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Should I Stay or Go With My Passion?

February 7th, 2012

Happy New Year! One great tradition of each new year is that many people usually take the time to reflect on what happened in the past year and ponder ways to improve in the future. There are lists of “bests” and “worsts” and advisory lists of things that one should or should not do.

I recently read a delightful series of “Life Reports“ published by New York Times columnist David Brooks. In these reports, Brooks asked people over the age of 70 to reflect on their lives — what made them successful, happy, sad, regretful, hopeful, etc. Not only were the reports fascinating to read, but they also got me thinking about the decisions I have made in the past year and the changes that I have made in my life.

After college, I joined Teach For America as a high school math and special education teacher. I cared – and still care – deeply about education inequity; however, I realized early on that teaching full-time was not for me. At all. In fact, I realized that everything I had planned for myself (grad school, academia, policy advisement) was not for me. I wanted to sing! Act! Write!

What was I to do? Was I being selfish? Was I being irresponsible? I think not. Six months later, I am not only still pursuing my career, but I am also working for two different arts education organizations in New York City. With one, I, along with other company members, use theater as a means for educating youth about HIV/AIDS, sex education, bullying, and a host of other issues. In another job, I run an after-school singing club that uses leadership skills as the basis for its curriculum. And yes: I still audition, perform, and write my own music all around the city!

All this is not just to say that life is great or easy; rather, it is to convey the idea that you can follow your passion and deal with issues you care about. Care about medicine but really would rather sing than be a doctor? Want to end world hunger but really want to do ceramics? Want to be an advocate for kids but creative writing interests you much more than a JD? Well, you don’t have to go down that unwanted path. Here are my three nonscientific R’s that I have found to be extremely helpful:

REFLECT:

It’s important to take time and think about what we really want. In our fast-paced society, most of us are always in a rush and rarely take the time to reflect on what we are doing. Are you doing things because you love them? Because other people think you should do them? Because of prestige? For financial security? There are no right or wrong answers to these questions — what is most important is that you are able to answer these questions honestly to yourself. At that point you can actually begin to assess what is most important to you and whether or not you are truly striving toward the things you value most. For some, that will be financial security. For others, it will be happiness. And for many, it will probably be a mix of both. But once you truly reflect on what it is you actually would love to do, then you can start trying to center your life around that goal.

RISK:

So, you know what you want to do, but there are a few problems in the way: college loans, kids at home, parents need financial help, your pedigree might fall. These are all issues that worry many of us; however, we can never go after what we really want if we spend our entire lives putting our passions on the backburner. Also, most of us don’t have to deal with all of these issues at one time, but the older we get, the more responsibilities we will have. Why not be bold while we’re still young and don’t have as many financial burdens that come with building families?

REWARD:

Reward yourself. No, I don’t mean go on shopping sprees and vacations that you cannot afford. I’m suggesting that you look at what you love – whether it is music, writing, sports, or medicine – and make it a part of your life. If you like music but are not in a position to go fully into the music industry, make sure you treat yourself to a concert or two. If you love writing but can’t leave your consulting job, make sure that you give yourself an hour or two on the weekends to fulfill that passion. You work hard. Maybe you cannot make the big jump to a new career, but you still deserve to incorporate your passions into your life.

These have been helpful to me, and I hope that they can be somewhat useful to you. Happy living.

By: Lumumba Seegars

Added to Fast Focus Careers Blog by Sunny Lurie

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Harvard Bus. Review, Work Today

January 6th, 2012

Recently published, The Corporate Lattice, Harvard Business Review Press; August, 2010 defines an emerging model more suitable for today’s workforce. At the heart of the lattice organization is a customized workplace that provides agility and options for both employees and employers. Individuals have more than one way to get ahead — and even more than one way to define what get ahead means. For employers, these options create strategic flexibility and drive greater employee engagement, resulting in superior performance. The book’s three key components or “lattice ways” involve:

How careers are built. Depicting career paths as multi directional with moves up and down, as well as diagonally and across. Success is defined and achieved in a multiplicity of ways.
How work gets done. Shifting from nine-to-five, in-the-office to results-driven work through a hybrid of remote and physical locations and communication methods.
How participation is fostered. Moving from top down to “all in,” as technology enables relationships, teamwork and collaboration that can no longer be constrained (or controlled) by the traditional rules of hierarchy.

The pace of change is faster. Organizational structures are flatter. Companies are much easier to see into. Careers zig and zag. Work is done whenever and wherever. Information flows in every which way. And performance and productivity are more dependent upon a highly educated workforce– much more diverse in every respect than ever before.

Together, these changes are forever altering the traditional assumptions on which the prevailing corporate ladder and the command-and-control, top-down management style that defines it were built. In the new book, Deloitte, Vice Chairman and Chief Talent Officer C. Benko and Deloitte Services, Director of Talent M. Anderson make a compelling case that it’s time to dismantle the metaphorical ladder.

