We All Have A Story
Sometimes when you are getting Career Advice, the best lessons come from those that have been on the job for a while.
There is value in hearing the decisions that were made and how those decisions impacted not only their career but ultimately all aspects of their life.
Here is such a story.
Due to the economy, and some poor choices by the CEO, a company was forced to close. To help their employee’s transition, Human Resources established a Career Center, a type of command center where they could go and check out local and regional opportunities. I was placed in the centre for a few weeks to help out while I was still in college. The three people that were put in charge were not trained in any career initiatives whatsoever.
Career Advice: When Assessments Speak
I am one who strongly believes in using a variety career assessments because they generate the needed dialogue to make good decisions. We set aside a number of hours for me to work personally with the three resource center staff. This story is about one who happened to be a purchasing agent. The clock was ticking. He would soon be out of work.
For me, the day we went over his Interest Inventory result was a day to remember. It was a good lesson for me to learn early in my career as an employment counselor. For some reason this fellow was very sceptical about any type of personal assessment so the fact that we got him this far was nothing short of a miracle. The highest score he achieved was that of a School Teacher, something he had always wanted to be. Basically, to this point he had spent all of his high paid working life in a job he didn’t like. The plant closure was a blessing in disguise, especially when the career he wanted to pursue all his life was…you guessed it…a School Teacher. His scepticism waned. My confidence in the process was built. But now is where the lesson really begins.
His Bad Decision
After high school, he was accepted and attended an excellent university and earned his Bachelors Degree. Like many young people, university was his first break from home and his freshman year very quickly became party central. During those early years, his social life with its taste of freedom trumped his academic pursuits. As a result, he managed to graduate four years later but with only a 68% average. After graduating he began his purchasing agent job to pay off some debt before his next step, intrinsically knowing what he really wanted to do, go to Teacher’s College. He applied to teacher’s college but was turned down due to his low university average. That was when he learned that to be accepted in this next step of his career path, he needed to have an 80% university average. Here is the lesson. His university lifestyle had cost him the opportunity to do what he really wanted to do. His bad decision caused him to live with regret. It is a shame because he had the goods to do it.
So What Is Your Choice?
I wish the story had a happy ending. I’m not certain where he is now or what he is doing He was able to fulfill a portion of his career aspirations. For several years he made up for his lost opportunity by being highly involved in the city’s athletic programs. Volunteering to coach kid’s playing in a variety of sports filled some of the void, but the reality is, what could have been his career was sacrificed for a bit of fun.
Where Career Advice Starts: It’s Decision Time
The sooner you know what you really want to do, the better. When you know what the career is with it’s requirements and expectations, you develop a plan of action to get you there. You can prepare. There will be no surprizes. This story has made working with students in Senior High School my favorite clients. I love to get them before university happens. It makes me feel that I can make a difference in their life at such an important stage, a stage that not only affects one’s career but their overall life. So, today you have an opportunity to make a decision that will impact all aspects of your future. As a student, CareerFitForYou.com is a great place to begin. On it you will find…
- Lots of free content and training that will give base level support
- A place to sign up for a Free eBook that will help you begin to think in the right direction regarding your Career
- The eBook will lead to a training program full of great material on Career Self-Assessment that you do from the comfort of your home and on your own timeline
- An online course which will help you at a much deeper level make wise and informed choices that will pave the way for ending your Senior High School and transitioning to a College or University where you will prepare for a successful career journey.
Clicking this link would be a great place to start:
Click here to learn where to get started in your Career Journey.
