 |
|||
| |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? Something That Hasnt Been Invented Yet!
Most of us were brought up to study hard, get good grades, choose a "practical" college major, and strive for a "good job." Talk to a stranded midlife career-changer and you realize the game has changed. Yesterday's rules prepared us to be passengers on a large ocean liner that promised a smooth voyage. Today we realize that ocean liner turned out to be the Titanic and we need to keep ourselves afloat on a small life raft if we want to survive. Here are some tips to help your child learn not only to survive, but to thrive and grow in a chaotic world. 1. From the first day of kindergarten, encourage your child to build on strengths rather than focus on limitations. Does she spend hours studying models of cars for the last twenty years? Maybe she'll become an auto mechanic -- or maybe she'll parlay her ability to classify detailed information into a career as a biologist or pharmacist. 2. Encourage your child to choose a field of study based on his or her natural abilities and passions, not "what will get me a job." Claudia Kennedy, the Army's first female three-star General, majored in philosophy. In her book Generally Speaking, she claims philosophy prepared her to become a top-level intelligence officer. Carly Fiorino, famed CEO of Hewlett-Packard, studied medieval history. And Michael Lewis, financial writer and best-selling author of Liars Poker, was an art history major. 3. Assure your children that few mistakes are fatal. Did your child fail a course? Face rejection from a first-choice college? Most of us can't avoid an occasional failure, but we can learn bounce-back attitudes as soon as we can talk. Yolanda Griffith, WNBA basketball star, dropped out of a premier program due to pregnancy. She returned to a lower-ranked college program, baby in tow, and now plays for the Sacramento Monarchs. I once taught a student who had flunked out of junior college following a close call with the legal system. After a four-year stint in the US Navy, she returned to college, maintained a dean's list grade point average, and went on to a top law school. 4. Encourage your child to experience success in any area of her life. Did she make the honor roll? Get selected for a play, a club, or athletic team? Win an election for competitive office? Survive a strenuous application process for a summer job? Once your child has tasted success, he will know how it feels and will act like a winner when he enters the job market. Cecilia, a shy twelve-year-old, blossomed when she won the lead in a school play. "We want you to improve your grades, not spend time in rehearsal!" fumed her worried mother. To everyone's surprise, Cecilia's grades improved and she made new friends with the "good kids" who were also achievers. Most important, no matter what happens, Cecilia can return to that feeling of success whenever she gets discouraged. 5. Getting into a top university -- or any university -- will not guarantee success. I've met Ivy Leaguers who have experienced unemployment, bankruptcy and even homelessness. I've met high school drop outs who flourished on their own initiative. In my own small town, a couple with graduate degrees dropped out to pursue artistic careers -- and they clean houses to pay the bills. Recently a minimum wage job was posted by a nonprofit -- and several unemployed lawyers applied. Career-changers who face the future with an attitude of "I can handle anything" are the ones who win today. Tossed into the ocean, they'll improvise a set of oars and keep up their spirits till they figure out what to do next. Those who feel betrayed ("I thought I was set for life") flounder around for weeks, months, even years. Entitlement is over Those who have a positive outlook, who can seize the unexpected opportunity, can count on reaching the shore. And they realize that only they can transform a resting place into a safe harbor. I offer one-to-one consultations on career strategy. About The Author Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com. "Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting - As Seen Through The Eyes of a Seasoned Telecommuter Janelle Delacorte has been happily answering calls for the Home Shopping Network and various infomercials since November 2004.Several nights out of the week she tucks the kids in to bed, turns around, takes 20 or so odd steps, and arrives at the office. Active Listening Skill Tips for Interviews During a job interview, a potential employer asks, "Can you take on more than one project at a time?" If you respond, "Yes," you may want to rethink that answer. According to Dynamic Listening: Interview Skills, a computer based training module from Mindleaders in Columbus, Ohio, you should avoid one-word or one-sentence answers. Pebbles in Your Shoe Dont Only Hurt your Foot But Cause Back and Hip Problems! CIO Magazine ran an article entitled, "Ten Mistakes CIO's Too Often Make" written by Susan H. Cramm, former CIO and vice president of IT at Taco Bell and CFO and executive vice president at Chevys, a Taco