The authors show that organizations are indeed making lattice investments — Web 2.0 technologies, career pathways, remote and virtual work sites, social networking, workplace flexibility, inclusion programs, etc.–but through the lens of corporate ladder thinking. These companies are responding with ad hoc, siloed and reactive efforts that fall short of the desired results by failing to also address the underlying “ladder” mindset and structures. By providing a framework to integrate these efforts, companies and individuals alike can visualize the shift and have greater clarity about the changes underway, thereby making both existing and future investments more productive. – PR Newswire. Added to Fast Focus Careers Blog by Sunny Lurie

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Update Your LinkedIn Privately

September 1st, 2011

Question: I am not actively looking for a job, but I want to make some significant changes to my LinkedIn Profiles so that I am branding my skills and experience in the best way possible. I’m worried that my LinkedIn activity will be seen as a ‘red flag’ to my employer and lead them to think I am actively searching for a new job. What should I do?

Answer: Great question! As more and more individuals begin to use LinkedIn (approximately 120 million people currently), the changes you make to your profile could be potentially shared with many individuals. Some of the changes you might make in LinkedIn like adding a new job position, adding a link to a website, recommending an individual or adding a connection send out ‘activity broadcasts’. In your situation, you do not want to share those changes with your connections.

The easy way for you to make changes to your profile that others don’t see is by managing your privacy control settings. You have the ability to manage those activity broadcasts (i.e. turn them on or off) and select who can see your activity feed. Keep in mind that joining a group will generate an update that cannot be turned off .

Here is a helpful link on how to show or hide your LinkedIn activities.

As with all of your information that is accessible via the web, make sure you understand what others can and cannot see (and understand the implications of someone viewing that information) before you add or change information about yourself.

Answer supplied by Amy Wolfgang.

Posted in Blog, Career advice, Career coaching, Career options, Career resilience, Sunny K. Lurie, career change, career counseling, career planning | No Comments »

3 Career Blunders to Avoid

August 6th, 2011

In this down economy these thoughts might strike a cord with you. But beware, these basic blunders may damage your career. Do you find yourself saying:

1- “I hope something will come along soon.” HOPING FOR FATE that a job will happen rarely brings employment. If you fall into this line of thinking you may mistakenly believe you can wait it out and something good will come to you. Do not allow your career to run on fate. You need a goal and a plan with tons of active networking focused on your target objective. Every now and then we get lucky, but don’t ever count on it.

2 - “I’ll take anything, even if it’s not what I like.” ANY JOB WILL DO may help pay the bills but it is only a short term fix. Do not use this as a strategy for career success. It often leads to frequent job-hopping and limited career growth. When you dislike your work it will probably show in your performance and right now, only those who excel receive promotions and pay increases.

3- “I have to stay in this job even though I hate it.” STAGNATING in a job should be unacceptable. Yes, work is hard to find but opportunities will become available. The ideal time to prepare for a better job /career is when you are unhappy or unemployed. Take time while you are working to come up with a new and satisfying direction. The worst damage you can do to your career is accepting misery. Happiness at work IS a choice – choose to make it happen!

Tags: Add new tag, Career advice, career change help
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Consider Being an Adult Intern

July 30th, 2011

Ever think about how to try out a new career? Why do only students get to work in internships? I encourage professionals at any age to seek an internship. Such as a short term project with a moderate salary to help a business or organization achieve a goal they’ve been wanting to complete. Offer your assistance and you get to test drive a new field -it’s great, everyone wins. So why don’t we hear about these opportunities more often? Probably because professionals typically don’t ask for a chance to do it.

I suggest if you are looking for a new career, identify a few organizations where you’d like to work and propose to take on a project for 30-60 days for a moderate fee. You would need clear objectives and outcomes and do the best job possible. After you finish the project, promote your accomplishments in your resume to market yourself in the field. People with the enthusiasm and creativity take on a temporary internship to gain experience, would certainly be impressive and stand out from the crowd. So let’s go companies and professionals – look for ways to get adult internships going – it’s good for everyone! If you want help starting this conversation, please contact us.

- Sunny Lurie, PhD., Fast Focus Careers

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A Secret Job Search

May 10th, 2011

We all have ways of conducting a job search for getting hired. But what if you don’t want your company to know?

Here are Two Ways to Conduct a “Secret” Job Search, by S. Lucas.

1. Think outside the industry.
Many people change industries all the time. If you start looking in
other industries, the gossip won’t be quite so quick to get back to
your boss.

2. Don’t change your LinkedIn profile— too often.
This is generally the opposite advice for job seekers. However, it’s
super-duper easy to see who is desperately looking for a new job on
LinkedIn. Suddenly their profiles are full and updated. (Remember,
if you’re linked to anyone at work, they will get emails saying,
“Jane Doe has an updated profile!” When you get one of those
three weeks in a row, there is no doubt that Jane Doe is looking for a new job.)
Additionally, three “new recommendations” also point towards “job hunting!”

