No-School Cool Careers

When my clients are searching for a new career, they usually must discard many attractive options because the jobs require a long back-to-school stint. Here are some rewarding careers that don't.

What can you do today?

Scan this list of easy-to-transition-into careers. Do any of them make your heart beat a little faster? If so, consult the adjacent book for an introduction to that career.

• Fundraiser: Peter Edles' Fundraising
• Counselor of College-bound Athletes: Michael Koehler's Advising Student Athletes Through the College Recruitment Process
• Online Marketing: Dan Janal's Online Marketing Handbook
• Restaurant Menu Designer: David Pavesik's Menu Design.
• Professional Speaker: Dottie Walters' Speak and Grow Rich
• Garden Designer: Cheryl Merser's The Garden Design Book
• Computer Tutor: various titles in the ...for Dummies series
  Personal Coach (e.g., regarding shyness, parenting, time management): Thomas Leonard's The Portable Coach
• Buy a business: Harvey Gardner's How to Buy a Business With Little or No Cash Down.
  Consultant: Jeffrey Lant's The Consultant's Kit.
• Notebook Computer Repair Technician. Ron Guilster's A+ Certification for Dummies.
• Sales: Brian Tracy's Advanced Selling Strategies
• Real Estate Salesperson: Danielle Kennedy's How to List and Sell Real Estate in the 21st Century
• Neon Sign Maker. Wayne Strattman's Neon Techniques.
• 
  

http://www.martynemko.com/articles/no-school-cool-careers_id1143

Career Launchpads

How can you get an employer to hire you when you have no relevant experience?" Answer: Seek a launchpad job. These are entry-level positions that--if you're good--are launchpads to more professional jobs. Examples:

• In customer service and technical support, you learn about the company's products and their warts. That can lead to sales and marketing positions.
• Assistant to the person whose job you crave. Working at a pro's elbow is worth it, even if you have to make the coffee.
• Temp jobs can lead to permanent gigs--if you exude competence and enthusiasm, and explain that you'd do cartwheels if you could work there permanently.
• A substantive volunteer position; for example, serve on a non-profit board. Or tell your dream employer that you'll volunteer to work on a short-term project. Even if that doesn't lead to their hiring you, your resume can then trumpet that you just completed a project for a respected employer.

Of course, not every entry-level job is a career launchpad. Envelope lickers rarely move up.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/career-launchpads_id1139

Choosing a Career Counselor or Coach

So you’ve decided you need to spring for a pro to help you find a career, land a job, help you be more successful in your current job.

Here’s how to find the right one for you:

First, decide if you want a career counselor or a career coach.

While there is overlap (indeed, I feel my practice is truly a cross between the two) career counselors are more likely to:

1. Help you develop insight into who you are: your strengths, weaknesses, and predilections.

2. While not providing psychotherapy, help you understand fears that are keeping you from choosing a fully self-actualizing career or conducting an aggressive job search.

3. Teach you sound methodology for landing a job.

4. Help you craft a resume and cover letter.

Career coaches are more likely to:

1. Ask questions to help you identify goals and objectives for improving your performance on your current job or for getting promoted.

2. Ask questions to help you identify goals and objectives for improving your life outside of work.

3. Focus on the here and now rather than looking back to childhood-rooted psychological factors in your behavior.

Once you’ve decided whether you want a counselor or coach, how do you find the right person for you?

Sure, ask friends for recommendations, but I urge you to talk with three candidates before choosing one. You’re unlikely to get three names from friends, so I recommend you simply google “career coach” or ‘career counselor,” visit the websites of a number of them and then phone up those that sound potentially right. Don’t worry if they’re halfway cross the country. By-phone counseling can work almost as well as in-person. Better to have a superior counselor/coach by phone than a mediocre one in person. That said, if it’s important that your career counselor know the local job market well, google “career counselor’ and your locale.

On the phone, start by saying something like, “Hi, my name is X, I’m looking for a career coach and liked what I saw on your website. Would you mind answering a couple questions?” The person will undoubtedly assent, whereupon ask:

“Clients in what sorts of careers or situations are you most and least effective with?” (Do not tell your situation first. That can tempt the person to shade his answer to match your situation.)

If your situation doesn’t match with the person’s strengths, thank the person and say you’re looking for someone who specializes in people in your situation. Don’t let the person convince you otherwise. There are thousands of counselors and coaches. You have the right to hold out for one who’s particularly effective with people in your situation, for example, one that specializes in disgruntled lawyers or stay-at-home mom who’s ready to reenter the workplace. I, for example, specialize in helping people of exceptional intelligence become happier and more successful in their current career.

If the candidate counselor/coach does specialize in people in your situation,

1. In about 30-60 seconds, describe your situation and ask “How would the process likely work in my case?”

2. What is your hourly rate? I recommend against working with anyone who insists on a prepaid multi-session fee. Good counselors are confident enough in their ability not to try to get your money for multiple sessions upfront. So, if you like the counselor but he only mentions a multi-session prepay, ask, “I’m only willing to work with someone who charges by the hour? Are you willing to do that? And if so, what would that hourly rate be?”

