There Are Good Times And Bad With Any Career

When we start our careers of choice, there’s always a learning curve to contend with.  This learning curve can send us right through the dump of doubt, frustration and delays.  Wouldn’t it be amazing to decide what we are going to do, and wake up the next morning and we have arrived at our career destination!  Or does the sense of fulfillment come with the journey?
As Sherlock would say, “it’s immaterial, my dear Watson”.  We all know, it doesn’t happen that way.  There are good times and bad with any career.  Bad times are the reason that our commitment to our career is so important.  But, how can we develop the commitment to stay with our career or job when times get tough?  I think passion is the key.  If we, not only, believe in what we are doing, but if we can locate the passion element in our career choice, it will take us through the troubled times.
As Rumi writes:
“Passion makes the old medicine new:
Passion lops off the bough of weariness.
Passion is the elixir that renews:
How can there be weariness when passion is present?
Oh, don’t sigh heavily from fatigue:
Seek passion, seek passion, seek passion!”
How do we seek this mysterious thing called passion?  We must find what we believe in, or what stirs our juices.  We could call that the “crusade” of our career.  The crusade might be, showing others how to create a better life, or helping animals, or cleaning up the planet, etc.
Leaders learn to recognize the crusade. They find “the something” people can believe in and promoting that cause with passion, moving people to action.  Everyone wants to follow a man or woman who is committed to what they believe in.  People will invest hundreds of hours into volunteer work for a candidate or causes they believe in.  Warriors will give their lives for their cause and country.  Players will win the game for a coach who works them hard and inspire them to believe in themselves.
For a rewarding career, there has to more inspiration than the money you think you can make, or how fast you think you can earn it.  Those are important, but seldom do they inspire us enough to weather the storm, when we are tossed around by the rough seas of our career path.  Much less, serve to fulfill us.
We must ask ourselves, “what in our career is bigger then ourselves?”  “What moves me to action?”  When we locate the crusade in our career we will find our passion.  As leaders, we must have the goal of  finding the  “larger than us” reason for our team to follow us.

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A Quick Look At A Career As A Pharmacy Technician,

When a person chooses a career as a pharmacy technician they will work directly under a Registered Pharmacist. It will be their job to dispense prepared medication to customers and assist in other work. If researching this kind of career it is wise to take time to explore the duties and responsibilities it entails.
Many people find that this career choice is an excellent way to be introduced into the medical arena. An individual may choose to work as a pharmacy technician while they pursue other medical career goals. The many levels of responsibility in this environment is a great learning experience.
Searching for information regarding this type of career will show that training usually lasts 6 to 9 months. Studies will include mathematics, drugs, medical and pharmaceutical terminology, compounding of prescribed medications and other things. This is an entry-level position which opens the door to many medical education possibilities.
There are both online and land-based schools that offer these programs. They are often on a fast-track so that students can begin their internship or work programs more quickly than with other similar programs. In some cases, an individual will pursue an A. S. Degree as part of the program, but in most cases, he or she will begin working when they have received their certification, when requirements are completed.
A person employed in this position will find themselves very busy with many different duties. They will answer the phone, collect prescriptions from patients, bag completed orders and do other tasks, depending on the demands of the position. They are not allowed to answer medical questions but are trained to offer advice regarding proper physicians or specialists.
Working in this job gives the technician a chance to put knowledge learned in the classes to work. In addition, the experience adds an insight concerning the little ins and outs connected with running such a department successfully. Learning the duties of the pharmacist, will quickly show if that is the direction the technician wants to take.
It is important that the technician have the ability to maintain organized records and an eye for detail. In many cases, the he or she will be responsible for ordering stock and supplies for the pharmacist. In addition, they will be asked to assist with promotional sales that may take place for over the counter medications or update records of customers who order prescriptions.
One way to decide if the career of a pharmacy technician is desirable is to talk to someone who is already in the field. Such a person can not only give advice, regarding duties connected with the job, but advise how it can be used to pursue a higher career in the pharmaceutical field. Having experience in an actual pharmacy gives a person a ‘heads up’ regarding obtaining further education and a degree. Research will show that many people in high ranking medical and pharmaceutical positions started out in this kind of a job.

