Career Development - Training For Two (or more) Careers

The working environment these days is insecure, and there is no such thing as a job for life any more. While some careers are far more secure than others, such as a profession with rare skills like veterinary surgeon or doctor, generally speaking you should not expect to go into a job for life when you leave college or university. You may not even get the type of job you want in the career that you want.

When you start to think about career training, it is probably in your interests to be prepared for alternative careers, or maybe careers that can be moved from one industry to another. If you set off on a single track and that route hits a dead end, then you may struggle to redirect yourself into another career.

Precisely how you go about dual career training is going to depend on what your first choice career is, and the types of skills that are required for that career.

I will use my own example and hope that it may give you some ideas for your own situation. As a teenager I presumed I would make a living from writing, but I was realistic enough to realise that that would not happen overnight, so started working in offices at 18, in order to save money for travelling and take off 6 months at a time to write.

I soon realised, back in 1970, that there were two skills that would become increasingly important across a wide range of jobs: finance and computing. With writing in the background, I focused on developing finance and computing skills, and always keep up with developments.

As it turned out, like many who aspire to writing, I made no living from that whatsoever; although today, 36 years later, I do. In the meantime, I have metamorphosed through computer systems analysis, computer system testing, qualifying as a management accountant and into project management where all those skills were used. I was able to move from one project to another quite different type of project without too much of a problem. All of that set me up with the business skills and confidence to have my own business in the UK.
Tip! Identify your area of interest: Throughout your career, you probably have had some ideas that you weren't able to implement due to circumstances. You can convert some of them if you play your cards right here.

Looking back, it was important that I kept developing a range of skills and was flexible about moving between jobs and disciplines. I had several career changes along the way, but all built on that original decision to develop skills in finance and computing. All that led to being able to take an occupational pension early, at 50, and carve out a new living online and writing from my dream location, a tropical island in the Philippines.

Your situation, aims and ambitions will be very different to mine, but I do believe there are some lessons to be learnt from the way my "careers" have run into each other and from each other. From examining your own experiences, training and ambitions, you may well be able to spot some ways you can better prepare yourself for dual careers or career changes. There could come a day when that is critical.
Tip! I will take the advice of others with a grain of salt and always remember that it's my career not theirs.

This career development article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website.

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Get Your Career On Track

If you've watched the cable television show on Bravo called ‘Inside the Actors Studio,' you've seen host, James Lipton, ask his guest celebrities to respond to the Bernard Pivot questionnaire, which includes two questions about what guests would most like to do, and most not like to do, outside their chosen profession:

1. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

2. What profession would you not like to do?

(For example, Robin Williams would like to be a ‘Neurologist' and would not like to be a ‘Bomb Tester,' Sarah Jessica Parker would like to be a ‘Grocery Store Proprietor' and would not like to be a ‘Chicken Plucker'.)
Tip! Don't think of crashing the career party. Stop pounding on closed doors.

Identifying your dream and nightmare jobs is important because it helps you begin to think about what you most want and not want in a career.

How is a career different from a job, or is it?

A career might be defined as ‘a chosen pursuit; the general course or progression of your working life or your professional achievements.' Your career is more of an ongoing process than a job title; it's more about the journey than the destination. Jobs are generally part of your ongoing pursuit or progression, and we tend to have different jobs within a career.

How do you develop—or build—your career?

Career development is the game plan for progressing your career in the direction you want. It is ‘the strategic acquisition over time of the knowledge, attitudes, and skills you need to 1) meet the needs of your employer, and 2) reach your personal long-term work-life goals.'
Tip! As a Chief Experiential Officer, you need to talk to the people who are actually in the career you've identified for yourself. It takes you from dream mode to reality check.

Although our career is about what we want, it's also about what our employer needs. To progress, we have to continuously improve our value to our employer and maintain our marketability in a highly competitive world. No employer ‘owes' us a job if we don't meet the needs for which we were hired. No employer ‘owes' us a promotion just because we've been around awhile. Our career success is up to us.

You may want a long-term career with your current employer, or you may have more short-term plans. The goal of this workshop is to take an honest look at your career options and what you can do to increase your chances of reaching your career goals, either within or outside your current employer.

Why should your employer care about developing your career? Why not just focus on your short-term performance in your current job?

Because it makes sense. Your organization needs to attract and retain the best people to compete in a highly competitive industry. Therefore, it wants all employees to thrive, be satisfied, be challenged, and constantly improve. People who know what they want to achieve in their long-term careers — and feel they are moving toward it — are more likely to perform at high levels today.
Tip! An experienced career counselor will have a lot of knowledge and experience of various employment markets. This means the counselor will see the other side of the career coin, with which you may be unfamiliar, and this can help you a great deal.

To build your career, you should constantly ask yourself 3 questions:

Where am I now? Where do I want/need to be? How will I get there?