3. Of course, this will vary, but approximately how many hours, over what period of time do you guess we’ll likely end up working together?

4. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me or ask me?

It’s usually recommended, at this point, that you ask for references. I don’t believe that’s worth it. Even most bad counselors can dredge up a few people who will say nice things. And many excellent counselors will refuse to provide references because they don’t feel the need to take the time to get clients’ permission to release phone numbers and impose on his clients to offer references.

At this point, if you haven’t yet spoken with three counselors/coaches, but like the person, say something like, “I’ve really liked talking with you and will probably call back to schedule an appointment, but I’ve planned to talk with one (or two) other people and I feel I should do that. Is that okay?

If the counselor is anything but supportive of that, beware. It, at minimum, suggests a short fuse that could blow at some point during your work together.

Next week, I’ll teach you how to make the most of your work with a career counselor or coach.

http://www.martynemko.com/articles/choosing-career-counselor-or-coach_id1508

My Ratings of Popular Careers

The 2002 book, The Jobs-Rated Almanac, attempted to rate careers. Alas, in its attempt to be as objective as possible, it seems to have missed the mark. For example, its #2-rated career is actuary. Yes, it’s lucrative and the working conditions are safe, but most people would find a life of analyzing insurance statistics, pardon the pun, deadly.

In contrast, this resource bases its ratings on both objective and subjective criteria. The objective information is gleaned largely from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook and the subjective information is a distillation of what I’ve learned from my confidential discussions with 2,400 clients plus countless conversations outside the office. I have always been fascinated by people’s work, so for decades, I’ve been asking people—at parties, in supermarket lines, everywhere--to tell me about their job.

Of course, a career that is excellent for one person is poor for another, but I believe valid generalizations can be made. While I’m issuing caveats, please also remember that each career profile is based on a relatively small number of interviews. This resource should be but one data point in a thorough effort to choose a career. At the end of each profile, I list additional resources: a link to a more detailed profile of that career in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (henceforth referred to as OOH), the Web site for an association of people in that career, and/or a book I believe would be helpful in exploring that career. If after reviewing those resources, a career continues to be of interest, conduct one or more informational interviews with and job shadows of people in that career. That approach will maximize your chances of being satisfied with your career.

EXCELLENT

Audiologist – One-on-one helping careers are rewarding and are usually in pleasant work environments. Audiology is my favorite. Pay and prestige are excellent and the job market will be strong because, as the boomers age, their hearing fades. And audiologists will be offering ever better hearing aids. The annoying conventional instruments are being replaced by ever more pleasing computer-controlled ones. A final plus is that audiology is an under-the-radar career—few people consider it, so competition isn’t as keen as it deserves to be. One downside: universities’ relentless push to keep more students longer is contributing to the growing trend to make audiology programs doctoral.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/my-ratings-popular-careers_id1299

My Seven Favorite Professions

If my relative asked me, “What are the best careers?” I wouldn’t cop out and simply say “It’s a matter of what fits you.” Here are seven careers that I believe, for many of college-educated people, are an ideal combination of money, status, meaningfulness, quality of life, and a good job market for the foreseeable future.

Orthodontist. It’s one of the few medical specialties in which self-employment remains a possibility, and the average self-employed orthodontist earns $200,000+ a year. Too, you develop a long-term relationship with most of your patients, and at the end of treatment, you’ve succeeded with nearly all--they walk out with a better smile. American Association of Orthodontists: www.braces.org.,William Proffit’s book, Contemporary Orthodontics, 4th edition.

Optometrist. Same deal: high cure rate, self-employment possibility, and six-figure average compensation. Plus, aging boomers mean increased demand for optometrists. American Optometric Association: www.aoa.org. Theodore Grosvenor’s book, Primary Care Optometry, 5th edition.

Audiologist. I rate this just a bit lower than optometrist because despite ever improving hearing aids, success rate is lower. So is the average compensation, though you’ll hardly starve. Too, the degree requirement has been ratcheted up: Until recently, a master’s would do. Now it’s a four-year doctor of audiology. Still an unusually rewarding career. The nation’s most famous hearing aid wearer? Bill Clinton. American Academy of Audiology: www.audiology.org Frederick Martin’s book. Introduction to Audiology (9th Edition)

Physician Assistant. You derive most of the rewarding aspects of being a physician with far fewer headaches. You get to do health exams, diagnosis and treatment (even including suturing) under a physician’s often not-close supervision, and instead of a dozen post-bachelor training years, it’s two. And there’s far less insurance and government paperwork. And while salaries aren’t doctorly, they’re pretty healthy: averaging $80,000 a year. American Academy of Physician Assistants: www:aapa.org. Terence Sacks’ book, Opportunities in Physician's Assistant Careers.

Higher Education Administrator. A college campus is among of the most pleasant and stimulating work environments. And with education ever more viewed as the magic pill, ever longer legions of students are lining up to enroll. That means a better job market for you. Perhaps the most fun niche: student affairs administrator: you might coordinate orientation, student housing, or extracurricular activities. Student Affairs Administrator in Higher Education: www.naspa.org. Nancy Archer Martin’s book, Career Aspirations & Expeditions: Advancing Your Career in Higher Education.

