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  • Suggest You - Switching Careers - 7 Key Steps

    Winning the Interview Game
    First off, you need to understand that everything they want to know about you is in just 4 key areas:• Why are you here?• What can you do for us?• What sort of person are you?• Can we afford you?So you must get yourself prepared for this. Examine each one of these areas and you can be (perhaps) even better prepared than the interviewer you face.Why are you here?This doesn't mean "why are you in this room?" it means what made you apply for this job? You have to show it’s because you are interested in the job, the company, the challenge and the chance to learn and develop new skills. That and the fact that you are ready to move for such a great opportunity. Above all you want the job and you are confident that you are right for it (but please don’t be too cocky).What can you do for us?An employer is looking to buy results so you bring your experience, skills and achievements, as well as your desire to develop and contribute to a new team or department. Think back to your achievements and skills, and the results you got. But don’t just hark back to what you used to do – think what you will be capable of in the future and how you will fill the role you want.What sort of person are you?Someone who has initiative and gets on well with others and is flexible in attitude to different ways of working; maybe you are a great team player, or a strong leader or you describe yourself as a loyal and conscientious person. What they really want to know is: will you fit in, or are you going to upset the existing team?Can we afford you?Salary negotiation is another issue altogether, but the point is you should have a feeling for what the remuneration is likely to be and show them that you bring value-for-money. If they put you on the spot to name a figure; shoot a little higher than you think they are prepared to pay, but say “the opportunity itself is more important than the actual salary”.That’s all fine as a general background but now you’ve got to be more specific.Put yourself on the oth
    education she may be taking. If you're brave, ask her what kind of salary pharmacists can expect to earn. In addition, pick up that college course catalog again and inspect the pharmacology program. Look at the prerequisites and notice how long the program will take to complete and how much the courses cost. Read the course descriptions. Do they peak your interest or do they make you want to throw the book down? A great supplement to all of your research is the internet. There are plenty of newsgroup, blog, forum and professional association sites out there. Any of these can give you a solid peak into what it means and takes to be a given occupation.

    For each career path you are interested in, you will want to know the following:

    • What are the education requirements?
    • Does it require any job certification?
    • Is there an apprenticeship required?
    • Does it require travel?
    • How much money can you make?
    • Where are the regions of the country that people in this career field are more successful? more in supply? more in demand? make more money?
    • Will it require you to relocate?
    • Will it require regular, ongoing education?
    • Will it require you to have your own business or work for another company?
    • Are there yearly fees? (e.g. license renewal, union dues, association membership, equipment, etc.)
    • How many hours will you normally work in a week?
    • Are there any age requirements or cut-offs?
    • How much will it cost you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    • How long will it take you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    The answers to these questions will help you narrow your career choices further and may even get a fire burning under your feet.

    5. Take financial stock

    Okay. You've done it! You've come up with one or more career paths that you'd like to embark on. You have looked into what it means to be employed in the career field(s) and you are now powerfully armed with the knowledge of what it takes to get you where you want to go! But like everything in life, it's going to cost you. You now need to list out all the costs, add them up and compare them with what you will be able to swing. There's no doubt you will be able to accomplish your goals, no matter what your financial situation. It may take you longer than you like or may come at the expense of some other items or conveniences in your life, but you can do it if you set your mind to it and approach it methodically. This may mean you have to call upon your research skills again and expl

    Lock and Key Careers
    A career in the lock and key or locksmith industry can be a rewarding one. So how do you go about becoming a locksmith and what should you expect form the job. This article will give you some information on becoming a locksmith professional.First lets talk about the job itself. Locksmiths are involved with many parts of home, auto and business security. They might be involved in installing and maintaining security and entry systems. They may also be involved with installing new locks, re-keying locks, installing safes, making keys and just about anything that has to do with locks. Locksmiths might work at a central shop or you may have to travel to work at your customers home or business. You should expect to work an average 40 hour work week with some overtime being required.So how do you become a locksmith? Well most locksmiths learn their job through on the job training. You will need to get a job with a local lock and key service who will train you in the various aspects of the job. Depending on the state you live in you might also have to become certified after being trained. Once trained you can expect to earn somewhere between 30 to 35 thousand dollars a year. If you decide to open your own business you can make more money but you should expect to work much longer hours.So if a career in the lock and key industry still sounds interesting contact some local locksmith services to see if they have any openings. You won't regret it.
    Are you thinking about switching careers? If you are, you're not alone. Most Americans switch careers three times in their lifetime. Nevertheless, switching careers is scary. And it's especially paralyzing the older you get. But making a career switch is very possible and much more common than you might think. Before you're ready to leap, realize that it's a heavyweight decision that deserves some time and solid thought. Here are seven steps to help you on your way.