I don't want to suggest that you should not be satisfied with your current job (I hope you love your work and feel that it is fulfilling enough to be considered a significant part of your career aspirations). However, you should have a progressive and ongoing plan to build marketable skills and move yourself towards long-term career success.
Tip! Consult campus career counselors who will help you identify and improve your aptitude in your weak areas.

Dave Neal has helped develop thousands of employees and managers in organizations around the world for over 15 years. He is a senior partner at 4th Street Training. Web: http://www.4thstreettraining.com. Blog: http://www.4streetsmarts.blogs.com. Email: dave@4thstreettraining.com.

Tune Up Your Career In 5 Steps

You may feel stuck in the career you are in which does not seem to be moving anywhere. There is may be no sight of a promotion; and as if to rub salt into your wounds, there may also appear to be people who move fast up the career ladder. This is the time that you should you realize a couple of facts as to where could you have possibly gone wrong and what should you do in order to put your career back on the fast track.

To begin with, don't take for granted that tuning up your career is easy and that there is one magic formula to do this. Here are the five most important steps that you can adopt to help your career regain lost ground.

Important 5 Steps To Tune Up Your Career

Each step is broad in its expanse and reach that you can easily further divide it if necessary. But as you see they are all interrelated, so omitting any one step will break the chain.
1. Revisit Your Life's Goals to find out whether you need to restate your goals again. Considering that the goals you had set for your career as a teenager have now lost significance, you need critical examination so that you will not repeat the mistake of setting smaller goals. Your responsibilities have probably gone up over the years and the need for money is more important than you had expected.

2. Set Goals Measurable In Terms Of Money. Agreed, money isn't everything, but it is also true that money can help a great deal. If you look around, most of the problems are connected to money at the root. May be because of this, George Bernard Shaw famously said "Lack of money is the root of all evil".

3. Knowledge Is Power. As time passed by, everything that you learned in college has changed, and keeping abreast with current practices not just keeps you above board but helps you cover lost ground. For example, the accounting procedures which were in practice ten years ago are no longer relevant, with the WTO bringing in GAAP (generally accepted accounted accounting practice.) This is also true of all professions such as medicine, law and engineering.
Tip! As in independent and experienced advisor, the counselor should be able to put your situation, personality, qualifications, experience and abilities into a broad perspective. This should help you find your own position and direction in your career.

4. Create Your Niche And Become An Expert. Becoming an expert in any field not only calls for tremendous subject knowledge but also problem-solving abilities. You develop expertise in more than one domain.

5. Boost Your Marketability. Your career will take an upward turn only when you posses and market the qualities that are in demand. This means gaining expertise either by additional training or by education, marketing through existing and new networking, preparing a good resume, and most importantly showing results in your present career. In this situation, actions definitely speak louder than words.
Tip! As a Chief Exploration Officer, your first step is to engage in self-exploration. It is the key to career planning and decision-making.

It is an uphill task tuning up your career but the end result will be well worth the effort.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

5 Ways to Make a Cracking Career Move

Something that comes up time and time again when people come to me for help is ‘What's my next career move?' There are so many choices out there (which is part of the problem) and it can be tougher than a bag of hammers to figure out what to do and where to go next. That's why I want to share with you 5 strategies for figuring out your next career move and for making darn sure it'll be a cracking move for you.

1. Look at Your Wiring Your brain has billions and billions of neurons connected to each other by even more synapses. I'm not going to count them. These synapses are the pathways of the brain and they enable information to flow freely and allow you to think and do. Some of the synapses will be like motorways, throwing huge amounts of information around really quickly, while others will be like a little country lane blocked by a tractor - not very effective.

Tip! Don't think of crashing the career party. Stop pounding on closed doors.

The stronger pathways will be the things you're best at and it's by capitalising on how your brain's wired that you'll get your best results. In the real world that means that the things that come naturally to you (your talents), the things you're best at (your strengths) and the things that mean the most to you (your values) are hardwired into you, and those are the things that you excel at.

Talent A talent is something that comes naturally to you and can be any recurring pattern of feeling, thought or behaviour that you can apply to get a positive result. It tends to be something you do without even thinking about, something that seems to come spontaneously from the top of your head, something that's always exerted a ‘pull' for you or something that might feel like a whole bank of switches have been flicked to the ‘on' position when you use it.
Tip! Develop, understand and use an effective action strategy for transforming all those information in to action. This step is almost like the heart of your career goal setting, as you will consider all practical aspects of career goal setting.

Strength A strength is a combination of your skills, experience and talents. A strength is something that you're able to do at a consistently high or near-perfect level of performance. It's the accumulation and application of what you've learned works well, the skills that you've worked at and gained, and the talents you've always had. It's likely that you derive some kind of inherent satisfaction from doing it and maybe you can picture yourself quite happily doing it repeatedly.