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Will Running a Business Affect Your Child’s Career Choice?

The parents of every child entrepreneur are happy to see them using ideas, working hard and making money. However, there is also a fear that the youngster may prefer to stick to their business even after school and that this will prevent them from making a professional career. Is this fear substantial? Use this guide to find out.
Entrepreneurship at a young age should be viewed as a hobby. It is true that this hobby involves responsibilities, but it is designed for learning purposes above all. It is perfectly natural for a parent to encourage the child entrepreneur to learn about market fluctuations, marketing and management and to encourage them to do well in science or math. The two are not opposing. They are both valuable learning experiences.
Making profits does not mean that the business will remain profitable and grow in the future. It is really important for a parent to make this clear to a child entrepreneur. It is natural for the kid to be happy with the business and to wish to continue running it if the venture is doing well.
Hence, it is the responsibility of the parent to explain that circumstances change and that the business may not always do well. It is also worth explaining the importance of constant learning for the success of every entrepreneur. In this way, you will have the opportunity to encourage your youngster to consider different career options, apart from entrepreneurship.
Taking into account the interests and dreams of your child entrepreneur is essential. You may have always wanted your youngster to become a doctor. However, they are now running a successful venture in the graphic design industry. Your kid is happy with the work and with the way the business is going.
If this is what they want to do, then you should respect their decision. Of course, it is worth discussing all possible career options with your kid and the pros and cons of each one. In this way, the youngster will be able to make the right decision for them.
Overall, there is no danger of your child entrepreneur choosing the wrong career path because of running a business from an early age. It is true that entrepreneurship may affect this choice to an extent, but your kid’s long term interests and dreams will play a major role in the decision making process. With your guidance, support and help, your youngster will make the best choice.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & SPORTS CAREER MANAGEMENT

More than 45 million people find themselves unemployed each year.  Millions of others try to increase their satisfaction within the workplace as well as advance their careers by looking for alternative jobs and opportunities.  Statistics show that you will make more than 10 job changes and between three and five career changes during your lifetime.
Many people transition into a sports career by accident.  They do little career planning, other than take advantage of opportunities that arise unexpectedly.  While chance and luck do play important roles in finding employment, when you plan for future sports career changes, you will experience even greater degrees of chance and luck!
Finding a job or changing a career in a systematic and well-planned manner is hard, yet rewarding work.  The task should first be based upon a clear understanding of the key ingredients that define jobs and careers.  Starting with this understanding, you should convert key concepts into action steps for implementing your job search.
A career is a series of related jobs which have common skill, interest and motivational bases.  You may change jobs several times without changing careers.  But once you change skills, interests and motivations, you change careers.
This process is not just for job seekers or those “on the outside, trying to get inside”, but also for the millions of professionals currently working in Sports in need of strategic action plans that help individuals to recognize where their career has been, where it is now, and where it is going.

Job Search Process

Networking plays a key role in the overall sports career development and job search process.  If you want to find a job or change careers in sports, you must first know how networking relates to other equally important career development and job search processes.
Finding a job in sports is both an art and a science. It encompasses a variety of basic facts, principles and skills you can learn, but you must also adapt to different situations. “Learning how to find a job in sports” can be as important as “knowing how to perform a job.” Having marketable skills is essential to making job search strategies work effectively for you.