    1. Gain insight from your current situation.

    When considering a career switch, the first thing you should do is learn from your current situation. To do this, take a step back and study what you do for a living today and why you do it. Examine the reasons that you are in your current job or career. Was it what you went to school for? Was it what your parents wanted you to do? Was it the "hot career" at one time? Did you just "fall into it"? Did you love it at one time? Did you do it for the money you could make? Was it just to pay the bills? The answers to these questions can provide valuable insight into the core reasons that you want or need to change.

    Now examine why you want to leave your current career field. Remove any company or management related politics that are specific to your current employer from the picture. See your situation for what it is and ask yourself why you are looking to switch. Are you being forced out because of market shifts of business trends? Are you burnt out? Do you want to make more money? Are you miserable doing what you do? Have you tried your best but found that your career is "just not a good fit"? Have you decided its time to pursue a long lost career love?

    Inspecting your current situation and reasons for your desire to change careers will provide a foundation for your next step.

    2. Look inside

    Whether you already have a career in mind or you are searching for a new career, you must look inward. In order to gain the most from your reflection, it is essential to start with a clean slate. Set aside any notions (real or imagined) about what type of money certain careers offer. Discard any stereotypes or judgments of occupations. Distance yourself from any pre-conceived ideas about what you are right or destined for.

    Now seriously examine what you truly love. First start with the obvious. Look at your hobbies and interests. List out the things you are passionate about or in which you have talent. Give yourself credit for things you are good at and don't be afraid to write things down that you love, but are not yet good at. Write them all down, even if you think they may not be a possible career path. You're just brainstorming at this point and you should not eliminate anything right out of the gate. And it's important to bear in mind that what you may think are your interests are not necessarily all of your interests. To help you get a good look at your interests, observe the simple things. What kinds of news stories perk your interest? What kinds of TV shows do you enjoy? What kinds of books magazines do you find yourself drawn to? What kind of people do you like to associate with or find interesting? What parts of your current career have brought you the most satisfaction?

    Next, remind yourself of what you wanted to be when you grew up. Is it something you still want to be? Do you still get stars in your eyes when you think about it? This may give you some real clues. And of course, depending on what you wanted to be, that young dream may be out of reach. Or…is it? Think about it. If your ideal career aspiration at the age of 10 was to be an astronaut and you are now over the age limit or are not physically able to, you can rule it out. But what about other careers associated with astronauts or astronomy? There is a wide array of careers that touch upon astronomy from teaching, to marketing telescopes, to writing for a science magazine, to building models or sets for movies to working at a museum on a space exhibit! When you look at your passion and then use a little imagination, the sky (or should I say space) becomes the limit.

    Lastly, look at what type of person you are. Be honest with yourself. Do you enjoy working with your hands? Do you enjoy working alone? Do you enjoy a social work setting? Do you enjoy being part of a team? Do you enjoy working at night? These are all examples of questions that will lead you down the path to discovering and evaluating whether a given career path is right for you.

    As you are going through the exercise of looking inside, it is important to avoid cluttering your mind or list with any "buts". If your answer to the question "do you enjoy working with your hands" was "yes", leave it at "yes". Don't append any knee jerk reactions to your answers such as "yes, but I am clumsy" or "yes, but those jobs don't pay as much". Leave your mind open and you will be pleasantly surprised at how easily any natural human discouragement subsides.

    3. Explore what's out there

    Now that you're armed with a list of personal interests and talents, sit on them for a few days and let them cook. Let yourself get used to your newfound list. You may find yourself adding a few more during this time or even crossing a few out.

    Begin your next step by opening your eyes to what's out there (not what you perceive to be out there, but rather what is out there). Pick up your local community college catalog and flip through both credit and continuing education courses. Look online for education or career programs. Make a list of the careers of your friends and family. On your next ride to work or to the store, turn off the radio, look around and take notice of the buildings and businesses around you. Look at the people you see outside and start piecing together what their days are like.