Value Your values are ten thousand feet down inside you, right at the very core of who you are. They're the building blocks, the foundations and cornerstones for you, and are the things in yourself, in others or in the world that are most important to you. You know those times when you've felt really alive, on top of your game or buzzing? Those are the times when one or more of your values are being honoured, and you can get more of that by living according to them.
Tip! Assign, identify, pool and use correct information; wrong information may create havoc at a later date. Thus you may need to accumulate only relevant and rational data and information while choosing your career goals.

2. Find What's Always Been There When I was around 6 or 7 years old I remember being asked by my primary school teacher what I wanted to be when I grew up. I reflected for a moment and torn between two options I replied 'I'm not sure. Either an artist or an inventor'. I had two pictures - one of me in a huge studio, being swept along in the moment as I created magnificent works of art that would make people weep, and another of me in a lab coat with crazy hair surrounded by bubbling test tubes and all manner of electronic devices as I used everything I knew to build Something Amazing (TM). Those two sides have always been there for me (typical Gemini) - the art and the science, the creative and the logical, the head and the heart.

Tip! Get Some Experience: Getting experience in the career of your choice not just brings you closer to your dream job but improves your confidence level. Take up an internship, work hard and pay your dues.

As a 6 year old boy I'd identified that both areas were hugely important to me, and those two areas persist for me to this day. A day when I can use my logic and my creativity is a great day because I get to use the things that have always been there for me.

I share that with you because having work that includes the things that have persisted for you is absolutely critical in terms of loving your work and getting more out of it. Ignoring those themes and dismissing what's always been there for you is ignoring who you are and who you've always been, and it's a surefire way for you to be unfulfilled in your work. It's critical to know what those persistent themes are, because you can then integrate them into what you do, both in and out of your work.
Tip! As a Chief Employment Officer, you are your greatest resource in finding the right employment. In the end, the career planning process leads you to finding the right job for the right money.

Explore what persists for you and look for ways to use, integrate and play to those themes.

3. Who'd Be the Best? Who would you love to work for? Forget for a moment about what you'd be doing, think about which companies and organisations you'd love to work with or for. Which organisations push your hot buttons? If you could work for any company, who would it be?

Thinking about the ideal company to work with or for (as an employee, a contractor, a consultant, etc.) sets you free to look at companies you respect, admire and who do something that you can connect with. That already ticks a whole load of boxes and sets you ahead of the game.
Tip! Make sure your accomplishments are recognized by those above you who can advance your career. Promote yourself as you would a product.

8 out of 10 people land their next job through a personal contact rather than an advertisement so this is a great way to learn about and pursue opportunities. Get clear on those organisations you'd love to work for, find out the name of someone in the right place in the organisation and send in a killer letter and CV. Don't fall into the trap of thinking ‘But why would they want me?' or ‘'What the heck would I do for them?' and research their different fields of work or look into filling a skills gap with some training. You never can tell how things happen sometimes, and you've got nothing to lose.
Tip! Sincerity Sincerity in your career means a lot of things. For me, as a first jobber you should look at doing your work sincerely and joyfully.

4. Turn It Inside-Out Too many people start off by thinking in terms of job titles, but I tend to think that should come later in the job searching process. I always ask people to create their next job from the inside-out by looking at what the job would involve and what they'd be doing, rather than operating within the confines of a title.

So think about it, what would your ideal job involve? What skills, talents, strengths, values, passions and interests would you be using that would make it a great job? How would you be working ? In an office? By yourself or in a team? What kind of people will be around you? Are you out on the road? Are you working from home? Are there deadlines? How do you make your contribution? What's fun about the work? What's fulfilling about the work?
Tip! Success You're probably thinking, “Success as part of these practical career enhancement tips is funny.” Let me assure you it is not.

And on, and on, and on. The point is to create your best job by looking at the size and shape that your ideal job would have. Quantify what you can, think about the framework you'd be working in and the boundaries or deal breakers you have. Think about what would light you up in your work and what would make you proud.

Job titles can limit how you think and where you look for work. By creating your next career move from the inside-out you're painting a picture of what you'd love to have and how you'd love to be working, and that's a fantastic template to apply to any job search.
Tip! Don't restrict your reading to any particular subject throughout your career. This keeps you abreast with trends, plus you get updated regularly.

5. Ask Someone Else Sometimes it feels a bit like you're banging your head against a wall or wading chest deep through lumpy custard. In those times it's good to take yourself out of your normal environment for a while to kick things up and freshen yourself up, and getting an external perspective can help enormously.

Look at who you've got in your network of colleagues, ex-colleagues, managers, employees, friends, associates, family, etc. and see what they think you'd be great at. Ask people what they can see you doing for a career, or ask them what they think you'd be great at. Getting that external perspective may just give you an idea or put a name to something you've been struggling to identify. You can also ask them what they think your strengths are, and even go as far as asking them to be honest about who they think you are and how they see you.
Tip! As long as I have a job, I don't have to work on my career.