Landscape Architect. Just a bachelor’s and you can be designing resorts, industrial parks, and rich people’s backyards. And today’s newest religion is environmentalism, so there are lots of jobs in, for example, coastal habitat restoration. America Society of Landscape Architects: www.asla.org. John Simonds’ book, Landscape Architecture, 4th Edition

Librarian. Forget about the image of librarian as mousy bookworm. Today’s librarian is a high-tech information sleuth, a master of mining cool databases (well beyond Google) to unearth the desired nuggets. Plus you’ll probably have regular hours and good job security. American Library Association: www.ala.org. Priscilla Shontz’s book, The Librarian's Career Guidebook and Laura Townsend Kane’s book, Straight from the Stacks: A First-Hand Guide to Careers in Library and Information Science.

Does a specific career intrigue you? The next step is to check out that career’s professional association’s website (listed for all the careers above). If it’s still interesting, read the book I list. If the career remains in the running, find at least two people in the career (one can be misleading) willing to let you watch them in action for an hour or two. How to find professionals to shadow? Try the professional association site. It often includes a membership list or at least a list of its local chapters. Attend a chapter meeting, chat with a few people during a break and, voila, you’ll likely find people willing to let you observe. Don’t just watch; ask. These questions usually reveal the career’s dirt as well as its delights: Describe a typical day. What are the best and worst things about this career? What’s the wisest way to get trained? Are there particularly desirable niches within this career? Why do people leave this career? Anything else I should know before choosing this career? (A catch-all question is always a good idea.)

Of course, my favorite seven professions might be your nightmares. For one-paragraph introductions to 500+ careers, you might look at the brand new third edition of the book, Cool Careers for Dummies. Take that recommendation with a grain of salt--I wrote the book.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/my-seven-favorite-professions_id1534

Eight Keys to Making the Most of Your New Job

You think landing a great job is important? Even more critical is what you do to make the most of it. Here’s how:

Don’t let the cement dry. When you start out on a job, your feet are in wet cement. If you don’t get out fast, you’ll probably be stuck there a while. So when your boss says you’ll be doing tasks a 12-year-old could do, aim higher. Say something like, “I’m willing to pay my dues, but believe I could contribute more. I’m a pretty good researcher and writer.” Planting that seed often results in an upgrade to your job description. You’ll do more interesting work, plus honchos and co-workers will see you as an up-and-comer.

Be Time-Effective. The most productive employees have a little voice on their shoulder, whispering in their ear, “Is this the most time-effective way?” You want to work in a way that produced the most benefit per minute spent. For example, when filling in numbers for a spreadsheet, ask yourself, “Is it worth it to dig up the exact numbers or, in this case, will estimates do?” When you’re writing a report for the boss, is it worth interviewing one person, five people, or basing it purely on your own experience?

Get credit. Find tactful ways to get recognized for your good work Have a great idea? Don’t just tell your boss—he might steal the credit. Bring it up at a meeting. Have you created a draft work product you’re proud of? Consider sending it to respected colleagues for feedback--and to show them that you’re hot stuff. At evaluation time, ask, “I’ve kept a list of some work efforts I feel good about. Would you like to see them?”

Get the truth—about yourself. Garrison Keillor, host of A Prairie Home Companion, speaks of the imaginary Lake Wobegon, where everyone is above average. In real life, that’s how most people think of themselves—which is one reason employees who get fired are shocked. So from Day One, ask for candid feedback, not just from your boss but from respected co-workers, customers, and others. When you get that feedback, you may or may not decide to change, but think hard about what people are telling you.

Train for your promotion. What’s the next job you want? What skills and knowledge don’t you yet have? Get them. If your company is expanding its Beijing operation, should you download those Learn Chinese lessons? If your nonprofit needs help with its fundraising, should you bone up on the best donor-tracking software?

Recruit a dream team of support. Identify a half dozen people you admire, at your own workplace as well as other places you might like to work next: potential bosses, that in-demand computer genius, the political mastermind who seems to get whatever she wants. They can support you on your current job and in getting your next one. But remember the old Chinese warning: Ask before you’ve developed a proper relationship and you will be denied. So build relationships with them: Ask them out to lunch; offer to help them; invite them to a party.

Confront problems quickly. If you put problems off, they can metastasize. So when you don't undertstand something important, don’t fake it. Ask for help from your boss, a co-worker, or an outsider. Afraid that someone hates your guts? Tactfully address it. For example, tell the person, “I’m worried that I’ve somehow gotten off on the wrong foot with you. What can I do to make things better?” Dislike your job description? Politely ask for a change. Do it now.

Ask for what you want. Want to tackle a special project that you’d find fun? Ask. Want an exemption from the reporting requirements? Ask. Deserve a raise? Ask. Most people know that asking is key to happiness and success, but they’re too wimpy to speak up. Don’t be like them.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/eight-keys-making-most-your-new-job_id1531