Transforming Your Career:
Necessity as the Mother of Invention
By: Bruce Freeman
We've all heard about people who've done it. The engineer who gave up the
long hours and the travel to start his own fix-it business, the lawyer who
couldn't take the politics any more and became a teacher; there are hundreds
of thousands of people who begin to transform their lives starting with their
professional careers. It used to be just the “I can't take it anymore” mentality
which started people down a life changing path, but with today's lackluster
job market, it's become a necessity for many. The key is not to let the necessity
of finding work rob you of the positive opportunity to make your life better,
even if you make less money for awhile.
For me, changing careers became a necessity and an opportunity
when I was let go from a high powered executive job with a major high-tech
magazine about 13 years ago. The only thing I knew for sure when I walked out
that door was that from that moment on I wanted to be the only person who had
the power to turn my life upside down. Thus began an exciting journey that
continues today. I looked at my strengths and weaknesses, made a list of my
assets, and started a high-tech public relations firm with a newly printed
stack of business cards, my home telephone and an equity line of credit. Here
it is 13 years later and I am my own boss, with a successful business, burgeoning
academic opportunities, a fledgling media career, and no one to answer to but
myself and my family. Financially, I have had good years and bad years, but
I like what I'm doing and I have been able to make the time to become a "multi-level dad” with
time for my kids and my community.
Mike Pawelczak was downsized after a merger and lost his position
as a Vice President of Information Services. “I treated the search for a job as a job,
but I also resolved to go with the flow and see what happened,” After 18 difficult
months of searching, Mike was willing to take anything just to pay the bills.
An avid motorcyclist since 1977, he happened to stop by a Harley Davidson dealership
and saw a “position available” sign on the door. He applied and was offered
a job in the parts department, but before he started the dealership recognized
his skills set and decided to take advantage of his knowledge in a position
that wasn't even contemplated when he came through the door. “Now I'm responsible
for finance and insurance as Customer Service Manager, and I enjoy working
with people who share my passion even though I make less than I did before.
However, I now understand that my career is a journey and I remain open to
new opportunities.”
Ronnie Fliss is a self-described “IT person” who was also downsized during
the recent economic downturn. She looked for work for a year before a friend
suggested she look into baking gourmet dog biscuits. A dog lover, with a personable
basset hound named Murray , she founded Fat Murray's Doggie Treats, a company
which bakes and markets healthy, fresh baked treats for dogs to pet stores,
health food stores and on the web. Now, she regularly services 35 stores and
takes Murray, who steals the show and any stray treats, along on her sales
calls. “It's all about passion,” Fliss says. “When I calculate how much I make
per hour, it's a good thing I love this business. Still, we are growing so
much that I know I'm going to have start looking for time-share baking facilities
to keep up with the market. Sometimes it seems like I never stop working, but
it's all mine and I know there is a future.”
For engineer and Masters' holder Stephen Becker, 35, his volunteer
work as an EMT proved a life-line when his job as a quality assurance manager
in manufacturing disappeared. He was able to capitalize on his skills to help
land himself a job being paid for something he loves to do. Although he too,
is making much less than before, he admits that he's not so worn out and he
really likes the job. “Being able to help people is really great, and I was
able to join a consulting group part-time. I recently had a job interview for
another position in quality assurance, but if it doesn't work out, I'm open
to other types of jobs in health care or government.”
If you love what you're doing professionally and you like your life, you've
probably already stopped reading this article. If you're still here, you're
already looking anew job or you're concerned that there could be a pink slip
in your future. Ask yourself a few questions. Do you want your life to be defined
by a job that pays your bills, but doesn't fulfill you? When you're a mere
memory to those who love you, will people lament your loss as the best manager
the widget business ever saw? At the end of your life, will you regret the
time it took to make enough to pay for that status symbol car, or missing your
child's soccer tournament? Americans spend a tremendous amount of time working
at their careers, more hours per week than any other country, even Japan .
Why not spend your life doing something you want to do? Of course, if you are
one of the 2.3 million whose jobs have already disappeared, you are in the
right place and time to transform your life, starting with your career.
Lloyd Feinstein, of Career Marketing Consultants, Murray Hill
, NJ has been helping people discover, define and articulate their values to
current or perspective employers since 1984. 20 years of counseling low, mid,
and senior level people in many different industries has shown him that most
people don't realize that they need to sell themselves. To do that successfully,
you must identify your asset skill sets; skills that are transferable across
industries and into entrepreneurial or other businesses. For most people, Feinstein
believes, the problem lies not in finding new interests, but in leaving the
past behind, “You need to ask yourself, ‘What do I have to sell?' and then, ‘Where can I take this using
my skills?' If you start a business on a part-time basis, gain experience and
build your reputation, the transition to full time in the new career goes much
more smoothly”.
Scary? Well, of course it is. Change is always scary, but it doesn't have
to be catastrophic. There are plenty of ways to go out and discover information
about yourself and the kind of career that will fulfill you.
- Make a list of everything you like to do including hobbies, sports, religious, cultural and volunteer work.
- Make a list of all of your skills including intellectual, business, personal and financial.
- Talk to people at your community center, the bowling alley, the gas station or anywhere you go regularly to let others know that you are looking for a change.
- Investigate all kinds of businesses, even if you're currently employed.
- Send out resumes with cover letters that tell potential employers
- how interested and excited you are about their particular field and how your skills fit with their industry.
- Start a business part-time to see if it's the right one for you.
- Go back to school and train yourself for a new career.
The one thing you don't have to do is go it alone, especially if you are starting
a new business.
James Barrood, Director of the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison , New Jersey says that entrepreneurs come from all industries and backgrounds, from high school students with an idea, to seasoned corporate executives. "Career transformation is one of the major contributors to entrepreneurial activity and small business creation that help to generate 75% of all new jobs in the US economy," notes Barrood. "Most people don't realize that the average number of jobs held by Americans over a lifetime is greater than ten. We help people transition to career independence by teaching them how to write business plans, mentoring them and advising them on how to expand their businesses by offering new products and services and/or entering new market segments. In a sense, we provide support for people who want to change their lives and be successful in business."
There are many options, but they all come down to one thing: YOU. You must
take a look at yourself and figure out what you know how to do. You are the
only one who knows what you like to do to and what you do best. Once you've
identified the kind of interests you have, you must make the conscious decision
to move forward and change your life. After making that decision, you must
take that first step. The longest journey begins with a single step. You must
do something positive for yourself in a direction you want to go. Tomorrow
you'll take another step, and the following day, another. Before you know it,
you'll be going somewhere, doing something that is right for you. More important,
you'll be able to prioritize your career according to what's important in your
life.
top