By the way, there's a fantastic tool that I used some time ago to help get that external perspective and that I'd recommend you take a look at. It's called 360°Reach and is the first and leading web-based personal assessment tool that helps you get the real story about how you are perceived by those around you. The results I got were worth their weight in gold and after being made redundant in 2001 it really helped me shape what I did next and how I did it (i.e. this!). Click the link here - www.reachcc.com - and click on ‘360°Reach - Personal Brand Assessment' for more on this great tool.

Tip! Test, examine and identify all those personal values before arriving at a career goal. Check out for any loopholes and deficiencies in your understanding of the real situation.

About the Author Steve Errey is one of the UK's most in-demand coaches and specialises in personal growth for thirtysomethings. "I love to coach the heck out of my clients and always do my darndest to get them the results they're after," says Steve. For more information please contact Steve on 0845 644 3001, by email at steve@steveerrey.com or visit his website at http://www.steveerrey.com.

Sign up for his fantastic ezine with proven and practical tips for 'Being More' and look at how you can have all the confidence you'll ever need with his Super-Confidence Home Study Pack.

Strategies for an Effective Job Search to Get You the Job or Career You Want

At this point you have posted your resume online and even applies for a few of the positions you have seen listed. You are also scouring the online classifieds postings as well as the newspaper classified ads. You have of course been sending off cover letters and resumes by email, fax and snail mail for the entire job opening that seem appropriate for you.

Is there anything else that you can do to look for that job you wish? You bet! In fact, the more diverse and wide spread your job hunting strategies, the more effective it is likely to be.

First you should contact the professional organizations in your chosen field or wide scope of employment area.

National. Regional and local professional organizations exist in a great part to help their members with career development as well as employment search. Many of these organizations include field specific job listings on their web sites or in their printed publications. Check out the career contact and alumni network which is composed of alumni, employers, students as well as friends and patrons of the organization who have offered to share their career experiences with alumni and students.
Next Visit Company and organization web sites.

Many companies and organizations post their job openings right on their websites. Often it is the "Employment "or "Career Opportunities "Links. If it doubt check the site map. Or as another resort actually contact the webmaster of the site.

A more direct tack is to apply directly to the organizations that actually interest you. What a compliment it is for a firm for an applicant to be able to appreciate their hard work and focus. You can send a well written cover letter directly to the human resources department or even the direct person who is most likely to initiate hiring decisions. Your research skills may be necessary to find that vital information. The entire better to demonstrate your research skills which are actually hard to come by and very valued by many current employers.

Networking is key to effective job hunting strategies.

It is often said that close to 85 % of jobs are filled through networking. Talk to your contacts. Always remember when one door closes often another opens. You never know where even a failed interview will lead.
Tip! An experienced career counselor will have a lot of knowledge and experience of various employment markets. This means the counselor will see the other side of the career coin, with which you may be unfamiliar, and this can help you a great deal.

The one contact you make there or in your research travels can easily lead to another contact. Sometimes even name dropping can have great results so says Layton Mancin an expert in the field.

Make a list of contacts you know in the field.

You most likely know "lots of people "or know people who do.

Sit down with them. Take them for lunch coffee or a donut. But do it sincerely not like an aggressive insurance salesman.

If there is a professional organization in your field, join it and start participating in its meetings and other events so that you can get to know people in your area of interest ? Work with a career counselor at your college or school to both tap his or her contacts and learn of alumni who might be willing and able to lend you a hand. Do not forget your supervisors or instructors connections as well.
Tip! Sincerity Sincerity in your career means a lot of things. For me, as a first jobber you should look at doing your work sincerely and joyfully.

You can consider using either a placement agency or recruitment agent now often called a headhunter. It is often very expensive for companies to conduct hiring.

Companies incur not unsubstancial costs as well as time to research, screen, conduct initial interviews as well as travel and hosting costs. As well they may not want to make to known that they are hiring either to their industry or employees including the one that they are planning on replacing. For these reasons as well as the fact that the management of the firms may already be short of time many progressive firms will employ the services of headhunters.

You can avail yourself of the services of these headhunters or placement organizations.

You can do an initial search in your local phonebook. Follow this up with contacts in your networks and at professional organizations. It is amazing how helpful people can be with a simple phone call with well prepared specific questions. As well as the posting that are prominent in local, national and industry newspapers and publications.

Note that most of the firms are paid by the employers. They are generally paid a percentage of your projected earnings. Basically they are paid on a commission basi sothat they have a vested interest in placing you. Often these firms are even paid a percentage of projected " future bonuses" or in the case of sales " projected commissions" However be very wary headhunting firms that try to charge you fees or send you on courses supplied by their very firm or a sister company. As said many good employers use reputable head hunters and consider the money they spend as very good value and an ultimate saving of both money and time
Tip! A trained counselor will be expert in getting the right information out of you in a structured way. The counselor will then be able to use that information promptly, coupled with their intuitive assessment of you as as a person and your likely best career course.

