Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Five Steps for a New Career Change by James Copper

A new career change can be rewarding. You are tired of the position you hold now. You feel that a new career change is just the thing to help you get back on track. We have five steps to help you on your road to a new career change. A lot of the times when a person is changing careers they begin to ask how to get the new job, change industries, or how to set up their own business. There are hundreds of questions that come up with a new career change. What you need to realize is that you do not have to have all the answers. You can slowly gain the answers you need regarding a new career change as you move through the process.

Most individuals already have an idea of the career change they would like to make. They know the industry they are interested in, and though they are not sure if they could change to this career they need to find some answers. Tip one in gaining a new career change is to identify individuals who are successful in the career you are looking at. Who has made a success of their business, their position, etc? Sometimes you may not know a person in that new field; however, do not give up. You may do a search online for a well known person that has succeeded in the career option you are looking for. Your friends may know someone you can speak with.

Step two will now come into play. Once you have found the person you seek you need to draw up a few questions. Examples are below:

1. The background and skills you have can help you in the new career- what skills do you have that will help you change to the new career? 2. Are there books, trade press, or websites you can use to gain more skills in the new career change? 3. Is there a professional support group that might help bolster your confidence to make the change?

These are just some of the questions you will need to ask yourself and the person who has succeeded. When you call the person to speak about their success just ask for 20 minutes of their time. Most individuals are happy to tell you how they were able to succeed in order to help you.

If you can meet in a public place to have the interview face to face this is best. You can of course ask the questions via phone if you have no other option. This part of obtaining a new career change is all about the research. You are just trying to find information. You should worry about your impression, but not like a job interview. You want to be professional, but also leave the pressure off.

Make sure you ask the person for two other names in the industry that you might talk with. This helps you gain different perspectives. Once the interview has been completed remember to send an email thanking them for their help. This can help you in the new career change by finding the right path.

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Sunday, April 26, 2009

How To Deal With A Job You Hate

The term job dissatisfaction has been a popular topic of many water cooler discussions. How many times have you heard someone complain about their job? A better question is, how many times have you? How do you deal with a job you hate but have to keep in order to pay the bills and feed your family?

Some studies show that job dissatisfaction is one of the main causes of stress and stress is one of the main causes of illness. This article is not about how to find out if you hate your job or not. If you hate your job, you know it. So let's see what sort of options you have to deal with this without outright cutting off your only source of income.

When you have a job you hate, it's very draining both mentally and physically. But if you've had your job for some time now, you most likely have done what most people do. You've found ways to make yourself believe that the job isn't all that bad. You focus on the good things about the job in order to drown out the bad things.

Although this is a good temporary solution, overtime, it will have an adverse effect on you. You can't lie to yourself for too long. That fake smile you put on everyday will eventually turn into a frown and your attitude will suffer as well. So what is a better solution?

Figure out exactly what makes you hate your job.

Is it the actual work itself or the environment or working conditions? If you have a job you can care less about, then the obvious solution is to find a way to get into a job that means something to you. If you have a job that is in a field you like but you hate because of the working conditions (pay, co-workers, lousy boss, etc.) then you need to find a way to upgrade your conditions by going to another company or getting a promotion.

Although these solutions may seem obvious, the challenge is that because many people use rationalizations to feel better about their jobs even though deep down they hate it, they will feel comfortable where they're at. Whenever we're comfortable, we will stagnate and not do anything to change our situation.

So the way to deal with a job you hate is to really hate it. Don't deny your emotions, they're telling you something. Use that energy to create a plan and take action to move yourself towards a job, career, or company you will actually enjoy working for. When you know that there's a bright future at the end of the tunnel instead of a brick wall, although you'll still hate your job, you'll have something to look forward to each day. That will make a huge difference in your level of happiness.

You will spend the majority of your adult life working. You have one life to live and it's short. If you agree with these two statements then it should make no sense to you to be sticking with a job you hate for the rest of your life.

So the way you deal with a job you hate but can't just outright quit yet, is to create a plan of escape to eventually be able to leave the job and do something you enjoy even if it takes years to accomplish because if you don't, you'll end up hating your life. And when you hate your life, what's the point?. by kevin Ngo

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