Your Career, Your Life

A practical approach to making one of the biggest decisions in your life

Certainly one of the biggest decisions facing students, recent grads or even mid-career changers is a choice of a career. Some of us just stumble into a career, others are born into one, but most of us are faced with the daunting challenge of finding our way into a career. We are often perplexed with finding the right path and finding out how to make the “best” career decision for ourselves. In short, we may feel disoriented even though we’re well educated, have a degree from a fine institution of higher learning and are ready to take on the world.

So, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Some of us seem to know the answer to that classic question instinctively. At age six or seven some kids seem to instinctively “know” they want to become a doctor or an engineer. But most of us are clueless about career choice and how we’re going to get there. As that great American philosopher and former baseball player, Yogi Berra, once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up somewhere else”.

Most people around the world concentrate on earning a living and survival. They don’t have the luxury of a long socialization period as we have in the US. They’re not troubled by career decisions. They perform work that’s available and they’re able to do. Simple but stultifying [certainly not a satisfying life style].

Those of us who are blessed to live in the US, for the most part, have an opportunity to make choices in our lives. The purchases we make, the debts we incur, the college we attend, where we vacation, where we live, how we live and many others are all examples of life choices. We obsess over quality of life issues, quality time concerns, managing stress, extreme makeovers and more. So naturally we’re overwhelmed with possibilities and multiple choices in our lives. Career decisions, therefore, just become another one of those many vexing options that present themselves in our lives.

Where am I going, and how am I going to get there?

Formulating career options usually begins in high school and continues into college years. We choose a college, we select a major subject and off we go! But to where? Graduation….that’s my goal. Get that degree, get those grades. Then on to graduate school. Great! How did I get here and where am I going. I’m not sure is, more often than not, the answer we hear.

A practical approach to making career decisions…

If you find yourself asking those questions, you’re not alone. The good news is that it’s possible to gain direction, a sense of purpose and meaning in your life by taking a few simple but powerful steps to gaining control over your choice of careers. How?

By asking focused questions, seeking advice and guidance, acting on your instincts and doing what you enjoy and are interested in.

Using the following proven approach to making contacts with people effectively can change your indecision into success. Through target marketing contacts, you’ll significantly improve your market knowledge, gain insights into the world of work and gain perspective upon which you can reasonably base career decisions.

So what’s the answer, oh Master?

Combining targeted networking techniques with your career decision-making process will result in significantly improved career choices.

Defining terms

Targeted networking is a focused communication activity that, when used effectively, utilizes people contacts to gain information about potential careers, industries, companies, jobs and people.

Networking is also a self-marketing technique that centers on developing relationships and sharing information. It’s not a series of one-way communications; rather it’s a dialogue, a sharing of insights, information, referrals, and leads. Targeted networking is powerful tool as well as a critical career/life skill that everyone should develop and dedicate themselves to over the course of their lifetimes.

Specifically…

Targeted networking is an art that enables an individual to:
o Build effective contacts and relationships
o Get answers to questions about careers
o Acquire relevant information to help make informed career decisions
o Help avoid making poor career decisions
o Gain personal visibility

So…what’s in it for me? Why should I network?

Well, you don’t have to network, but you may regret not connecting with people who can influence and guide you in career choices, support you with your decision making and position you for employment opportunities you never dreamed of. So what do you have to lose? Try it, you might like it!