tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98414962011-11-28T10:52:51.017-08:00Career Development and other musings from a professional career counselor.Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-88486526852159994222010-10-18T17:38:00.000-07:002010-10-18T17:40:19.854-07:00

On a rainy day in Southern California (yes, they sometimes do happen), I reminisce about the several beach days I had recently over the summer.  In this reverie, I thought of an analogy to career development that would make sense to anyone who has been to a crowded beach on a hot summer day.  When you arrive at the beach on such a day, how do you pick your spot on the sand?  For me, I am

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-27089344157682152242010-06-29T18:15:00.000-07:002010-06-29T18:15:52.342-07:00

 Guy Kawasaki's   Holy Kaw!  segment on Alltop.com led me to an interesting article in WSJ titled, No Glass Ceiling for the Best Job in the World by David Kesmodel.  In this article he reflects how even though men account for nearly 73% of the beer-drinking market, women apparently are better tasters when it comes to testing new product. Though I could reflect on how stereotypes have prevented

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-32089255104806919162009-11-01T12:01:00.000-08:002009-11-01T12:02:51.382-08:00

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to get my Swine Flu immunization. Quite a few people in my circle have been getting sick, and the media's pervasive coverage of this illness would make it seem that the pending pandemic is potentially pernicious enough to rival the Black Plague or something so dramatic. So, with that, I determined, "Why not?" While waiting in the doctor's office, I

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-91203180322317952982009-09-07T09:47:00.000-07:002009-10-19T09:49:07.525-07:00

I don’t suspect that I will ever look at nature with the ego-dissolving spiritual intensity of Eckhart Tolle or his Transcendentalist predecessors, but I do enjoy the meditative solitude of being out in nature and am often inspired by it. And so yesterday, I decided to fully enjoy an hour-long hike. In that brief outing, I did have some remarkable revelations. First, I realized that though I

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-5689948839089243192009-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:002009-10-19T09:50:23.442-07:00

A few weeks ago I was watching a television airing of The Incredibles. Don’t ask why I sometimes do this when I own the DVD of a film, but that would be another topic. What I wanted to dwell on is more like what Pamela Slim does with Cinderella and appreciate how accurately career development is portrayed in a story marketed for children. At the beginning of the movie, Mr. Incredible loves his

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-9538361048955896032009-07-27T09:51:00.000-07:002009-10-19T09:53:04.919-07:00

The other evening, I watched a fascinating lecture on UCTV, the television channel that broadcasts lectures from the University of California. The particular lecture I was watching was one given by Laura A. Schmidt, titled Health in America: Whats Health Reform Got to Do with It? In it, Dr. Schmidt discusses the sociological dynamics of healthcare, and identifies something that has long been

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-25903080369386980702009-07-18T09:53:00.000-07:002009-10-19T09:57:42.239-07:00

Approximately six months ago I began the process of transferring and transforming my blog from an old site to a new site. Though this process began with a passionate fury, I found myself bogged down when it came to deciding which WordPress theme I should use. I am still as frugal as they come—so I limited myself to free themes, and even with that limit—there were ENDLESS options, and none that I

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-40968701587258334742009-01-19T09:48:00.000-08:002009-01-19T10:59:31.892-08:00

Obama is moments away from taking office. Already there are naysayers criticizing his lofty promises or accusing him of being an extension of the crooked politics that abound in Illinois. Even many who voted for him and currently support him are somewhat sceptical about his immediate ability to attack all the the problems his administration will inherit. Regardless of how you feel about the new

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-30493990827230531002009-01-04T16:16:00.000-08:002009-01-04T16:27:10.820-08:00

It took quite a while and a whole lot of resistance, but three weeks ago, I signed up for Facebook as an additional means for me to expand my network and general branding. I had avoided Facebook because I was worried its application was less professional and sophisticated than what I was already using. Moreover, already on Twitter and LinkedIn for sometime, it did not make sense for me to add

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-50985081688371653192008-12-15T20:09:00.000-08:002008-12-15T20:59:14.068-08:00

I don't know why it came to mind today, but for some reason I thought of one of my favorite movie monologues of all time. The monologue is from Network. The movie is now over 30 years old, but the words and details of this monologue written by Paddy Chayefsky could have just as easily been written to describe the events of the day:Howard: I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-67036841961583582152008-12-06T13:34:00.000-08:002008-12-06T14:15:47.641-08:00

