12 Oct2010
Learning on the Go with Podcasts
Written by Dustin Wheeler, CPA. Posted in Personal Reflections, Social Media
Suppose you spend an hour commuting every day over 250 working days in a year. If all you listen to in the car is music, what do you have to show for it after the year is over?
One of my friends asked me that question many years ago when I was considering taking a job that would require a daily commute that was longer than I was used to. I had always thought that a long commute was a bad thing because it wastes a lot of time and money spent on gas. My friend had a different perspective. He told me that he enjoyed every minute of his long commute because he listened to books on tape, mostly on self-improvement and religious topics.
To make a long story short, I decided not to take that job but his advice had been firmly ingrained in my mind. I began filling my MP3 player with whatever free podcasts I could find on the Internet and listened to them in the car.
I regularly listen to the podcasts in the list below for the latest information relevant to my profession:
- CPA Technology Advisor Intersection Live Podcasts. My favorite podcast series covers the intersection of technology and public accounting.
- CPA Spotlight by the Maryland Association of CPAs.
- Stratford University Tech Talk Radio. I discovered this in a Google search a couple of years ago and have been listening ever since for technology news and computer care tips.
- Feed the Pig Podcasts. In these podcasts, frequently asked questions about personal finance are answered by CPAs.
- Tax Policy Podcast by the Tax Foundation. This podcast series discusses all types of taxes (including income, sales and property taxes) at the federal, state and local levels.
Twitter follower Chris Farmand suggested that I try out Google Listen, an Android app for streaming podcasts. I installed it and found very few podcasts when I searched for CPA, accounting, QuickBooks and tax. There may be opportunities for CPAs who are interested in becoming podcasters.
Just to change things up once in a while, I also listen to podcasts about other topics such as health, history, politics and science. I try to avoid the burnout of information overload, so I don’t always listen to podcasts. Sometimes, after long days at work, music helps me wind down more than anything else.
Listening to more podcasts and less music in my commute has been beneficial for me, so I highly recommend it (unless that podcast about Code Section 199 makes you a drowsy driver).
I’m always looking for new podcasts, so if you have any to share with me, please leave a comment.
Tags: Google Listen, podcast
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chris farmand
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If you add the RSS feed to your Google Reader account, it will appear in your subscriptions.
Make sure once you add it to “right-click” and assign it to “listen subscription.”
Peace out!!
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