The long and winding road that is my career started at age 14, bagging and carrying out groceries in the South Florida swelter. Why so young? I wanted to buy a saltwater fish tank. And I did. A six-foot-long one. By the time I graduated college, I was ex- Publix, Foot Locker, The Athlete's Foot, Mervyn's, Burdines, Builders Square, Target, The Sports Authority, Best Buy and Rally's. My co-workers showed me that even with a college degree I could easily end up working at Coral Square Mall again if I didn't push myself for something more.After working as a magazine writer/editor and a designer of all things video/motion/slides, I now recruit nationally for roles within advertising and marketing—agency and brand side. Specialties: empathy, transparency, directness (maybe too direct sometimes), follow through and follow up, respect for everyone's time, jargon-free conversations.I'm probably here, sitting at my standing desk, so give me a shout.