    The object of this exercise is to compare what is out there, with what interests you. Let's stick with the astronomy example. You're interested in astronomy. So what? Well…now you've begun looking through the local community college catalog and there, you see a continuing education course on astronomy. You've now found something concrete, a class that you can take that will allow you to pursue your interest. But what is a continuing education course going to get you? A couple of things. One, you will meet other people who share your interest. These people bring information to the table. They may know of groups or clubs that you can join. Or perhaps, they may have friends or relatives who are looking for someone to do research work or work part-time in their science store. Two, you will be able to further your interest…or be able to rule it out as a career path. You may learn that you really love astronomy and would like to pursue it further. On the other hand, you may learn that it really isn't what you thought it was and you really don't care enough about it to pursue it as a career. Any way you slice it, you will learn something about yourself and at the very least will have met others who share your interest.

    Let's try another example. Perhaps, on your way to work, you start to notice a road construction worker. The first day you see him, you're in a suit, he's in jeans and he's joking with a coworker as he shovels asphalt under a sunny sky. You think to yourself, "Boy it'd be nice to get out of this suit, work outside…break a sweat for once! Maybe I'd like to do that…" The next day you see him and you watch as a driver leans out his window and curses at him. "Hmmm", you think. The third day you see him, it's raining and cold and he's out braving the elements while you're dry and warm inside your car. "Cross that one off the list", you think. If you had only noticed the man on the first day, you'd only have seen him on a good day. If you had only noticed him on the last day, you'd have seen him at the worst. Either way, without really opening your eyes full time, you may have a fragmented impression on what it means to be this or that. The point here is not to look for distinctly negative or positive things about a given occupation, but to begin to see it as a whole. With this type of information, you will be able to form an opinion on whether a given occupation could be a possibility for you.

    In addition to concrete and mindful exploration, talking to your friends and family is an invaluable type of investigation. When you start bringing up your interests or ideas for possible career paths in conversations or e-mails, you will no doubt hear a lot of "Oh! Susan's son teaches astronomy at the university, he's writing a book on the Hubble telescope this year." or "Oh John does construction on the side, he loves it!" By talking to other people, you may make connections or gain insight into the experiences and opinions of people connected with your interest areas. It will also trigger some more ideas for you. Perhaps it never occurred to you to pair a love of writing with a love of astronomy until you talked with your cousin.

    4. Do your homework

    So, you've looked inside. You've come up with several interests and you've taken steps to explore what's out there. By this time, you've come up with a few things you might like to do or have found one you've decided you want to pursue. Now it's time to get to work. It's time to delve into what it really means to have a job in a particular career field. To accomplish this part of your journey, you need to do serious research.

    Your research homework consists of concrete exploration of available paths for your career options. For the majority of careers, you will need to embark on some type of structured educational path. Examples of this are things like sponsored career programs, college degrees, certification programs, professional designations, internships or apprenticeships. Even if your chosen career path does not require ordered training or education, you will no doubt have to "put in your time" and you will need to find out what and how much time you will realistically be expected to "put in".

    So how do you find out? Let's say you've decided you want to seriously explore being a pharmacist. Wonderful! How do you get to be a pharmacist? For starters, inquire with your friends and family to see if anyone knows a pharmacist that you can speak with. Talk to your neighborhood pharmacist, find out where she went to school and ask her about any professional designations she holds or ongoing education she may be taking. If you're brave, ask her what kind of salary pharmacists can expect to earn. In addition, pick up that college course catalog again and inspect the pharmacology program. Look at the prerequisites and notice how long the program will take to complete and how much the courses cost. Read the course descriptions. Do they peak your interest or do they make you want to throw the book down? A great supplement to all of your research is the internet. There are plenty of newsgroup, blog, forum and professional association sites out there. Any of these can give you a solid peak into what it means and takes to be a given occupation.

    For each career path you are interested in, you will want to know the following:

    • What are the education requirements?
    • Does it require any job certification?
    • Is there an apprenticeship required?
    • Does it require travel?
    • How much money can you make?
    • Where are the regions of the country that people in this career field are more successful? more in supply? more in demand? make more money?
    • Will it require you to relocate?
    • Will it require regular, ongoing education?
    • Will it require you to have your own business or work for another company?
    • Are there yearly fees? (e.g. license renewal, union dues, association membership, equipment, etc.)
    • How many hours will you normally work in a week?
    • Are there any age requirements or cut-offs?
    • How much will it cost you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    • How long will it take you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    The answers to these questions will help you narrow your career choices further and may even get a fire burning under your feet.

