Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A Problem Far Too Common
A Problem Far Too Common
by Joseph Twelves
In middle school, you’re asked what do you want “to be when you grow up”. In high school, you meet with guidance counselors and take aptitude tests to try to figure out the “right fit” for you. In college, you are switching majors left and right trying to figure out what to get your degree in. And too often, you will find yourself stuck in a job that you hate just to pay the bills… purely a means to an end.
These are the scenarios that are far too common when, believe it or not, it IS possible to decide on a career and have it be the right match. The odds of ever working in your dream job are truly slim if you simply drift into whatever comes along. On the other hand, the odds of winding up doing exactly what you want approaches 100% if you combine a proven career decision method with the simple steps needed to find your passion.
Here are the three key tools found in Conversations: Find Your Niche! that can help:
1) A demonstrated research and decision-making procedure called the Find Your Niche Roadmap
2) Focused, in-depth interviews with 150 working professionals from the full spectrum of career fields about the nature of their jobs all in a fun, conversational format
3) Six special appendices offering you an invaluable collection of critical career information and hard to find resources that will save you months of research
This is the key information you need to understand the career landscape and make an informed decision. The vicious cycle of being unhappy in your job, not knowing what to do, but having to provide for yourself and your family is not a pleasant one. The key is to either prevent this from happening, or if you are already in this position, stop it now!
Join the conversation, find even more resources to help you on your journey, and make this problem far less common.
What steps have you taken to decide on a career?
Know the Truth of Who You Are
By Guest Author Georgia Feiste
Sue met me for coffee the other day to talk about how she was feeling about her career, and the “niggle” inside that told her she needed to do something different. She just wasn’t happy at her current job. But, she wasn’t sure what it was she wanted.
Because I don’t believe in poking around at an aching tooth, I asked her what about her current job excited and energized her. We spent quite a bit of time talking about the aspects of her job that fulfilled her inner passions and took advantage of her skills, strengths and gifts. Over time, she easily slipped into why she was unhappy at her current position – and began to identify how the values of the corporation did not mesh with her own personal values, and the extent to which it was beginning to drain her of the energy she needed to perform well in her vice-presidential position.
I told Sue what I tell all my clients as we begin to work together: it is possible to love your work and make the money you need. You can do anything you want – your opportunities and choices are limitless. But first, you must know the truth of who you are.
Most people will tell me that they already know themselves. They just want to move into creating a dynamite resume and begin networking with the right people. My experience has been that few people, even top executives, really know the truth of who they are. Most people are so very busy they haven’t taken the time to identify what they feel, much less what their vision of their future is.
Getting in touch with your feelings is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, and something most of us resist. It can be overwhelming, but it creates fertile ground for insight and discernment. Coupling your feelings with focused thinking about what it is you would like to do for work, will help you find the right field and the right job.
You will discover what it is you value, and what your priorities in life are, as you begin to pay attention to your feelings. You will discover how you are unique by looking at your strengths and your weaknesses. You begin to notice what aggravates you and what motivates you, what you have always been good at, and where you have seen the most successes throughout your life. In her book, Work With Passion, Nancy Anderson says “You will know you are in the right job if you sense you are becoming a better, wiser person.”
You will find you may need to improve your technical skills, but you will not find that you need to drastically transform who you are, quit or get fired to create the results you desire. I coach my clients to first take a serious look at their current environment, and work out any problems they might have exactly where they are, before they decide to leap to another career. If you don’t take the time to look closely to determine the truth of the situation, you may create a repetition of your dissatisfaction.
You can do the work you love, living with purpose and passion in all areas of your life. When that happens your self-esteem is strong, and you are able to acknowledge the importance of the people in your life. []
To find out more about how you can find your purpose and passion in your professional and personal life, contact Georgia Feiste to set up an appointment. Visit her website at http://CollaborativeTransitions.com. You may also contact her via eMail or by telephone at (402) 484-8098.
© 2010 Collaborative Transitions Coaching - All Rights Reserved
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Finding the Cheapest Textbooks... Could it possibly be easy?
Attending college can be quite the expense but often a necessary means to your career goal. The tuition itself can be such a struggle but thankfully we have student loans, grants and scholarships. Then once we get to college we have a huge list of textbooks to buy and suddenly you need even more money. Searching for the lowest prices can be time consuming but I recently stumbled upon a site that does all of the work for you!
It is easy to use and literally compares all of the prices out there to give you the lowest. Once you search for your book you’ll also find the store, price, condition, shipping price and total price. Everything you need is right there to click on. Such a smart site and no fees for using it!
So as you pursue your college studies and work towards your career, be sure to find cheap textbooks with one click… and spare yourself endless searching for the best deal!
Blog Highlight: Moments in Time
Blog Highlight:
Moments in Time
www.DareToDreamThinkDo.blogspot.com
As we all search for the career that is best fit for us, many of us will pursue higher education and immerse ourselves in the college life. Among the millions of students trudging through the hard work and dedication that college requires, is an English major named Kelvin Oliver who is on his way to becoming a teacher.
In over 150 posts so far, Kelvin writes about his daily interactions with college life, his different ideas, and his view on the world from a student perspective.
In one of my favorite posts, Kelvin writes:
“We are here doing what we do for a reason. Maybe the dreams or goals that I aspire to achieve may be too big for me or often times maybe I may get the weird look or feedback of people thinking I may be crazy. I know not everyone wants to be a teacher and not everyone will feel the same way I do, but hey, that is just me. I know there are those who may not want think or dream the same things I do, but that is just me. Maybe I'm thinking about actually want to be person that wants change, but there are others who may not be on the same page. I am not the person I use to be, but I'm the person that is evolving to the person I want to be. Sometimes it is said to be the change you want to be and I don't know that not everything will change, but coming to the realization of true reality and the purpose is something to think about.
There is something I must remember is to stay positive, keep my faith and moral values at heart, and know the reason that I should not fall but keep on going. I didn't want to continue onto the University for nothing. I'm not wasting my time and money for nothing. There's a path I have decided to take and that's a path that is not taken.”
Read more of Kelvin’s eloquent, real, and inspiring posts on his blog: