Happy Wednesday friends! This post is coming to you from a brand new MacBook, because my HP laptop decided to up and die on Monday night. Always nice when you announce you're quitting your day job and your means of making a living decides to give up on life. But I'm back online and a new Mac user. (For the record, I should've done this four years ago when I bought the laptop before the HP!)

Now without further ado let me introduce you to Devon Smiley of DevonSmiley.com. She's a negotiation specialist and a member of the Being Boss Facebook group. Welcome Devon! Tell us about yourself:

As a child, I wanted to be either a ballet dancer or an optometrist when I grew up.

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? Pretty far away. No one who knew me growing up would have guessed I’d end up doing this. But I think that the years of ballet classes helped me hone my attention to detail, and made me pretty good at picking up on patterns and predicting what comes next.

What is your official job title? I’m a Negotiation Consultant for ambitious entrepreneurs and best-in-class corporations.

Ok, now what does that really mean? I help people get what they need in business. With big companies, I help their sales and purchasing departments sign (often complex) contracts to sell/buy product. When I work with entrepreneurs and freelancers, it’s about helping them raise their rates, protect their boundaries and be fearless when asking for what they need.

What is a typical day like? I’m an aspiring morning person – so even if I manage to be up bright and early, my brain only kicks into gear around 10am. I’ll spend the time before that walking Jack (my dog), having a coffee, catching up on emails, and popping into my favorite Facebook groups to answer questions.

I try and split my week into a mix of client-focused days, and creation-focused days. Client days are all about Skype calls, reviewing contracts, and doing research. Creation days I’ll spend writing new blog posts, brainstorming ideas for new courses or videos, and taking care of marketing activities. Without a doubt though, around 3pm it’s time for a trip to the park with Jack – both of us could use the exercise after hours at the desk!

How did you end up in this career? I came to negotiation by way of working in purchasing. I spent my early career working as a buyer, mainly in aerospace. After a few years, I realized that having a great contract made the buyer’s job a whole lot easier – and suddenly, the job I’d considered suuuuper boring (negotiating contracts) became a whole lot more interesting. Knowing that I’d be able to make a positive difference in colleagues’ day-to-day work did it for me.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? Contrary to popular belief, negotiation isn’t the exclusive domain of lawyers. I earned my university degrees in business, but I think what’s been the most valuable for me in this career is having studied a variety of subjects. My political science minor helped my critical thinking skills, and filling my electives with Victorian literature classes means that my writing style in contracts is rather elegant. What’s most important to me is that I keep learning. I don’t think it’s possible to ever fully master a field like negotiation, and the more skills, perspectives and experiences I can add to my repertoire, the better.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? That it’s crucial to learn how to listen. Listen to, and learn from everyone you interact with. When you boil down the often-scary term ‘negotiation’, it’s really all about building a connection with someone and then finding or creating agreement. The broader your experiences, and the deeper your understanding of topics, the more successful you’ll be in doing both of those things. So keep listening.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? Negotiation Consulting is something I can see myself doing for years to come, because each client and contract will be different – it’ll keep me engaged and on my toes. I’d love to develop my career to include speaking at industry and corporate events, and being a published author. It’s also in the game plan to take this show on the road, and work someplace a little warmer than Montreal in the winters!

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? I’d encourage you to find a balance between setting your sights on a career and working towards it, and keeping your eyes open for new opportunities and paths. Be willing to change course. Perseverance is a valuable trait – but so is adaptability.

Thank you for sharing your story Devon! Such a cool career, and one that I would never have even considered. That's what I love about this series - I'm always learning. And I hope you are too!