    5. Take financial stock

    Okay. You've done it! You've come up with one or more career paths that you'd like to embark on. You have looked into what it means to be employed in the career field(s) and you are now powerfully armed with the knowledge of what it takes to get you where you want to go! But like everything in life, it's going to cost you. You now need to list out all the costs, add them up and compare them with what you will be able to swing. There's no doubt you will be able to accomplish your goals, no matter what your financial situation. It may take you longer than you like or may come at the expense of some other items or conveniences in your life, but you can do it if you set your mind to it and approach it methodically. This may mean you have to call upon your research skills again and expl

    Building Performance Trust
    You can have outstanding ideas, yet never leverage them into winning at working results. That's because the secret behind those ideas lies in performance. Yours.Getting the okay to pursue your idea is directly related to the level of confidence other people have in your ability to deliver it. And if you do, you will create for yourself opportunities on a regular basis. One successful idea delivery leads to another and another and another. Bigger and bigger ideas are entrusted to people who consistently turn ideas into reality.You see, not only does an idea need to be a good one, but the idea-maker needs to be a performer who can deliver the vision. That doesn't mean you need to have executed lots of ideas before getting one approved. It does mean the base quality of your work is a deciding factor.In twenty years of management, I've vetoed more good ideas than I've approved. Most were vetoed for one reason: performance trust. I didn't trust the person to deliver the idea they had. A mediocre idea from a strong performer will win approval over a great idea from someone with inconsistent follow-through and poor results.If you can't do the little things, why would anyone give you bigger or more important things to do? And while every idea might not be big, it takes energy, time and resources away from other work endeavors. Not all ideas that get approved turn out to be successful. That's OK. Lots can be learned from the ones that fail, too. Look at Edison and the light bulb. But if an idea fails because it was poorly executed, we only learn the competency quotient of the initiator.There is a mercenary side to idea approval. What happens with your idea is a reflection on the person who approved it. I know, for one, I'm not willing to risk my reputation on someone's half-baked or half-executed idea. That doesn't mean I don't take risks on individuals or ideas. I do on both. But, business decisions are about odds and risks. Make sure both are in your favor. Being a strong performer is the best way to get your ideas noticed and sell them to the powers that be.You can start
    even if you think they may not be a possible career path. You're just brainstorming at this point and you should not eliminate anything right out of the gate. And it's important to bear in mind that what you may think are your interests are not necessarily all of your interests. To help you get a good look at your interests, observe the simple things. What kinds of news stories perk your interest? What kinds of TV shows do you enjoy? What kinds of books magazines do you find yourself drawn to? What kind of people do you like to associate with or find interesting? What parts of your current career have brought you the most satisfaction?

    Next, remind yourself of what you wanted to be when you grew up. Is it something you still want to be? Do you still get stars in your eyes when you think about it? This may give you some real clues. And of course, depending on what you wanted to be, that young dream may be out of reach. Or…is it? Think about it. If your ideal career aspiration at the age of 10 was to be an astronaut and you are now over the age limit or are not physically able to, you can rule it out. But what about other careers associated with astronauts or astronomy? There is a wide array of careers that touch upon astronomy from teaching, to marketing telescopes, to writing for a science magazine, to building models or sets for movies to working at a museum on a space exhibit! When you look at your passion and then use a little imagination, the sky (or should I say space) becomes the limit.

    Lastly, look at what type of person you are. Be honest with yourself. Do you enjoy working with your hands? Do you enjoy working alone? Do you enjoy a social work setting? Do you enjoy being part of a team? Do you enjoy working at night? These are all examples of questions that will lead you down the path to discovering and evaluating whether a given career path is right for you.

    As you are going through the exercise of looking inside, it is important to avoid cluttering your mind or list with any "buts". If your answer to the question "do you enjoy working with your hands" was "yes", leave it at "yes". Don't append any knee jerk reactions to your answers such as "yes, but I am clumsy" or "yes, but those jobs don't pay as much". Leave your mind open and you will be pleasantly surprised at how easily any natural human discouragement subsides.

    3. Explore what's out there

    Now that you're armed with a list of personal interests and talents, sit on them for a few days and let them cook. Let yourself get used to your newfound list. You may find yourself adding a few more during this time or even crossing a few out.

    Begin your next step by opening your eyes to what's out there (not what you perceive to be out there, but rather what is out there). Pick up your local community college catalog and flip through both credit and continuing education courses. Look online for education or career programs. Make a list of the careers of your friends and family. On your next ride to work or to the store, turn off the radio, look around and take notice of the buildings and businesses around you. Look at the people you see outside and start piecing together what their days are like.