The pervasive bad news spinning through the media right now is really astounding: the continuing drops in the stock market, declining retail profits, the dying automotive industry, increasing foreclosures, layoffs, hiring freezes, unemployment (or underemployment). It has really snowballed over the last few months. The reiteration I continually hear is that we are facing times worse than any

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-72707148414748621302008-11-11T13:03:00.000-08:002008-11-11T13:50:20.393-08:00

It was just the other week when I wrote about getting life back into a sense of balance. Since then, I have made progress in my own life, moving in the direction of my choice, but I acknowledge that I still need to take greater charge and face hurdles that I have still avoided.Today, I read a most-inspiring posting on this topic from Gail over at Inspire Me Today. If you ever start to feel like

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-47031927832386154512008-11-09T20:19:00.001-08:002008-11-09T21:11:26.821-08:00

I recently picked up the latest Reader's Digest, and in it was an Einstein quote I had never seen before:"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."This is a fantastic framing of the half-full bucket or optimistic vision coming from one of the greatest minds in history. These are indeed tough times for many,

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-659964236681089622008-10-31T12:30:00.000-07:002008-10-31T12:51:35.015-07:00

Here's a great quote from John Wooden, the best coach ever: "Success is the peace of mind, which is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."Success is more growth than it is actual attainment or achievement. Do you have this kind of peace of mind? Are you striving for your absolute best?

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-85393432109066763562008-10-17T21:22:00.000-07:002008-10-18T06:26:54.164-07:00

The present transitions in my life have inspired me to reveal what my internal motivational coach is prodding in a self-talk of sorts. Honestly, I am struggling. I feel like my life is out of balance, and I am not focused on moving beyond where I do not want to be and moving forward in the direction that I chose to go. And this is more related to my life at home than it is with my job, but career

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-71340102244983558792008-09-12T18:25:00.000-07:002008-09-19T05:59:12.688-07:00

In a tough economy, the job search is even tougher. Valiant efforts such as multiple resume submissions, job fair attendance, and contacting everyone in your network sometimes result in little or no reward. I have coached people who seem to be doing everything right, and yet for whatever reason, they still do not get their desired result. And it can even be more difficult when you are rewarded

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-334772692128970072008-08-24T19:54:00.000-07:002008-08-24T19:59:55.001-07:00

I apologize for not having a posting up over the last few weeks. It has been a crazy month for me with a new job, and helping many others find jobs as well. The break did inspire me to write on a very important topic: keeping in touch. You can find this latest post on The Talent Buzz Blog. The title is Keep in Touch. I submitted there for a contest, so be sure to visit and tell me what you

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-80893272332942148062008-08-02T23:16:00.000-07:002008-12-09T21:38:58.484-08:00

The PSFK blog recently posted a startling story about a phenomenon called "IT Rage." Their source story from Pocket Lint reports that nearly three quarters of respondents had hurled an electronic gadget in a fit of rage. Though my wife might tell you that I have had issues with anger management, I can never remember harming anything--including my computer or other gadgets. It is amusing though

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-1138406394214465752008-07-16T21:09:00.000-07:002008-07-16T21:50:15.432-07:00

Forgive me for potentially alluding to a cheesy ballad from glam rock days, but it did seem like a catchy title for today. After reading this, you could say that I might have gone with a more noteworthy song from the same era, but now to the point: We all have the potential to live lives with passion and purpose so strong that we would rather die than relinquish what we live for.The inspiration

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-56906891742691681172008-07-12T12:52:00.000-07:002008-07-12T13:25:17.636-07:00

I have been holding out on making an announcement, as I know it is only prudent not to count chickens before they are hatched. But next week, I will be leaving a most gratifying job, and moving on to a new challenge.Though the title of this blog reflects my current job title as Career Counselor, as well as my master's degree specialization, my new title will be Vocational Evaluator. I will still

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-14190453217401877482008-07-06T21:12:00.000-07:002008-07-06T21:33:38.567-07:00

I bought a new car today--an extravagant practice my prudent self tries to avoid for at least 10 years. It's fun, but let's face it: it's a horrible investment and most dealers are not very kind at all, and going through this process is especially challenging for a guile-free idealist like myself. My old car was less than 6 years old and had just over 70K miles on it. It ran great, and made a