Four Step Career Development Process

1. Conduct a Self-Analysis…(Skill Set Driven)
Assess your skills, abilities, motivations, interest, values, temperament, experience and accomplishments.  Your basic strategy is to develop a firm foundation of information about yourself before proceeding to other stages in the career development process.  This assessment develops the necessary self-awareness upon which you can effectively communicate your qualifications to employers as well as focus and build your career.  Know your strengths, weaknesses, and what you do best.
2. Gather Career Information…(Marketplace Segment Driven)
Here you need to formulate goals, gather information about alternative jobs and sports careers through reading and talking to informed people.  Then narrow your alternatives to specific marketplace segments for which you have the highest degree of passion and interest. When you match your skill set with your passion, you will never work a day in your life.
3.  Develop Job Search Skills
Focus your career around specific job search skills for landing the job you want.  These skills are closely related to one another as a series of job search steps.  They involve conducting research, writing resumes and letters, prospecting and networking, conducting informational interviews, interviewing for a job, and negotiating salary and terms of employment.  Each of these skills involves well-defined strategies and tactics you must learn in order to be effective in the job market.
4. Implement Each Job Search Step
The final step emphasizes the importance of transforming understanding into action.  You do this by implementing each job search step which already incorporates the knowledge, skills and abilities you have acquired.

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10 Tips for Career Development

By Roberta Neault, PhD and Deirdre Pickerell, MEd 

Whether your organization is struggling with recruiting the right employees at the right time, sustaining employee engagement, or facilitating gracious exits, a systematic career development process may be helpful. Employee career development is a responsibility shared between individuals and the organizations they work for; intentional career development interventions can result in optimal career engagement (i.e., an appropriate match between challenges and individual/organizational capacity). Disengaged employees may feel underutilized (i.e., they have more to offer the organization than they’re invited to contribute) or completely overwhelmed (i.e., challenges are far beyond their individual capacity, or the resources available, to get their job done).
The following 10 tips will help you get started in building an in-house career development process to keep employees at all levels of your organization engaged.
1. Clarify the concept.
Ensure all stakeholders (i.e., board members, leadership team, supervisors, and employees) have a shared understanding of “career development” and what your proposed process will entail.
2. Metrics matter.
Whether to build a business case to launch a new career development initiative or to sustain funding so that it doesn’t become simply the “flavour of the month,” it’s important to collect relevant data, measure return on investment, and document relevant change.
3. Convince key players.
Research supports that employees are attracted to organizations that support career development and are more likely to stay if they continue to grow and develop. Adjust your message according to who you need to convince, focussing on “What’s in it for them?”
4. Culture shifts slowly.
A process is not simply a program. To make a significant difference, career management needs to become embedded into organizational culture. This is a responsibility shared by everyone in the organization, not just the human resource management (HR) team.
5. Choose a champion.
An effective organization-wide career development process needs dedicated time, resources, and accountability for measurable outcomes. By identifying a champion, you will ensure that employee career development stays on the radar screen as a core business priority – not a “pet project” managed off the side of someone’s desk.
6. Communicate constantly.
To ensure that career development stays top of mind for all stakeholders, constant communication is crucial. Embed your message within all available internal and external media (i.e., newsletters, intranet, website, corporate TV, screensavers, recruiting brochures, employee orientation handouts, social media), as well as offering topical workshops, seminars, webinars, or courses.
7. Dream big . . . start small.
Begin with a comprehensive vision of what you’d like your career development process to become, but don’t hesitate to start small. As you’re making a case and convincing key stakeholders, consider setting up a section on your corporate intranet, bookmarking relevant websites, displaying posters about career services within your community, or partnering with a community-based career resource centre to support recruitment of new employees and help them continue to manage their careers while employed.
8. Bridge the silos.
Typically, career counsellors and coaches study and work within very different worlds than HR professionals or organizational development consultants. However, especially in regards to employee career development, both groups have much to learn from each other.
9. Career coaches are made . . . not born.
Although HR professionals, managers, and supervisors may have extensive training in their own fields of expertise, they may have no training specific to career development. To support your career development process, consider hiring a career development specialist, supporting your champion to access relevant professional development, and training your managers and supervisors to have effective career conversations.
10. Clarify responsibilities.
As previously discussed, employee career development is a process, with contributions required from the organization, managers, and employees themselves.
Being intentional about building and sustaining your process has the potential to reap great rewards – at all stages of employment from recruitment through to gracious exits.

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