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by alexpotato 210 days ago
I wish there was a repository of "cold DM" stories like this to help inspire younger folks that you can "just do things."

My own story:

- helped found my college paintball club (Rutgers University)

- that became our college paintball team (where we played other schools)

- graduate

- had a real job (involving LOTS of database work)

- find out that year after I left, the team go to go to paintball World Cup (and I was mad/envious that I didn't get to go)

- quit my job

- wanted to go to World Cup and only person I knew was the head of the college league so DM'ed him asking if he needed help with the college event. He replies that he actually needs help with a player database and asks if I know databases? (I do)

- Go to world cup, love it, keep working on the player database

- Three years later I'm the General Manager of the pro-paintball league (I was 26!)

People would often ask me, at the time, if this was my dream job. I would often answer "Calling it my 'dream job' would imply I knew it existed as an option to dream about. I just emailed a guy and one thing led to another and here I am"