Winning Careers

The Careers of Winners of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Survivor - Part 1

What do teaching, corporate training, information technology, collections, and law have in common? Million dollar winners, that's what. Contestants who each won a million dollars on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and the winner of the first season of Survivor were employed in these fields. Richard Hatch, the winner of Survivor, and David Goodman, who won on Millionaire in July 2000 are corporate trainers. Two Millionaire winners, Bob House and Kim Hunt, are teachers. The other three Millionaire winners, John Carpenter, Dan Blonsky, and Joe Trela, are, respectively, a collection agent for the Internal Revenue Service (U.S.), a computer analyst, and a lawyer.

Here is information on the careers of these competitors. Find out how their occupational backgrounds could have contributed to their winning strategies.

Teacher

Is it a coincidence that two Millionaire winners were (at the time they appeared on the show) teachers? Maybe not. Teachers must be educated, right? In order to become a teacher in most states in the U.S. one must have a Bachelor's degree. That's four years of college right there. Many also have a Master's degree. Even more education. Education and knowledge go hand in hand.

With two months off every summer, some teachers often find ways to broaden their horizons. The better to gather more facts that you may be asked to recall when appearing on a quiz show. Learn more about a career as a teacher.

Corporate Trainers

When Richard Hatch competed on the first season of Survivor, he was a corporate trainer. The cunning winner of Survivor probably used many of the skills he learned at work to help him win his prize. Management consultants, "analyze and propose ways to improve an organization's structure, efficiency, or profits... Analytical skills, the ability to get along with a wide range of people, strong oral and written communication skills, good judgment, time management skills, and creativity are desirable skills." (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, Management Analysts, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos019.htm)

What about the wide breadth of knowledge displayed by 24 year old David Goodman, an associate in the Training and Change Management Practice of a management consulting firm when he competed on Millionaire? Since a Master's degree is usually required one has plenty of time to accrue a great amount of knowledge. Corporate trainers also need several years of experience in the field in which they would like to work. Time spent out in the field, meeting people, hanging out at the water cooler, there's no telling what you can learn.

Internal Revenue Service (U.S.) Collection Agent

John Carpenter, another Millionaire winner, was a collection agent with the Internal Revenue Service when he competed. According to a job announcement on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Web site, "an Internal Revenue Agent is a professional accountant and must meet comprehensive qualification requirements... The work requires extensive interaction with pension trustees, individual taxpayers, pension attorneys, CPA’s, enrolled agents and other pension practitioners." So we have someone here who has a solid education and contact with a lot of individuals. An agent would have to hold up well under pressure, which Mr. Carpenter did when he was a contestant back in November 1999.