Lastly consider a temporary or fill in job and the firm of your choice. You will make valuable contacts. Perhaps even the firm will consider you such a valuable addition to their organization that they will determine it is best to continue to have you around as you are an asset to their organization.

Remember the more diverse and planned your job hunting methods are the more opportunities and ultimately the greater the chances you will have of landing that job and that career you really want.

William Piker Senior Job Placement and Employment Advisor. Experience in the financial field. Ace Employment Agency http://www.winnipegjobshark.com http://www.aceemploymentservices.net

Setting Career Goals

Setting a career goal or objective is a personal challenge a person makes to himself or herself within a limited period by setting deadlines. The most successful people are usually ones that have set career goals for themselves. They know what they want to do, and work and plan towards achieving those results. It is never too early or too late to start setting career goals and working towards them.

Difficulties in setting goals

One of the most difficult issues in setting a career goal is recognizing exactly what a person wants. Even after they have a career goal chosen, often there are still doubts in their mind about the choices they make. Determining exactly what an individual wants is the most important decision they make in goal setting and career planning.
Understand that it is very common when setting career goals to have times in their career path where people are not sure about the goals and choices they have selected. Even extremely successful individuals feel this way occasionally.

These feelings often come and go. Sometimes, when an individual has to face a huge obstacle on their career path, it can be overwhelming and make them question their choices. Once the individual has dealt with this challenge, everything seems on course again. This is a test of his or her perseverance and is not a career goal problem. It is a problem when these doubts persist or are always in the back of their minds.

If this seems to be the case, study the career choice and carefully rethink the career objectives. Sometimes we make a career choice in high school such as cooking. When we take Chef Training in college, it may not be what we are still interested in or no longer have a passion for.
Tip! Negotiating Through Your Career Options: Choosing a career from a handful of options is like choosing a shirt from hundreds of them. Follow a similar sequence of thought process using logic.

Simplifying the process

Here are a few steps that can help you realize your career goals and maintain your goals once you have achieved them.

1. List - It is very important for anyone who desires to set and then achieve their career goals, to write their plans down so they are in black and white. When written down, ideas are much more real on paper than ones kept in our heads. It is very easy to forget or put aside goals that we talk about or think about but are not on paper.

2. Visualize - Daydream and think about your goals. If you want to be a top salesperson in a large company within the next three years, imagine ways to make this goal a reality. Also, visualize about the responsibility and work you will acquire once the position is obtained.

3. The Right People - Surround yourself with people that believe in you and are positive about your ability to achieve your career goals. People that believe you can succeed at anything will reinforce that anything is possible with determination and hard work.

Make your goals a part of your lifestyle and constantly work towards achieving them.
Tip! Revisit Your Life's Goals to find out whether you need to restate your goals again. Considering that the goals you had set for your career as a teenager have now lost significance, you need critical examination so that you will not repeat the mistake of setting smaller goals.

Goal setting is important! Do away with all the trials and errors and set your goals today! Check it out at Goal Setting

Seven Key Steps To Making A Career Change

We spend approximately 50% of our waking hours at work. Doesn't it make sense to make the most of that time, otherwise what's the point? OK, it pays the bills but shouldn't it be about more than that. The happier you are at work, the happier you can be with other areas of your life.

If work's getting you down or you'd like to try something different, here are a few things to consider.

1. So, are you happy at work? If not, why not? Is it the type of work you do, the people you work with or your boss? What can you do to change your situation? How could you make it more interesting, how could you improve the relationships with the people you work with? Could you do the same thing but for a different company. Could you delegate tasks to someone else in your team?

2. Do you love what you do? What is your passion and what motivates you? What values in your life are important to you - health, money, security, family, relationships etc.. Follow these and you'll be happier in your work and in life generally.
3. What are you good at? What skills and abilities do you have? Where could you make improvements? Training for the job that you do could improve your job satisfaction and your job prospects and could enable you to take on a new role.

4. Where do you want to go? Are you looking for promotion, salary increase or a job change? Sometimes we have to start at the bottom in order to get where we want to be. Have your goal in mind so you don't lose sight of what you're doing and more importantly why!

5. Get yourself a mentor. Find someone you respect, who's where you want to be or done what you want to do. If you don't know anyone at work, is there someone outside work you could discuss your plans with and who would be prepared to give you advice and support?

6. Keep your CV up-to-date. Be ready to take advantage of any opportunity that might present itself if you're looking to change jobs. Alternatively, go out and find those opportunities - if you want to change, you need to make it happen. Opportunities will present themselves if you're looking for them.
Tip! A sizeable number (59%) of employees don't think depression and illness is a roadblock to their career advancement. The situation is worse with female employees thinking (of course, not without truth) that sexism/harassment, pregnancy and childcare are their roadblocks (source: depression center, University of Michigan).