    The object of this exercise is to compare what is out there, with what interests you. Let's stick with the astronomy example. You're interested in astronomy. So what? Well…now you've begun looking through the local community college catalog and there, you see a continuing education course on astronomy. You've now found something concrete, a class that you can take that will allow you to pursue your interest. But what is a continuing education course going to get you? A couple of things. One, you will meet other people who share your interest. These people bring information to the table. They may know of groups or clubs that you can join. Or perhaps, they may have friends or relatives who are looking for someone to do research work or work part-time in their science store. Two, you will be able to further your interest…or be able to rule it out as a career path. You may learn that you really love astronomy and would like to pursue it further. On the other hand, you may learn that it really isn't what you thought it was and you really don't care enough about it to pursue it as a career. Any way you slice it, you will learn something about yourself and at the very least will have met others who share your interest.

    Let's try another example. Perhaps, on your way to work, you start to notice a road construction worker. The first day you see him, you're in a suit, he's in jeans and he's joking with a coworker as he shovels asphalt under a sunny sky. You think to yourself, "Boy it'd be nice to get out of this suit, work outside…break a sweat for once! Maybe I'd like to do that…" The next day you see him and you watch as a driver leans out his window and curses at him. "Hmmm", you think. The third day you see him, it's raining and cold and he's out braving the elements while you're dry and warm inside your car. "Cross that one off the list", you think. If you had only noticed the man on the first day, you'd only have seen him on a good day. If you had only noticed him on the last day, you'd have seen him at the worst. Either way, without really opening your eyes full time, you may have a fragmented impression on what it means to be this or that. The point here is not to look for distinctly negative or positive things about a given occupation, but to begin to see it as a whole. With this type of information, you will be able to form an opinion on whether a given occupation could be a possibility for you.

    In addition to concrete and mindful exploration, talking to your friends and family is an invaluable type of investigation. When you start bringing up your interests or ideas for possible career paths in conversations or e-mails, you will no doubt hear a lot of "Oh! Susan's son teaches astronomy at the university, he's writing a book on the Hubble telescope this year." or "Oh John does construction on the side, he loves it!" By talking to other people, you may make connections or gain insight into the experiences and opinions of people connected with your interest areas. It will also trigger some more ideas for you. Perhaps it never occurred to you to pair a love of writing with a love of astronomy until you talked with your cousin.

    4. Do your homework

    So, you've looked inside. You've come up with several interests and you've taken steps to explore what's out there. By this time, you've come up with a few things you might like to do or have found one you've decided you want to pursue. Now it's time to get to work. It's time to delve into what it really means to have a job in a particular career field. To accomplish this part of your journey, you need to do serious research.

    Your research homework consists of concrete exploration of available paths for your career options. For the majority of careers, you will need to embark on some type of structured educational path. Examples of this are things like sponsored career programs, college degrees, certification programs, professional designations, internships or apprenticeships. Even if your chosen career path does not require ordered training or education, you will no doubt have to "put in your time" and you will need to find out what and how much time you will realistically be expected to "put in".

    So how do you find out? Let's say you've decided you want to seriously explore being a pharmacist. Wonderful! How do you get to be a pharmacist? For starters, inquire with your friends and family to see if anyone knows a pharmacist that you can speak with. Talk to your neighborhood pharmacist, find out where she went to school and ask her about any professional designations she holds or ongoing education she may be taking. If you're brave, ask her what kind of salary pharmacists can expect to earn. In addition, pick up that college course catalog again and inspect the pharmacology program. Look at the prerequisites and notice how long the program will take to complete and how much the courses cost. Read the course descriptions. Do they peak your interest or do they make you want to throw the book down? A great supplement to all of your research is the internet. There are plenty of newsgroup, blog, forum and professional association sites out there. Any of these can give you a solid peak into what it means and takes to be a given occupation.

    For each career path you are interested in, you will want to know the following:

    • What are the education requirements?
    • Does it require any job certification?
    • Is there an apprenticeship required?
    • Does it require travel?
    • How much money can you make?
    • Where are the regions of the country that people in this career field are more successful? more in supply? more in demand? make more money?
    • Will it require you to relocate?
    • Will it require regular, ongoing education?
    • Will it require you to have your own business or work for another company?
    • Are there yearly fees? (e.g. license renewal, union dues, association membership, equipment, etc.)
    • How many hours will you normally work in a week?
    • Are there any age requirements or cut-offs?
    • How much will it cost you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    • How long will it take you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    The answers to these questions will help you narrow your career choices further and may even get a fire burning under your feet.

