Thursday, February 28, 2008

We Never Truly Stop Learning


I often wonder if I was actively looking to switch careers right now, would I be relevant to the current job market. It seems like an eternity since I was in college (1976-1981) and the world is much more complex than it was then. This was before CD players, personal computers, laptops, Ipods, Iphones, text messaging, cell phones, etc. Is it any wonder that I feel like a relic. Although, I recently read something that made me feel better about the college degree that I did earn and I would like to share it.

Is Your Degree Recyclable?
By Kara Wahlgren

Feeling a little lukewarm about your current job? You're not alone. In a national employment survey conducted by Harris Interactive in 2007, 84 percent of workers said they hadn't landed their dream job yet. But, switching jobs can be a daunting prospect, especially if your ideal position is in a completely different field. If you're like many recent college graduates, you may feel that a drastic career change would be a waste of the time and money you invested in your education. In reality, there's no need to throw away all your hard work -- most degrees can be relevant to a wide range of career paths as long as you know how to make the most of your educational achievements. Here's how to give your degree a second life.

Get nostalgic: Before you make your next career move, consider the reasons you chose your current field in the first place. Are you a fact fiend? A numbers geek? A creative free spirit? If you want to be happy in your next job, make sure your goals mesh with your core values. "The best career is going to be a match based on your interests and skills," says Lynn Berger, a career counselor and coach in New York City. Say you're an engineer longing for a creative outlet. Berger points out that engineering is a specialized field that attracts analytical thinkers -- so an innovative field like robotics or ergonomics will probably be more fulfilling than a career in poetry writing. Likewise, a financial whiz might find respite from a trading job by working as an analyst for a nonprofit."Why did you pursue that degree? Is it something you're passionate about?" asks Hallie Crawford, CPCC, an Atlanta-based certified career coach. Once you've reconnected with the plus points of your current field, you probably won't have to stray too far to find job satisfaction.

Rethink your degree: Even if you discover that your dream job is in a completely different field, don't worry that your degree will go to waste. According to David Hults, CEO of activ:8, a career coaching firm in St. Louis, and the author of "From Cornered to Corner Office," many job seekers underestimate their value by focusing too much on their college major. "Your degree is not who you are. That's a mistake that we make," Hults says. "We're much more diverse than that. We're short-sheeting our own bed." Hults recalls one client who wanted to make the leap from graphic design to crime scene investigation. Although the two careers seemed disparate, he found a common thread: The designer was a perfectionist with an obsessive attention to detail. "I need to know the truth about this graphics program' translated to 'I need to know the truth about what happened,'" Hults says.

Pinpoint your skills: You may feel like you're starting from scratch, but in reality, you've amassed an impressive skill set throughout your education and employment. If you pause to take inventory of your abilities, you may find that you're far more qualified than you initially thought. "Get clear on what your transferable skills are -- problem solving, calculating data, organizing -- regardless of what your degree is," Berger says. And don't feel obliged to follow the traditional career path for your major. Crawford advises, "Think out of the box. Ask yourself what you learned by pursuing that degree." For example, you might assume that your Bachelor of Arts degree in history makes you ill-equipped for a career as a sports writer, but don't overlook your passion for sports, superb writing skill and ability to retain trivia and make past events relevant.

Emphasize the "how": Most employers are far less concerned with your chosen major than with the way you use your background to do your job. "Interview questions are all about how you handled situations," Hults says. "I can teach somebody a skill, but I have a hard time teaching people to be responsible or organized." When you're applying for your dream job, explain what makes you uniquely qualified for that position. Perhaps your humanities degree allows you to understand an advertising firm's target audience, or your English degree equipped you with the written communication skills you'll need for a career in management. Your degree reflects the way you think and work, so don't hesitate to tout those attributes to a potential employer.Above all, realize that your talents helped you earn your degree -- not the other way around. When you're making the decision to switch careers, concentrate on the unique skills and work ethic that led you to your current degree, and then ask yourself how those qualities can help you succeed in your desired field.

After reading this, I felt so much better. So, if there are any of you out there who went to school when I did or even before I did, there is a lot of living and learning yet to be done. We never truly stop learning.

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