OK for all of you caught in the slow economy, there were some worse times in the 70's and early eighties. Imagine unemployment of 11% and interest rates of 21%. That makes what we are in right now a bit pale in comparison. You can imagine the way people must have felt that were looking for work then or trying to get a mortgage. What is hard is to think that it will turn around when you are in the depths of it. So my advice is if you are employed maybe wait out the career changes for later and if you are looking for work never give up, since the turnaround will be one company at a time and maybe the one you trying for will be the one hiring. I also find it is good to talk to as many associates as possible so you can understand that slow times are not directed at you but more endemic. You may also find just the right call lands you the right connection. I often call my alumni and ask if they know of anyone that maybe be hiring and approach the alum by asking their opinion on where to look for work. Chances are they do not have jobs to give you but may know of some other companies to try.
Do we have the right education choices available?
I was just reading Evan’s blog on Education in this country. What a great piece and it got me to thinking that our personal ROI is not only our own responsibility through the choices we make and investments in our selves, but it also a function of what options are available to us. Certainly if you read through some of the ideas that he puts or references he makes, it would be a good idea for us to support some of the initiatives that are needed to promote a strong education in this country.
When deciding how to invest my money in myself on education or self improvement I make choices based on cost and availability of programs. Should I take a $75k MBA; an online PhD; go to trade school etcetera. If I choose the one that I think is the best then I might have to reconsider if there are no grants available or if I can not work at the same time. If you think of the even bigger picture then I should also be aware of what career paths are most in demand. To this point the government should make it more clear what skills are needed in this country so that the global skill set helps the economy.
I think the most input I got before going to school was that you should have a university degree and why not get one that has some jobs when you get out. I never recall looking at long term projections of how those four years would push me into a highly marketable job skill area. So hopefully with a new government in place and people like Even and others being politically active, maybe we can push the boards of education to be more communicative with the fresh crop of teenagers that about to enter into colleges and universities.
Development starts by the time you are about 15 and lasts a lifetime; so let’s see if collectively we can push our government to have a more cohesive plan for education that is personal and effective. Just think of the money that we spend on the Iraq invasion every month for no long term ROI... now if we had part of that invested in education!!!
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Life Coach?
Last week I was talking to a long time friend of mine who said he was discussing how to deal with the downturn in his consulting business over the summer. A few reactions occurred to me when I heard that; (1) if there is a downturn then how can you afford an outside consultant to help you; (2) why can’t you just figure out what is wrong about your business on your own.
After my initial reaction I started to think about what he was really getting from that coach and I remember a few years ago that ‘his team’ had sent me a survey asking for my opinion on that person and to answer some specific questions.
So after some reflection I realized that there was probably a very useful need for a coach or at least to be introspective about what I was doing right or wrong with my day and career. A quick check of the back account revealed that hiring someone at $75 plus per hour was out of the question. Now to plan ‘B’, why not try to be somewhat objective about my strengths and foibles and then make a plan all on my own to improve in a few areas at a time.
I found first that a life coach deals with a broad base of inspiration from sociology, psychology, career counseling, and mentoring. Wow, that should unearth some things about me if I really spend the time to look at my life through those different lenses. So I have started to do that and although I am not finished yet realize that I need to listen better to close friends and associates that may have good advice in the form of being a mentor; try to set some goals in areas that I put off; and maybe even try to do some behavior modification. I guess for now the most important thing I see is to set and reach goals and in doing that it will make me change for the better….and save $75/hour.
