It's been long time but I was doing so many things including travelling. Nevertheless I have been meaning to tell you all about Marcia Robinson who writes on career and employment issues over at
Bulls Eye Resumes. If you are really serious about changing your career or really have no choice but to get a new job she offers a wealth of information.
One particular post that caught my attention was about
Career Myths and their inertia effect. I particularly liked "
I need to find one career and stick with it for life" That is a deep seated notion that many of us have and it took root in our heads from we were kids. We wanted to be lawyers, doctors, engineers or firemen when we grew up and trained for it, got the job and then wham! It is not enough, it is not fulfilling, it is not what we thought it would be.or it no longer exists. Many of us are stuck wanting or needing something else or something more and not knowing what to do about it. Not that there is anything wrong with having a goal or a focus related to our likes and strengths but it is the fixity of our condition, that inability to move on , that fear of change that drives us crazy and perhaps keeps us from realizing our potential.
There is a sense of optimism that permeates Marcia's guiding words. She mentions the need to prepare, practice and plan , gives generous tips on many aspects of re-entering the workplace and deduces lessons learned from actions of public officials and others in the workplace but throughout, there is the theme of positive thinking.
In her post on the
upside of being laid off she highlights the experiences of three professionals who were laid off. There were expressions of reduced anxiety, anticipation of re-training, decision to engage in entrepreneurship and all encompassing realization of the need to contemplate multiple income streams - none of this single monthly pay cheque mindset- the worker now needs to think in terms of the plural.
This reminded me of the "
Did You Know" video that has been making the rounds. It forecasts among other things that:
- the top ten in-demand jobs for 2010 did not exist in 2004
- we are preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist
- today's student will have 10-14 jobs by the time he reaches age of 38 and
- China will soon become the no.1 Englsih speaking country in the world
This means that the old way of doing things in the workplace is changing drastically and that is not difficult to imagine in this age of breakneck speed information transmission, real time computing and cyber social networking. The notion of long service at the work place is facing extinction. New ideas are being generated, transmitted and shared at a frightening pace. Originality, flexibilty and speed will perhaps be the next new powerful tools rivaling the now popular soft skills and Emotional Quotient. There is however room for all of us on the information super highway, we just have to be willing to go for the ride and not be afraid to accept change.
Now let me leave you with this story in an email my husband sent to me.
Changing Professions
The
Gynecologist Who Became A Mechanic
A gynecologist had become fed up with malpractice insurance and HMO paperwork and was burned out. Hoping to try another career where skillful hands would be beneficial; he decided to become a mechanic. He went to the local technical college, signed up for evening classes, attended diligently, and learned all he could.
When the time of the practical exam approached, the gynecologist prepared carefully for weeks, and completed the exam with tremendous skill. When the results came back, he was surprised to find that he had obtained a score of 150%. Fearing an error, he called the instructor, saying, 'I don't want to appear ungrateful for such an outstanding result, but I wonder if there is an error in the grade.'
The instructor said, 'During the exam, you took the engine apart perfectly, which was worth 50% of the total mark. You put the engine back together again perfectly, which is also worth 50% of the mark.'
After a pause, the instructor added, 'I gave you an extra 50% because you did it all through the muffler, which I've never seen done in my entire career.'
We all have our strengths. I am grateful however that the subject of the story wasn't "The Lawyer who Became a Gynaecologist."
Hey Valentines Day is over but for my friends in the States you don't have to scrimp and hold back. In these times of financial restraint, you can still eat out on the cheap as today you can get $25 gift certificates to dine at Restaurants nationwide in the U.S. for only $3.00 at Restaurant.com .
