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When it comes to
working and careers, data says that you aren’t going to be doing what
you are doing throughout your workplace lifetime.
If I’m any example,
I’ve been a retail clerk, nurses aide, secretary, stock broker,
financial planner, hotel operator, developer, syndicator, author,
trainer and speaker. And, my time in the workplace is not coming to a
close. The retail clerk, nurses aide, secretary and hotel operator
were all jobs--nothing I viewed as a career and areas that didn’t have a
lot of vested time.
Stock brokering,
financial planning, developer and sydicator consumed 14 years with
authoring, training and speaking totaling 30. Granted, the authoring
and speaking part overlapped some of the financial planning years.
Still, as a secretary in my early twenties, I would never have guessed I
would be doing what I do today, and working primarily in the industry
that I do.
Is
There a Transition in You?
How about you?
Thinking about a change in your work path? Have you ever asked
yourself, “What am I doing here?” or “What was I thinking when I decided
to be a _______?”
So, why are you doing
what you now do? Probably because one of your parents did the same; a
school counselor told you that you would be good at it; or you were
uncertain what you wanted to be, so you took a degree in something that
at least looked interesting.
Some people like
changing jobs. They may be career job-hoppers. Most people are not
crazy about leaving one job for another. Whatever the reason, you may
be feeling that you want out. Before you take the leap, determine why
you want out.
Start with Small Steps
There’s always some
risk. Always. The steady, certain paycheck may not be so certain.
Co-workers who’ve become friends aren’t there. Your new routine may not
feel so routine. Most think that they have to take the leap all at
once.
Tweak your thinking.
Why not do it in steps? If it doesn’t feel right, you can detour in
another direction. Think evolution--it may take months, even years to
get the ideal spot. I love what I do--writing books, training others on
their content and speaking. Getting to here from “there” was an
evolution that started back in 1974 when I taught my first class on
investments and money management.
Nothing happened
overnight. What started the real shift? An accident that left me
paralyzed for many months. During that down time, I determined that I
no longer loved what I was doing. When I got back up--my way of
thinking, it was never an option that I was going to stay down--I wanted
to move in another direction. The question was, where?
If you’ve got the bug
to move on, the question you must ask is, “Why do you want to leave?”
Is it the industry, the workplace, the management--all of them? For me,
it was management.
Roll up your sleeves and do some probing. What do you like? What are
the skills that you currently use at work? Do you have skills and
talents that are not used in your job? Is there a hobby that you have,
or use to have, that could be revisited? How about your own wish
list--is there something you’ve always wanted to do, but for whatever
reason, haven’t?
One of my friends has
a double PhD in communications and hypnotherapy. She hated the travel
that her work required of her. Her goal was to combine her credentialed
skills with her desire to work in the sports area--and, she is not a
jock!
Today, with a bit of
creativity, she has transformed herself to working exclusively in golf.
Leading clinics for private clubs and clients, she does a huge amount of
her work on the phone from her condo on a golf course. She is known as
the invisible secret for many of the pros seen on the tournament
circuit.
She explored her skills, her talents, her desire to change what she was
doing and look at a variety of options when she started mixing and
matching what she could do and what she didn’t want to do.
Crossing the Bridge
You start there too.
What are your options? What steps do you need to take to kick-start
your new career phase?
The Department of
Labor publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook--get a copy. Also,
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Network in the area that looks promising
to you--are their any associations where you can attend a meeting to
learn more? How about the local Chamber of Commerce? If your
city has a Business Journal (i.e. Denver, San Francisco, Seattle,
etc.) check out the "Leads" section --there's lots of ideas and
contacts.
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Don’t forget the Internet and the
library for gathering info.
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Find a mentor in the area that you want
to work within--having someone show you the ropes is a huge bonus.
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Will you need new credentials and
skills?
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If so, what will the time and cost
requirements be?
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Is there anyway that you can shadow
someone who already works in the field?
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Is part-time work available?
Volunteering?
Realize that what you
end up doing may not be in a government manual. It may not even be
identified as an occupation…until someone creates it. Don’t get in over
your head until you’ve done some assessing--the pros and cons, the risks
and costs (both emotional and financial). And certainly, the rewards.
Few things happen overnight. Start with the small steps. Collectively,
the bridge can be crossed.
©2006 Dr. Judith Briles
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Do You Know Anyone
Getting a Divorce?
The Holidays
are always a challenge. For anyone with a fractured relationship, it
can sink the ship.
In the 70s
and 80s, I headed a financial planning firm in California. Many of the
clients I worked with were planning a divorce, in the middle of one or
just trying to pick up the pieces post one. From that, my first book on
divorce, The Dollars and Sense of Divorce was published. Its
genesis was a client where I discovered over a million dollars had been
“spirited” away.
The current
version is all new, updated and co-authored with my good friend Carol
Ann Wilson. Carol Ann has been a pioneer in divorce work, creating the
training and certification for divorce planning and expert courtroom
testimony. She has two websites that warrant your attention. They
are:
http://www.divorceassistant.com
http://www.carolannwilson.com/0.html?cat=15504
Her books
and other resources are musts for anyone going through a divorce. If
not for you, think of your friends who might be. Divorce is not
fun--it’s stressful and can turn your keen mind into bubble gum.
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