August 22, 2025

443. The Origin of JobGubby and Chris Hodges' Career Story

1 hour 14 minutes

"Not everything works exactly the same way forever."

In this exciting episode of Better Call Daddy, hosts Reena Friedman Watts and Wayne Friedman dive deep into the world of career exploration with guest Chris Hodges, the creator of the JobGuppy podcast.

Chris shares his unique journey from being a validation engineer to becoming a podcast host, revealing the inspiration behind JobGuppy and how it aims to help individuals navigate their career paths.

Chris discusses the challenges he faced while interviewing job candidates and the lack of awareness many graduates have about specific roles in the engineering field. His mission is to provide insights into various careers, helping listeners understand the skills needed to break into industries they might not have considered.

Throughout the episode, Chris emphasizes the importance of relationship building and how networking can significantly impact one's career journey. He also reflects on the lessons learned from his guests, sharing fascinating stories from diverse professions that highlight the common struggles faced by many in their career paths.

Listeners will be inspired by Chris's candid reflections on his own career and the valuable advice he offers for those feeling uncertain about their professional futures. With a mix of humor and heartfelt insights, this episode serves as a reminder that everyone's career journey is unique and that it's okay to not have everything figured out.

Join us for a conversation that encourages self-discovery, resilience, and the power of storytelling in shaping our understanding of work and life. Don't miss this enlightening episode that could change how you view your own career journey!

(00:00) Reena Friedman Watts: Better Call Daddy is back with more daddy drama

(01:38) Reena Friedman Watts guest hosts Chris Hodges' JobGuppy podcast

(02:43) How did you come up with Job Guppy

(06:48) The original idea was to just describe the job role itself

(11:48) The future of Job Guppy will be an actual guppy

(12:15) How do you find your guests and what jobs might interest you

(17:46) Most jobs I've had so far have been very varied

(19:42) I graduated from LSU with an electrical engineering degree and started working in telecom

(26:45) How did you go from being a validation engineer to becoming a manager

(30:08) One of the first people we hired was working with lab equipment

(31:15) What were the jobs that you did before you went to college

(35:51) Have you thought about continuing education or going back to school for something else

(39:06) What do you like about your industry and what do you think could be improved upon

(42:36) You know, everybody says you outsource the editing, stuff like that

(45:43) Do you think everyone should try podcasting? What are your thoughts on it

(49:11) Your daughter is starting a podcast about politics and religion

(53:42) JobGuppy is a podcast about interviewing for jobs

(58:12) Sometimes people ask me for a referral and I can't help them

(01:00:38) JobGuppy hopes people who are getting into careers will benefit from podcast

(01:05:16) My dad listened to the episode. He was like, there was literally nothing there

(01:08:42) There wasn't a lot there and I. It was tough. The flip side was not good. You're gonna have to deal with that sometimes

(01:09:52) Chris Hodge's podcast focuses on helping people find their way through the workplace

(01:14:08) Better Call Daddy is a weekly podcast featuring parenting advice from Reena's dad Wayne

Connect with Chris:

https://www.jobguppy.com

Connect with Reena:

https://bettercalldaddy.com

https://linkedin.com/in/reenafriedmanwatts

instragram.com/reenafriedmanwatts

Thank you for tuning in to Better Call Daddy—where wisdom and heart meet.

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By Reena Friedman Watts

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