   Changing Course Newsletter: Issue 11Date: Jan19, 2001
Subject: Changing Course Newsletter: Issue 11
Changing Course Newsletter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Issue 11 - January 19, 2001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brought to you by Changing Course
http://www.ChangingCourse.com
Dedicated to helping you:
~ Live Life on Purpose
~ Work at What You Love
~ Follow Your Own Road
Barbara Sher, author of "I Could Do Anything If I Only
Knew What It Was," calls Changing Course "wonderful,
inspired and informative."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A strong passion for any object will ensure success, for the
desire of the end will point out the means.
~ William Hazlitt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN THIS ISSUE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ASK THE CAREER COACH
How can I learn about a career before taking the leap?
~ WHAT'S NEW AT ChangingCourse.com ?
Follow your dream of living and working abroad
~ FEATURE ARTICLE
Let's Talk Change
~ INSPIRATION TO FOLLOW YOUR BLISS
Words to Live By
~ LIVE YOUR DREAM MARKETPLACE
Products and services you might like to know about
~ FEATURED RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
FastCompany.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ASK THE CAREER COACH
How can I learn about a career before taking the leap?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QUESTION:
I know what my interests are, but I have a fear of entering into another
career and having it be not what I expected.
I am currently in public relations and absolutely loathe the work! I did
do research before entering into the field. My perception of public
relations was organizing and hosting events, welcoming guests, and being
the social "face" of a corporation. Overall, I thought it would be a
"friendly and positive" career change from my former field of
sales. Instead, I deal with very rude people everyday. My days are spent
calling media contacts, who act as though giving me five minutes
of their time is asking for their first born. And then, when they do
need something from me they call, frantically, demanding to have my
client on the phone immediately.
How can I get the real scoop on a new career before taking the leap?
Dina
ANSWER:
Dear Dina,
There's a saying people use to explain the difference between
advertising and PR: "Advertising you pay for, PR you pray for." And
there's the rub. As paid advertising budgets shrink, it has become an
increasingly tough field requiring a high degree of assertiveness,
persuasiveness and above all, a thick skin. It's not for everyone and,
as you've discovered, it's definitely not right for you.
So how do you avoid making the same mistake with your next move? I'm not
sure what kind of research you did on the PR field before you making the
change from sales, but there's no substitute for going into a new career
with your eyes open.
The first place to look is online. Here are three good sites that can
help you look before you leap:
~ with its very useful "what's great and what's to hate"
page,http://www.wetfeet.com,is one of the best
~ at http://www.vault.comyou can post messages for people who work in
various fields and for particular companies to get the insider's
perspective.
~ http://www.jobsmart.orgis a multi-purpose career site that includes
web-based and library guides on specific careers, on-line career
assessment tools, and great insights on career management.
Most importantly, Dina, you MUST get out and talk with people in the
field you are considering. You do this using a technique called
"informational interviewing." However, you should ONLY do this afteryou
have exhausted your on-line and library research. The technique involves
identifying, through your network of contacts, people who are doing the
job you're thinking about and then setting up half-hour appointments to
"interview" them about their job, field, career path, company and soon.
Make it clear up front that you are not looking for a job. More doors
will open for you by stressing that you are doing research, not
job-hunting. Is it tough to do this kind of research while holding a
full time job? Absolutely. But don't underestimate the possibilities for
after-hours meetings, early morning coffee, or doing it by phone. This
technique can be slightly altered and accelerated once you are in job
search mode. The very best guide on informational interviewing is in Ron
Krannich's book Change Your Job, Change Your Life.
Lastly, I encourage you to explore your career dreams with a
professional career counselor. Not sure how to find a career counselor?
What Color is Your Parachute author Richard Bolles's site at
http://www.jobhuntersbible.comoffers pointers for what to look for in a
career counselor.
Don't assume you can't make a living doing what you would truly enjoy.
Aligning who you are with what you do is what career satisfaction is all
about and you deserve to be happy.
Karen Knight is the Director of Career Network Associates, a community
career services program of the Campus Career Network at the University
of Massachusetts, and the author of the recent Alumni Career Search
Guide: Career Management and Marketing Strategies for the New Job
Market.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHAT'S NEW AT CHANGING COURSE?
NEW in the Live Your Dream Bookstore
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW BOOK: Work Abroad: The Complete Guide to Finding a Job Overseas,
Clayton A. Hubbs (Editor)
Is your dream to live and work in Paris or maybe beach front in Belize?
This comprehensive guide is just what you need to take the mystery out
of preparing for and finding work overseas. Includes work permits,
short-term jobs, international careers, teaching English, volunteering,
starting your own business and much more. Whether you are a professional
planning to relocate, a student preparing for an international career,
or a traveler looking to extend your trip, the thing you need most is
reliable information.
For your convenience, this and other books are available in the Live
Your Bookstore at http//www.ChangingCourse.com/bookstore.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INSPIRATION TO FOLLOW YOUR BLISS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As for courage and will - we cannot measure how much of each lies within
us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials
which may lie ahead.
~ Andre Norton
I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm
afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else; hard work and
realizing what is opportunity and what isn't.
~ Lucille Ball
All things are difficult before they are easy.
~ Thomas Fuller, MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
live life on purpose