The Right Way to Volunteer

By Marty Nemko

Many people try to launch a cool career by volunteering. They're often disappointed. Not Sandy Friess; he did it right. He wanted to become a TV writer and started by volunteering as a gofer at a TV station. Here's the key: from the first minute on the job, before being typecast as "just a volunteer," Sandy showed the big cheeses that he was a force to be reckoned with. He didn't just fetch coffee, he asked big-picture questions and suggested ideas. Today, Sandy Friess is a successful TV writer. His 100 aired TV credits include Star Wars, The Next Generation.