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Find a Better Career: Step 1

April 8th, 2011

Tough times can shake people’s faith in their ability to make a career change to something better. In the midst of a sluggish economy many people are staying in unsatisfying jobs where they are unhappy and under-employed. To pull free of the wrong job fit or find a rewarding career after a job loss, it’s time to rethink your approach. Here is one important step to take to begin the process of finding a better career.

1. Discover YOU—your strengths and passions.

Often individuals who thrive consistently have high self-awareness about their strengths and passions. Many successful people including Oprah and Richard Branson, Virgin Air have said a condition for great achievement is passion. When your strengths and passions are applied in your work, your potential and enthusiasm are limitless. People who use their strengths and talents are more than three times as likely to report an overall excellent quality of life.

Once you clarify your authentic strengths and interests, you’ll be a powerful force when interviewing and striving toward your career goals. Do not look for a new job before you identify your strengths because you are likely to become underemployed and mismatched in the wrong position.

So how do you determine strengths to select a path that is right for you? Begin by brainstorming what triggers your enthusiasm and what motivates you. Sit down in a quiet place to list 20 things you like to do. Then look for patterns. Do you prefer working with data, people, things or ideas. You may discover, for example it’s more important than you realized to be physically active and your work should not be behind a desk all day. Or you want to be around busy and loud environments, which might rule out a secluded one-person office. You’ll know a particular career is right when you are curious and enthusiastic about getting started.

Get clear about yourself by answering the following questions:

- What is one skill or strength you do well that you would like to use in your work?

- Which of your previous work results are you proud of—and what were you doing?

- What tasks and topics get your heart racing?

- If you could do one thing in your professional life that would have the most positive impact, what would it be?

After completing the questions, it helps to talk through your answers with someone. Talking about yourself with a peer helps to uncover patterns and shines a brighter light on your skills and interests. It is critical not to isolate during a career move—it’s the kiss of death. Sometimes what you need most is a person who believes in you. It’s interesting that other people often can see for us what we may not see for ourselves. Other people can push us through walls that block us, sometimes just by having a new set of eyes on the problem. Often creative ideas are born during discussions with a different perspective. Many times, all it takes is an encouraging word or new idea from a friend to move forward. But a career change is not easy and next time we will cover the next step to help you handle change.

by Sunny Lurie, Fast Focus Careers

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Thinking About a New Career

February 22nd, 2011

A low risk way to test a new career is try it on the side. Many people want to experiment before leaving their full time job. Even if you are busy, “side launching” is a viable and effective way to begin your new career or business. These ideas can help you get going:

1. Be disciplined and consistent about the hours you choose to work on your idea. Is it from 5 to 7am before your family life or other commitments begin — or are late evening hours better? Are you carving out time on the weekends? Be honest and clear with yourself about where to find pockets of time and make it a part of your routine; your road to success will be faster.

2. Decide whether and when to tell friends, colleagues and your boss. You may be surprised by their enthusiasm and support. When I knew I was leaving Key Bank to begin my own company, I told my manager several months ahead and they were supportive.

3. Determine benchmarks for yourself that indicate when you would consider making your side work a full time venture. What would you be willing to sacrifice for a time if it meant being able to devote more energy to your new career? Be realistic but also be willing to go for it! Thanks to Ladies Who Launch for these ideas.

-Sunny K. Lurie, Ph.D.

Tags: Add new tag, career change
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A Clever Interview Technique

October 18th, 2010

Other people’s clever ideas inspire me. In this case it was a guy looking for a tech job who wanted to be noticed above other talented pros looking at the same company. So what did he do? He wrote a song called, “Hire me Bazaarvoice!” and put the video on YouTube. Wouldn’t you know it – the video began circulating around the office at his target company. And voila, a few months later, Matt joined the team as an Implementation Engineer.

Now let’s back up and look at Matt’s process for getting the job. He says, “when I was thinking about applying for the job, I knew a lot of other really smart people who were also applying. I heard stories about the interview process being rigorous. I knew that in order to make it I had to do something to stand out from the crowd. I was messing around on the guitar one night, and half jokingly played a song about Bazaarvoice to my wife, and told her I was thinking of putting it on YouTube. Her response was surprisingly very positive and she encouraged me.”

“So I scoured the Bazaarvoice website and wrote lyrics about the products and specifically how I could be an asset to Bazaarvoice. The combination of the song, YouTube video, and my website, made all the difference in the world. When I created it I expected that the recruiter and hiring manager would get a laugh out of it, and that would be the extent of it. Little did I know that it would end up spreading around the entire company and going viral.”

Matt’s video was an attempt to show his passion about working for the company and the importance of word of mouth—and in his case spreading a message about why he would be a good fit for the job. His idea worked and it’s great inspiration to others. Companies in all industries appreciate creativity. So be bold, be innovative and most of all be passionate-it can really help you succeed.

Thank you to Heather Henry for her original interview with Matthew Price.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u55mQEyWIAE

Tags: Interview
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