    5. Take financial stock

    Okay. You've done it! You've come up with one or more career paths that you'd like to embark on. You have looked into what it means to be employed in the career field(s) and you are now powerfully armed with the knowledge of what it takes to get you where you want to go! But like everything in life, it's going to cost you. You now need to list out all the costs, add them up and compare them with what you will be able to swing. There's no doubt you will be able to accomplish your goals, no matter what your financial situation. It may take you longer than you like or may come at the expense of some other items or conveniences in your life, but you can do it if you set your mind to it and approach it methodically. This may mean you have to call upon your research skills again and expl

    How To Make A Resume?
    Knowing how to make a resume requires no special skills. Rather, common sense is you key to success. Imagine your resume as your gateway to the universe for career opportunities. Your job hunting exercise should start by developing a proper resume or CV as it is called in come countries outside the US. The answer to how to make a resume leads us to setup the resume tips and guidelines as outlined below.Make your resume focusedA good resume exhibits a clarity of vision of the owner. Usually, any advertised job would have a clear job description. Your resume should focus on the skills required in the job description and should match it at least 90% to be called for an interview. Open statements about your objective, title, hobbies could make your resume unfocused.Be truthful while you decide how to make a resumeUnsupported claims on your resume are easily detected. They usually disqualify you and you should not expect a job interview phone call. Reference check usually could discover how truthful your resume is.If you have something in your career that you don’t want the new employer to know about, just delete it from your resume. Ignore the bad things and mention the truthful ones. Follow the principle: don’t ask and don’t tell.Show the Professionalism in your resumeThe structure of your resume is critical. Click here for a good example. In general, these are the good guidelines on how to make a resume:The first paragraph needs to be clear and catchy. Sort of speak it is like a title in a magazine that makes people want to read more.if you are a senior person, mention your achievements. If you are mid range worker or manager, mention the previous experience. Start with the current or recent jobs. Be truthful in your resume.Follow this with your education and degrees if any.Follow this with seminars that relates to your industry.If you are an affiliate of some industry gathering, mention it. It helps to know that you are abreast of your class.Attractiveness is the name of the game for how to make a resumeAgain,
    re during this time or even crossing a few out.

    Begin your next step by opening your eyes to what's out there (not what you perceive to be out there, but rather what is out there). Pick up your local community college catalog and flip through both credit and continuing education courses. Look online for education or career programs. Make a list of the careers of your friends and family. On your next ride to work or to the store, turn off the radio, look around and take notice of the buildings and businesses around you. Look at the people you see outside and start piecing together what their days are like.

    The object of this exercise is to compare what is out there, with what interests you. Let's stick with the astronomy example. You're interested in astronomy. So what? Well…now you've begun looking through the local community college catalog and there, you see a continuing education course on astronomy. You've now found something concrete, a class that you can take that will allow you to pursue your interest. But what is a continuing education course going to get you? A couple of things. One, you will meet other people who share your interest. These people bring information to the table. They may know of groups or clubs that you can join. Or perhaps, they may have friends or relatives who are looking for someone to do research work or work part-time in their science store. Two, you will be able to further your interest…or be able to rule it out as a career path. You may learn that you really love astronomy and would like to pursue it further. On the other hand, you may learn that it really isn't what you thought it was and you really don't care enough about it to pursue it as a career. Any way you slice it, you will learn something about yourself and at the very least will have met others who share your interest.

    Let's try another example. Perhaps, on your way to work, you start to notice a road construction worker. The first day you see him, you're in a suit, he's in jeans and he's joking with a coworker as he shovels asphalt under a sunny sky. You think to yourself, "Boy it'd be nice to get out of this suit, work outside…break a sweat for once! Maybe I'd like to do that…" The next day you see him and you watch as a driver leans out his window and curses at him. "Hmmm", you think. The third day you see him, it's raining and cold and he's out braving the elements while you're dry and warm inside your car. "Cross that one off the list", you think. If you had only noticed the man on the first day, you'd only have seen him on a good day. If you had only noticed him on the last day, you'd have seen him at the worst. Either way, without really opening your eyes full time, you may have a fragmented impression on what it means to be this or that. The point here is not to look for distinctly negative or positive things about a given occupation, but to begin to see it as a whole. With this type of information, you will be able to form an opinion on whether a given occupation could be a possibility for you.