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-84396137109864106642008-06-13T20:31:00.000-07:002008-06-13T21:00:56.918-07:00

My younger brother has been a Los Angeles City firefighter for over 10 years. Though he has always enjoyed adrenaline and the physical challenge of various sports, for the longest time, I would never have guessed that he would select firefighting as a career.Why?Well, let's just say that when he was very little, the sight of flames terrified him. I remember our first family trip to Disneyland,

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-53457931621691596722008-06-04T07:55:00.000-07:002008-06-06T07:18:10.710-07:00

I like to follow the Careers Section of the Condé Nast Portfolio.com website because, among other things, it has weekly career snapshots of individuals in some unusual occupations. This week they did a write-up on professional poker player, Tom Schneider. While Mr. Schneider was once a successful CEO for a midsized company, he now experiences wide success doing something that he is good at,

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-63681826074846387652008-06-01T21:37:00.000-07:002008-06-01T23:26:10.559-07:00

On a lead from the PSFK blog, I was amazed to find that Daniel Burd, a sixteen year-old kid from Canada, had quite possibly found a solution to a major environmental scourge: the disposable plastic shopping bag.When you consider that most of these bags are not recycled and thus end up in landfills, and that in the landfills they do not biodegrade, we have a major problem. Moreover, much of this

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-28252363134997046412008-05-28T22:54:00.000-07:002008-05-28T23:36:29.771-07:00

Career advisors often tell anecdotal stories of interviewing faux pas in order to help clients understand common mistakes that are made in interview situations. There are plenty of stories of interviewees that interviewed wearing white tube socks (or no socks at all), having some nervous twitch like head scratching throughout the interview, or the many tales of candidates just saying the

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-41547920698472591112008-05-27T20:10:00.000-07:002008-12-09T21:38:58.673-08:00

Of the many career writers I (try to) follow, Daniel Pink has become one of my favorites. I first became aware of Mr. Pink when he was the keynote speaker at a career conference I attended a few years ago. And once I read his book, A Whole New Mind, I was hooked. I now follow his blog, and his Twitter. Mr. Pink is creative, resourceful, and witty. And he will forever hold the distinction of

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-55913887877023006102008-05-26T22:36:00.000-07:002008-05-26T22:44:28.964-07:00

So you’ve spent years working in a less than satisfying field, and now you are looking to change into something that fits you better. Problem is, your background is in a different field or you feel you do not have the exact experience that they are asking for. Before you give up or become too anxious thinking that what you are applying for is too much of a dream or not the right fit, focus your

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-68035768452272831512008-05-22T22:03:00.000-07:002008-06-14T21:09:50.729-07:00

Presently, I work for an organization whose primary mission is to promote higher education, including the value education has in creating career opportunity. I wholeheartedly share this vision, which is largely why I why I work there. But, there is something to be said for those who are able to identify a unique skill that they have or a need in the world that few, if any are addressing. And

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-6340468002673704362008-05-21T05:57:00.000-07:002008-05-21T06:05:22.476-07:00

I know I mentioned Dave Rendall in a recent post, but he has been posting some amazing stuff in his Freak Factor blog, so by creating an entire posting on him, I hope to encourage everyone to follow regularly what Dave writes. His posting for today, (#101) titled The Puzzle Freak, is a wonderful and inspirational analysis of the life and success of NY Times puzzlemaker, Will Shortz. Check it out!

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-64406062565792980922008-05-19T21:07:00.000-07:002008-12-09T21:38:58.920-08:00

Today, a coworker left a copy of the WSJ Weekend edition at my desk to have me look at the article My Virtual Summer Job, by Alexandra Alter. It was notably fascinating to see economic resiliency in action, as times of recession are often the mother of entrepreneurial invention. This article documents teens making substantial money in virtual worlds such as Second Life and Entropia. Not that it

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-63431893585131332822008-05-18T10:10:00.000-07:002008-05-18T10:44:47.800-07:00

An aspiring writer and friend of mine, T.M. Camp has lately been posting inspiring quotes from major writers on his blog. One of the many inspiring things about Mr. Camp is his persistence and tenacity in creating an audience for his first full-length novel. Though as of yet he has not secured an agent, he has established a loyal audience by podcasting his entire work, titled Assam &

