cHAPter 2: stArt Don't mAke exCuSeS I was watching the news one day in 2010, and a 21-year-old college graduate was complaining about how "hard it is to get a job in this economy." However, he made no mention of what he had done to get a job or what he was doing to change his situation. How many hours was he devoting to his job search each day? How many pro- fessional networking events had he attended over the last six months? How many people had he asked for advice? How much time had he spent on LinkedIn and other online networking chan- nels? How many books, blogs, or other resources had he read to make sure he was presenting himself as professionally as possible? Winners don't whine, and whiners don't win. In order to get your dream job (or achieve any goal), you need to take full, 100 percent accountability for making it happen. If you are not satisfied with where your career is right now, you have only two choices (as I did when my teammates at Camp Pontiac made fun of my body): do nothing or do something. Since you are read-