    In addition to concrete and mindful exploration, talking to your friends and family is an invaluable type of investigation. When you start bringing up your interests or ideas for possible career paths in conversations or e-mails, you will no doubt hear a lot of "Oh! Susan's son teaches astronomy at the university, he's writing a book on the Hubble telescope this year." or "Oh John does construction on the side, he loves it!" By talking to other people, you may make connections or gain insight into the experiences and opinions of people connected with your interest areas. It will also trigger some more ideas for you. Perhaps it never occurred to you to pair a love of writing with a love of astronomy until you talked with your cousin.

    4. Do your homework

    So, you've looked inside. You've come up with several interests and you've taken steps to explore what's out there. By this time, you've come up with a few things you might like to do or have found one you've decided you want to pursue. Now it's time to get to work. It's time to delve into what it really means to have a job in a particular career field. To accomplish this part of your journey, you need to do serious research.

    Your research homework consists of concrete exploration of available paths for your career options. For the majority of careers, you will need to embark on some type of structured educational path. Examples of this are things like sponsored career programs, college degrees, certification programs, professional designations, internships or apprenticeships. Even if your chosen career path does not require ordered training or education, you will no doubt have to "put in your time" and you will need to find out what and how much time you will realistically be expected to "put in".

    So how do you find out? Let's say you've decided you want to seriously explore being a pharmacist. Wonderful! How do you get to be a pharmacist? For starters, inquire with your friends and family to see if anyone knows a pharmacist that you can speak with. Talk to your neighborhood pharmacist, find out where she went to school and ask her about any professional designations she holds or ongoing education she may be taking. If you're brave, ask her what kind of salary pharmacists can expect to earn. In addition, pick up that college course catalog again and inspect the pharmacology program. Look at the prerequisites and notice how long the program will take to complete and how much the courses cost. Read the course descriptions. Do they peak your interest or do they make you want to throw the book down? A great supplement to all of your research is the internet. There are plenty of newsgroup, blog, forum and professional association sites out there. Any of these can give you a solid peak into what it means and takes to be a given occupation.

    For each career path you are interested in, you will want to know the following:

    • What are the education requirements?
    • Does it require any job certification?
    • Is there an apprenticeship required?
    • Does it require travel?
    • How much money can you make?
    • Where are the regions of the country that people in this career field are more successful? more in supply? more in demand? make more money?
    • Will it require you to relocate?
    • Will it require regular, ongoing education?
    • Will it require you to have your own business or work for another company?
    • Are there yearly fees? (e.g. license renewal, union dues, association membership, equipment, etc.)
    • How many hours will you normally work in a week?
    • Are there any age requirements or cut-offs?
    • How much will it cost you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    • How long will it take you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    The answers to these questions will help you narrow your career choices further and may even get a fire burning under your feet.

    5. Take financial stock

    Okay. You've done it! You've come up with one or more career paths that you'd like to embark on. You have looked into what it means to be employed in the career field(s) and you are now powerfully armed with the knowledge of what it takes to get you where you want to go! But like everything in life, it's going to cost you. You now need to list out all the costs, add them up and compare them with what you will be able to swing. There's no doubt you will be able to accomplish your goals, no matter what your financial situation. It may take you longer than you like or may come at the expense of some other items or conveniences in your life, but you can do it if you set your mind to it and approach it methodically. This may mean you have to call upon your research skills again and expl