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-89584963666128299592008-05-12T20:47:00.000-07:002008-05-12T21:12:08.302-07:00

When people ask about what I do, I typically say that I have the most gratifying work. This is what drives a lot of people into helping professions, and more specifically in my case, to work for non-profit organizations. A good friend recently contributed to an excellent resource to help individuals explore non-profit careers--and these resources are FREE.One of the most popular job search tools

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-7687510208708171712008-05-10T20:37:00.000-07:002008-05-10T21:15:22.996-07:00

Everybody who hasn't already would like to find their dream job. And most people who believe they have found it will at least concede that there are at least a few aspects about their job that they could do without--so even the dream job is arguably imperfect.It is important to realize that in order to find your dream job, you must either be very lucky and by chance land in it, or you must know

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-89224503324123889092008-04-29T22:18:00.000-07:002008-05-18T10:51:00.754-07:00

One of my recent clients has a very inspiring story of hard-work, determination, and perserverance. As you might imagine, part of what is so inspiring here, is that this person overcame great odds and boundaries in order to reach a level of achievement experienced by only a select few.Where I can only admire how strong this person is, and her unwillingness to give up was much of the fabric of her

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-2087079260610836972008-04-27T07:16:00.000-07:002008-04-27T08:26:52.786-07:00

Career advisers regularly need to admonish their job search clients to protect their image, and consider their personal branding. There are just too many horror stories of employers doing background checks, only to find a lack of good judgment documented on a MySpace website or somewhere else on the Internet.Part of the trouble is that many young people do not understand corporate culture, and

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-37970997855433844352008-04-22T21:40:00.000-07:002008-05-11T13:39:49.313-07:00

Today I met with a brilliant young man afflicted with cerebral palsy (CP). Sadly, my training as a career counselor did not focus on providing career services for those with disabilities, as typically vocational or rehabilitative counselors place more emphasis in this area. Still, I have now met with enough individuals with disabilities to experience my ignorance and limitations in providing the

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-2703762559623324892008-04-20T10:50:00.000-07:002008-04-23T03:47:29.547-07:00

The title of this entry is a quote from novelist George Elliot, which I discovered from a recent ChangeThis manifesto from David Rendall.As a counselor, much of my advice is enriched by the many mistakes I have made in the past. Those mistakes have made me more knowledgeable, keen, and empathic in my work, so arguably all of my career mishaps are ultimately good things.Perhaps you are down on

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-59326982177940836652008-01-31T06:20:00.000-08:002008-04-20T11:13:49.118-07:00

Today's headline in business news is that MasterCard has reported increased profits. I look at that report and think two things. The first thing I think is how foolish of me not to see that report coming with the latest economic trends being a slumping housing market, and the recession word being dropped with increased frequency. As an investor, would it not make sense to see the profit in an

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-44630214474124050892006-12-14T20:42:00.000-08:002008-05-10T21:22:15.911-07:00

Career counselors use assessments to help individuals figure out their occupational goals/preferences. The big rule that all counselors are compelled to follow is not to allow the assessment results make any determination, but it is the client's interpretation of those results that actually contains the most pertinent information. The reason why this is somewhat of an ethical obligation is that

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-25492721697920216112006-12-10T20:33:00.000-08:002006-12-10T20:38:57.293-08:00

For my own edification and/or amusement I have the feed for the dictionary.cpm word of the day posted on my sign-in page. Today's word: syncretic: uniting and blending together different belief systems. What if people were more open and tolerant and creative and SYNCRETIC?A word that all people should add to their consciousness, I think...

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-64178019010630817332006-12-05T22:03:00.000-08:002008-04-20T10:15:38.203-07:00

My daughter is three and it's holiday season. The vicarious opportunities for joy abound for the parent who has the time to appreciate them. Everything Christmas has gotten my daughter's attention and excitement. For instance, Christmas lights. She calls them by their Spanish name: "Luzacitas." It is so endearing to hear her shout from the back of my car as we're driving through residential areas

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9841496.post-58377833449819696022006-12-04T10:37:00.000-08:002008-12-09T21:38:59.388-08:00

My dog.

Careerguydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568050937151163279noreply@blogger.com0