Bell subsidiary. How To Effectively Present All Of Your IT Skills Effectively present all of your IT skills with the IT Technical Skills Summary - an exceptionally powerful document that should form part of every resume submitted.The IT Technical Skills Summary ensures that every IT skill you have acquired - computer software, computer hardware, applications software, and so on, will be indexed in resume databases or viewed by hiring managers or recruiters. How To Write A Resume, Avoid These Resume Mistakes HOW TO WRITE A RESUME-MISTAKE #1NEVER USE THE WRONG PAPER!What kind of paper should you choose when typing your resume? The color of paper you will want to use will be white or ivory. You will also want to type your resume on a heavier paper, such as a 20 lb. Writing A Resume That Gets You Noticed As the old saying goes, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." In today's business world, of course, that first impression usually does not come from a face-to-face conversation, but from whatever you can tell your future boss about yourself on paper: your resume. Seeking A New Job While Currently Employed : Tiptoeing Through the Minefield So, you currently have a job but you are looking for something a little better. You are getting tired, uptight, and maybe just a little stressed out. Resume Writing - Tips and Advice Job-hunting is not the most exciting thing in the world but you can make it easier. The key is organization. How Hedgehogs Hire In my last column, I explored Jim Collins' "hedgehog" principle, and how powerfully this can be used to attract great employees. After many dozens of CEO interviews, I'm convinced that leaders with well-defined hedgehogs deploy the most successful hiring models. The Organized Job Search Many people, under financial or other pressures to find work quickly, feel they can't afford to take the time to get organized. On the other hand, conducting your job search in an organized manner will reduce the amount of time you spend looking for information, following inappropriate leads, or waiting for your dream job to fall into your lap. How Much Can You Earn Working As A Proofreader? Thinking of a career as a proofreader? Then you will most likely want to know about salaries. Are you hoping to hear that you will make thousands and thousands of dollars a month in this field? It is very possible that you will barely make a few hundred when you are first starting out. Seven Tips to a Job-Winning Interview These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!1. Look in the Mirror Take a moment to step outside yourself. Now, be honest with me here? If you could be your own boss, how would you rate your own performance in the last three months? Would you get a raise, a day off as a treat, or would a big and brawny security guy kindly escort you to the parking lot?In order to be an effective marketer and a progressive human being for that matter, you have to take a breather and look in the mirror. Effective Resumes A resume is normally the first contact point between an employer and a job seeker. It serves the purpose of providing a summary of why a candidate is suitable for a job (cover-letter) and his relevant qualifications/experience. What Is Your Greatest Weakness? The fastest way to make a good interview go bad is to avoid questions posed by the hiring manager. The one question candidates love to avoid is, "What is your greatest weakness?" Most candidates are quick to respond with superficial answers such as "I'm a workaholic" or "I'm a perfectionist. Ten Things About Your Career Development There are some tactics you can action whatever you wish for from your career. Whatever you might think right now, you have all the tools you need for a career which give you joy and fulfilment. How to Change Careers and Still Pay the Bills - 5 Key Steps Studies show that more than 50% of people are unhappy in their jobs yet few will actually make a career change in 2005. Why? Most people let fear stop them yet successful career changers know that fear is simply a sign that you are headed in the right direction!Follow the 5 key steps that successful career changers actually take to overcome their fears and make a sustainable change. Create A Rappin' Resume (Percussion sounds emanating from who knows where while you listen to the cadence of the words below.)It's time to sell yourself. Use Job Search Hacks to Get Hired Faster Job searching alone is like hitchhiking a scary ride with an unknown stranger on a 180-mile long deserted, no-exit road with hopes you'll make your destination. When you lack time or expertise to plan career moves carefully, sometimes the loss of ground is not apparent until years later. Your Job Search Is A Marketing Campaign (Part 2) Here's a continuation of my article from a few months back on how the successful job search is really just a personal marketing campaign.To recap, the same marketing techniques that have sell billions of dollars worth of products and services on TV, in print and via direct mail can also help you find a job.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