7. Take control of your own career. There are always things we can do to change and grow. If you're looking for a new career then spend some time thinking about what you want from your work. What do you value, need, want? What does work mean to you? How important is it in your life? What are the things you're good at, what sort of work do you like to do? How could you create your perfect job?
Tip! Don't think of crashing the career party. Stop pounding on closed doors.

Sometimes living from day to day is fine but it helps if you have a plan in mind. Where do you want to be a year from now, three years from now? Set a goal "Next year, I want to be doing .....". Then set some specific steps to get you there.

Clare Evans is a Personal & Business Coach. She works with busy individuals and small business owners to enable them plan and organise their time more effectively. You can read more articles on Work Life Balance here.
Tip! Integration. Seekers often think that once the shift is made, their career transition is complete.

Receive free weekly Time Tips to show you how to manage your time more effectively when you register for her monthly newsletter at http://www.clareevans.co.uk.

Preparing For and Making a Career Change

In my youth, I observed that, in England at least, most people wanted to get out of their jobs. Their "career", whatever it was, only existed to get a regular income. The millions of people who did the football pools, and later the lottery, were a testimony to the "let me out of here" dreams of the majority. "Win the pools, and retire."

Times may have changed in general, but the fact that most people are not content with their jobs has remained unchanged. Career, employer or job change, or early retirement, are in the minds of tens of millions of people across the world. Only a small minority will ever actually go full out for a career change; it is far too easy just to plod along doing the same old things in the same old place.
However, some people are more serious. These are the people with "get up and go" who actually do get up and go. These are the people who really do change their working lives, sometimes drastically.

Why Do Some People Want to Change Careers?

There are many possible reasons for wanting a career change. The following are just a few of the more common ones.

1. To some people, being in the same job, or even the same type of job, for too long is just unthinkable. I certainly fall into this category, and personally think total career changes can be a vital contributor to a satisfying life. I always want to learn something new, and do something new, once I have mastered what I was doing before. New challenges are an essential part of every day life.
Tip! Listen to your mentors: Mentors are very important factors in your career development. Discuss with them what they think would be a good career move for you, based on their observations.

2. Midlife career changes might be the result of a sort of career midlife crisis. This can particularly be so for someone who has always done the same job, and suddenly realise their years are slipping away and they have really done very little with their working years.

3. Dissatisfaction with a current employer, either in terms of recognition, prospects or pay.

4. Boredom is a common cause of wanting a career change.

5. Lack of fulfilment in the current career or employment.

The above are some of the broad reasons people may seek a career change, but each individual is likely to have a different mix of reasons to consider changing their career.

Tips For Preparing for a Career Change

There are many sources of career change advice, both online and offline. Sometimes this can be given on an individual basis, or just in the form of written material which you can consume at your leisure. As a career is a personal matter, and all individuals are different, then pesonal consultation is better by far. However, advisors are individuals too, and the advice may vary from from career counselor to career counselor.
Tip! Crafting Your Transition Plan. Out of your testing comes a clear path – where you can set a specific new career goal and create the strategy and steps that will get you there.

The quality and quantity of career change advice available to you offline will vary greatly between countries and localities, and you may find that some of the online advice is, at least in part, to one country, particularly the US. However, the following career change tips can apply to anyone, anywhere, and are based on my own experience; they may not appear anywhere else, might be considered unconventional, but are designed to get you thinking and planning well in advance for one or a series of career changes:

1. Travel as widely as possible. I do not mean go on vacation with a million other holidaymakers on a well trodden path, but broaden your mind, experience and understanding through travelling in other countries of various cultures. It is best to travel alone for maximum experience. With hindsight, I am sure that my travels as a 20 year old and younger helped to give me the flexibility and adaptability to make a sudden move from one life direction to another. When travelling freely, you can always go just where you want to go, and the same can be true of your working life, or careers, if you have that flexible attitude from the beginning.
Tip! As a Chief Exploration Officer, your first step is to engage in self-exploration. It is the key to career planning and decision-making.

2. Most people have interests and talents that are quite separate from their primary career ambition. Always try to develop those skills and talents in parallel to your existing or imminent career. The more skills you have, the more knowledge you have, the more likely it is that, when the time comes to make a career change, it will be that much easier.

3. When in a chosen career, always add new skills and keep up to date with developments in that career. The opportunity may come along for you to specialize within that career, or diversify from it.
Tip! I will take the advice of others with a grain of salt and always remember that it's my career not theirs.

4. Plan your life in 5 year blocks. It is amazing how much can be achieved and changed in 5 years. My own life and working life bear little resemblance to even 7 years ago, and has changed drastically in the last 4 years. Formulating a 5 year plan for yourself at 20, 25, 30 and so on can be a great help in getting your prepared for all sorts of changes and developments. When formulating that plan, consider your career options during that coming period, and what you can do over that 5 years to prepare yourself for a career change beyond that 5 year period.

