrifice. Don't forget to focus on the really important things - like family, friends, experience, being a better person and love.

7. What is the most important tip you can share with me?
Fear is your worst enemy. You CAN do it. You're going to fail in many things, but your also going to succeed. Better to try and fail than never try at all.

Answer 2

1. How do you define success?
by having achieved one's goals that were laid out.
health-happiness-having achieved or exceeded my own self expectations

2. How did you become and stay successful?
having a good plan - staying focused on that plan - having good friends and allies along the way - communication - desire

3. What type of education did you need?
I always need more

4. Is this where you imagined yourself to be?
No

5. Are you happy where you are?
Actually no. I need a new plan. Today's times call for constant self analyzation and then proper adjustment - sometimes taking on new challenges.

6. How would you advise me to start my "road to success?"
Make a plan - each level of your life should have one (a good one).
Finish as much school as possible.

7. What is the most important tip you can share with me?
Enjoy what you do.

Answer 3

I will respond to your questions. And good luck on your project.

I am in management in the financial industry. I approve or reject loans, negotiate rates, hire (and unfortunately fire), have done many compliance audits, quality control audits, asset protection audits, collect, recommend loss proposals, etc.

1. How do I define success?
Success means something different to many people. In my opinion success means the ability to generate income doing something you enjoy doing and are able to live comfortably as a result.

2. How did I become & stay successful?
I needed a job. Needed. Not a lot of people can relate to that in 2006. But my history with hiring people has also proved that someone that "needs" a job are the ones that bring to the table the qualities for success. They include dedication, attention to detail, willing to learn, team play ability etc etc etc. I worked hard, asked to learn all about the goings on in the business, volunteered for tasks, was very up front in searching out the "why" answers of the job.
Staying successful? Continuing to enjoy it. By training others and passing on whatever talents I possess in this field of endeavor gives me pleasure and allows my knowledge to be passed on.

3. What type of education did I need?
I actually graduated high school, no college. Typing was very important as I was in the business prior to the onset of computers - learned the computer system after years of manual task completion (we didn't have computers then). I know of no courses that would better prepare me for my job. Although, today when I hire people I am looking for college grads many times simply because their graduation shows their "stay with it" attitude, and their evident ability to continue their learning processes.

4. Is this where I imagined myself to be?
Yes. I suppose it is. I stared in this business when I was 22 years old - now 52 - and although that is 30 years, I have learned a lot & continue to challenge myself to learn more. I still enjoy reading the laws that pretain to my industry.

5. Am I happy where I am?
Yes, very much so.

6. How would I advise you to start your "road to success?".
Be willing to ask "why" and learn. Learn. Learn. Be ready to start at the bottom & learn a business from inside out. Be prompt. Be attentive. Show respect to all you come in to contact with. Volunteer for tasks. Push yourself - but never forget that the most important part of your life will always be "home".

7. What is the most important tip I can share with you?
Don't be afraid to fail. We all fail at some point. When that happens to you - delve in & find out what caused that incident to not give the result you wanted. The put corrective measures in place & do it again. And listen. But, mostly - find what you like to do and do that. Money is not what it is all about. Personal satisfaction is the goal & that's what counts most.

Answer 4

How do you know if you are getting legitimate responses?

For that matter, how do you know they are successful to begin with?