Best Job Ever!

Chapter 15Career Plan Step #5: The Big “Why?”

What you do matters, but why you do it matters so much more.

—Unknown

Finding why is a process of discovery, not invention.

—Simon Sinek

A century ago, the Wright brothers were in a fast and furious battle against numerous competitors to develop the first manned flying machine. One of their most prominent competitors was Samuel Pierpont Langley. Despite all of Langley's previous accomplishments, he felt he had not reached the pinnacle of his career. He wanted to be the first man to fly to help ensure his place in science history. He wanted to be considered in the same league as prominent earlier inventors like Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.

Langley seemed a sure winner in the race for flight. He had the notoriety, the financial backing, and all the right connections. The war department of the U.S. government provided $50,000 of funding for Langley to build his flying machine that he called an aerodrome. Because of the financial backing he received, he was able to hire the best minds. All of these advantages were topped off by the publicity his flying activities attracted. The New York Times followed him around and reported on every flying attempt he made. It seemed everyone was rooting for Langley to be the first to fly.

On October 7, 1903, Langley was ready to test his aerodrome. Mounted to the top of a houseboat on the Potomac River, the aerodrome was launched by a catapult and immediately crashed into the river. A reporter ...