5. Have a program of self improvement to increase your confidence and prevent or overcome fear. Many people stay in the same job far too long, because of fear of change. Using meditation and relaxation techniques can help in this area of your life.
Tip! Try Counseling: A professional counselor can systematically talk you through your confusion through counseling and career guidance sessions. Career counselors are professionals who understand your problems and can provide the right direction.

6. Keep control of your finances, and develop a financial success system . Always budget effectively, and never spend beyond your means. Always think in terms of building your assets. Saving from your monthly and income, and learning to invest wisely, can help you build wealth while most of those around you are borrowing, overspending, and digging a financial grave.

Why is a financial success system important when it comes to career change planning? Poor finances can be an inhibiting factor in making a career change. If your finances are in good shape, and you have adequate reserves, you have more time to switch successfully to a new career, even a new way of life. Financial fear can be a big drawback to making a career change.
Tip! Share your career frustrations only with a paying audience who will keep your questions confidential. People tend to get the most help when they appear to have everything they want.

By adopting some or all of the above tips, you should find yourself better prepared in the future to make a career change. Hopefully, that career change will be one that has evolved from your own desires, your own plans. However, sometimes career changes are forced by redundancy, technical developments in your chosen career, companies being taken over or going bust, outsourcing or other change in your working environment. Be prepared.

This career development article article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website.

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The Advantages of Career Counseling and What to Consider Before Consulting a Career Counselor

Every year, many thousands of people undertake, or think about undertaking, some form of career counseling. In fact, it could run into millions, given the number of internet searches done each month on career counseling. Reasons for that could be:

a. Starting out on a career after being a student,

b. A career change for older and mid life adults,

c. An adult in a career has been unable to progress and needs advice on jump starting their stalled career,plus other possible reasons. But what are the advantages of having career counseling sessions?

Advantages of Career Counseling

There can be many advantages of career counseling, but much will depend on the experience, training and understanding of the counselor. If it is an in-school career counselor who does the job a few hours a month, because the head teacher tells him or her to, then the benefits could be very limited. On the other hand, if it is a professionally trained career counselor who has years of experience, then there can be the following advantages at least:
Tip! Here's some powerful career counseling advice: prepare a carefully crafted assertive story about you. Then rehearse it.

1. As in independent and experienced advisor, the counselor should be able to put your situation, personality, qualifications, experience and abilities into a broad perspective. This should help you find your own position and direction in your career.

2. A trained counselor will be expert in getting the right information out of you in a structured way. The counselor will then be able to use that information promptly, coupled with their intuitive assessment of you as as a person and your likely best career course.

3. An experienced career counselor will have a lot of knowledge and experience of various employment markets. This means the counselor will see the other side of the career coin, with which you may be unfamiliar, and this can help you a great deal. They should also have much experience on the way human resources departments and recruiters work.

4. If you are considering a career change the experience of the counselor could be invaluable, in view of the complexities, both practical and personal, of the decision you are considering.

5. Having somebody objective and assured will help to give you confidence when making a decision on your future career course.

6. The counselor may be able to offer or recommend various career coaching courses that could be of help to you.
Tip! The growth of the career counseling business over recent years has made it much easier to find good quality career counseling services. Today, there are not just your local services that are an option, but also online career coaching and counseling services, with a wealth of information about jobs and career related subjects.

Where to Go For Career Counseling

The growth of the career counseling business over recent years has made it much easier to find good quality career counseling services. Today, there are not just your local services that are an option, but also online career coaching and counseling services, with a wealth of information about jobs and career related subjects.

If you are still at school, college or university, then they may be able to offer you a useful service within the establishment, or point you in the right direction outside. You can also search online and find many options. There is not necessarily a need to meet face to face, although there is an advantage to having a face to face meeting, as the counselor is more likely to assess you more accurately during a personal meeting.
Tip! A beneficial aspect of career counseling resources is that they help job seekers understand their shortcomings and prepare accordingly. Most jobs that are posted online usually mention what an applicant's ideal profile should be.

When choosing a career counselor, it is best to compare the experience, services and cost of several; if you can find one near you, all the better, but bear in mind that a structured approach is used by professional counselors, and much of that can be done effectively online and by telephone. It is best not to spend any money until you are comfortable with every aspect of what the counseling service offers.

This career development article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website.

Resources For Career Counseling Help

The most important step in finding a right job is to look for one that is most suitable to your requirements and most compatible with your personality. This may sound easy, but often we don't have a clue about what each job provider has to offer and what would work best for us. Resources for career counseling can be a great help in this process of identifying the next career move.

Web Resources

The Internet is an exhaustive information source that allows us to select from a large list of options. Most organized online resources help job seekers find a viable job based on their personal preference and skill. An interested candidate needs to key in some specifications to narrow down the search that is applied to a massive job database. It is very important to know what to key in when checking online resources for career counseling as selecting the right keyword will get you the desired information.
Identifying What Is "Really" Important To You

There are many factors that may affect the kind of resource you can find on the web. Geographic preference can narrow down the response. Personal preferences such as amount of travel involved can further focus the results. Its important to note that if a user puts in too many preferences the result may be zero help, so its important to keep key factors in mind. This kind of "what if" analysis is possible when using automated resources and is generally not available when using counselors.

Too Much Information Can Confuse You

Web can be a boon or a curse to a person seeking career counseling. The curse of the information explosion can confuse rather than help. Therefore, for some, the old fashioned personal approach is more suitable.
Tip! A beneficial aspect of career counseling resources is that they help job seekers understand their shortcomings and prepare accordingly. Most jobs that are posted online usually mention what an applicant's ideal profile should be.

Benefits

A beneficial aspect of career counseling resources is that they help job seekers understand their shortcomings and prepare accordingly. Most jobs that are posted online usually mention what an applicant's ideal profile should be. This enables job seekers to see for themselves if they fit in or not. It can also spur self-development efforts such as enrolling for additional training, education, and certification or licensing.

Aside from this, resources for career counseling offer useful advice on career related issues. There are forums and message boards on most sites where one can post a query. A counselor answers these questions to help you choose accordingly. Some of the specialized career counseling companies evaluate your current earnings and analyze your potential to help you land a better job.
Tip! The first step is to figure out your personality type. The most common personality test used for career counseling is called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

What Information To Look For

You could make a job choice based upon recommendations, reviews, write-ups, word of mouth or rankings, but the most important is personal need. The American School Counselor Association plays an important role in ranking or recommending job sites. Many graduate schools refer to these online career-counseling sites to build their own database.

Tools That Can Help You

Self-assessment and interests, values inventories, self-assessment tools, personality and IQ tests, and aptitude quizzes help analyze your true potential. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter test helps gauge your personality profile. The Career Planning Process, Career Change, and Hoover's Online are a few popular career- counseling resources. The Riley Guide, Resume Writing, Career Services and America's Job Bank are helpful as well. A job seeker may also refer to Yahoo! Classifieds-Employment, Contract Employment Weekly, Jobs Online, UST Career Development Center, Monster.com, Job Web, and Career Mosaic.

If all this confuses you don't hesitate to go to your local community college or university. They have career counseling centers that can provide a large amount of information and staff that is eager to help.
Tip! If all this confuses you don't hesitate to go to your local community college or university. They have career counseling centers that can provide a large amount of information and staff that is eager to help.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Career Counseling Advice: You Gotta Sell Yourself!

Don't know how to sell yourself? You'll miss out on the best career counseling advice!

It all starts with changing some misconceptions about job search. You see, most of us were given career counseling advice that an interview or a meeting with a prospective employer means talking about your background and work history.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

It's not about your past or what you used to do for someone else. It's about how you come across right now, in the present moment. That means you have to sell yourself so people get a powerful snapshot of you . . . one that makes them sit up and pay attention to you!

And since some of your best job recommendations and referrals are going to come from people you already know and respect, you must be able to sell them as well.

So how do you do that?

Here's some powerful career counseling advice: prepare a carefully crafted assertive story about you. Then rehearse it. Here are some tips to help you put together this important sales presentation.
1. Make a list of your personal work-related qualities, values and accomplishments (not your work history).

2. Select two or three work accomplishments you are particularly proud of that illustrate your qualities and capabilities.

3. Now put together a short (one or two minutes) assertive story that weaves together a picture of you at work--one that illustrates the most representative of your qualities and values.

So if an employer asks you to tell a little bit about yourself (they all do!) or even if they don't, you're ready with a well-rehearsed story that sells YOU.

For example, you might say

"I have to believe you're always on the lookout for someone who's loyal, hard-working and can be counted on to get the job done. Am I right? It reminds me of a particularly challenging assignment I had. My boss told me I was responsible to meet a tight deadline and I had to put together a team to get the job done. I recruited some co-workers, set up a task force and achieved my boss' goal within 48 hours. The company realized 20% growth in my sector. My boss congratulated me and told me I'd be up for a raise."
Tip! If you are not sure what your capabilities are, try to go to career counseling for assistance. You can also sign up for an internship, to see first hand what a job is like and if you are good at it.

You can put yourself way ahead of the pack by selling yourself. Take this solid career counseling advice. All it takes is an assertive story and plenty of practice.

Paul Megan writes for EEI, the world-class pioneer in alternative job search techniques and non-traditional career advancement strategies . . . since 1985. Grab our stunning FREE REPORT: "How To Lock Up A High-Paying Job In 14 Days (Or Less)!" Click on RSS. http://www.fastest-job-search.com