    Where in the World Is...?
    With Internet use spreading across the globe, one advertising message no longer fits all. Believe it or not, Asians, Europeans and Latin Americans account for more than 60 percent of all Web traffic, and the percentage is climbing. At the same time, Internet shoppers everywhere are becoming increasingly hostile to generic pop-ups and banners. So, how can on-line advertisers get results in such a complex and demanding marketplace? A big part of the answer is geo-targeting.Geo-targeting means gearing ad content to a specific geographic market. Advertisers can identify on-line shoppers by IP address, postal code or area code; when the shopper visits the advertiser’s site, he will see an ad that literally hits him where he lives. Several geo-targeting approaches are available:Advertising on Web sites with localized content, such as on-line newspapers, yellow pages and entertainment guides; Advertising on sites such as Yahoo!®, where user registration includes geographic markers; Using third-party advertising services such as DoubleClick; and Advertising on sites with geographically specific content, such as MapQuest® and The Weather Channel.Creating ads in local languages, while important, is only one aspect of geo-targeting. International companies geo-target by adjusting prices to compensate for currency exchange rates. They also display order and response forms in local currencies to make them better understood and more effective. Subtle changes in ad design can make a big difference as well; for example, when targeting Canadians, far higher response and conversion rates occur when a small red maple leaf appears in the ad.Even within the U.S. market, geo-targeting grows in importance. Studies indicate that most shoppers—even on-line shoppers—prefer to purchase within 10 miles of home. Thus, geographically sensitive businesses, such as real-estate developers, franchisers and car dealerships, can geo-target and reach an extremely receptive segment of potential customers.Although geo-targeted ads are expensive compared to the one-size-fits-all variety, their increased
    last day, you'd have seen him at the worst. Either way, without really opening your eyes full time, you may have a fragmented impression on what it means to be this or that. The point here is not to look for distinctly negative or positive things about a given occupation, but to begin to see it as a whole. With this type of information, you will be able to form an opinion on whether a given occupation could be a possibility for you.

    In addition to concrete and mindful exploration, talking to your friends and family is an invaluable type of investigation. When you start bringing up your interests or ideas for possible career paths in conversations or e-mails, you will no doubt hear a lot of "Oh! Susan's son teaches astronomy at the university, he's writing a book on the Hubble telescope this year." or "Oh John does construction on the side, he loves it!" By talking to other people, you may make connections or gain insight into the experiences and opinions of people connected with your interest areas. It will also trigger some more ideas for you. Perhaps it never occurred to you to pair a love of writing with a love of astronomy until you talked with your cousin.

    4. Do your homework

    So, you've looked inside. You've come up with several interests and you've taken steps to explore what's out there. By this time, you've come up with a few things you might like to do or have found one you've decided you want to pursue. Now it's time to get to work. It's time to delve into what it really means to have a job in a particular career field. To accomplish this part of your journey, you need to do serious research.

    Your research homework consists of concrete exploration of available paths for your career options. For the majority of careers, you will need to embark on some type of structured educational path. Examples of this are things like sponsored career programs, college degrees, certification programs, professional designations, internships or apprenticeships. Even if your chosen career path does not require ordered training or education, you will no doubt have to "put in your time" and you will need to find out what and how much time you will realistically be expected to "put in".

    So how do you find out? Let's say you've decided you want to seriously explore being a pharmacist. Wonderful! How do you get to be a pharmacist? For starters, inquire with your friends and family to see if anyone knows a pharmacist that you can speak with. Talk to your neighborhood pharmacist, find out where she went to school and ask her about any professional designations she holds or ongoing education she may be taking. If you're brave, ask her what kind of salary pharmacists can expect to earn. In addition, pick up that college course catalog again and inspect the pharmacology program. Look at the prerequisites and notice how long the program will take to complete and how much the courses cost. Read the course descriptions. Do they peak your interest or do they make you want to throw the book down? A great supplement to all of your research is the internet. There are plenty of newsgroup, blog, forum and professional association sites out there. Any of these can give you a solid peak into what it means and takes to be a given occupation.

    For each career path you are interested in, you will want to know the following:

    • What are the education requirements?
    • Does it require any job certification?
    • Is there an apprenticeship required?
    • Does it require travel?
    • How much money can you make?
    • Where are the regions of the country that people in this career field are more successful? more in supply? more in demand? make more money?
    • Will it require you to relocate?
    • Will it require regular, ongoing education?
    • Will it require you to have your own business or work for another company?
    • Are there yearly fees? (e.g. license renewal, union dues, association membership, equipment, etc.)
    • How many hours will you normally work in a week?
    • Are there any age requirements or cut-offs?
    • How much will it cost you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    • How long will it take you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    The answers to these questions will help you narrow your career choices further and may even get a fire burning under your feet.

    5. Take financial stock

    Okay. You've done it! You've come up with one or more career paths that you'd like to embark on. You have looked into what it means to be employed in the career field(s) and you are now powerfully armed with the knowledge of what it takes to get you where you want to go! But like everything in life, it's going to cost you. You now need to list out all the costs, add them up and compare them with what you will be able to swing. There's no doubt you will be able to accomplish your goals, no matter what your financial situation. It may take you longer than you like or may come at the expense of some other items or conveniences in your life, but you can do it if you set your mind to it and approach it methodically. This may mean you have to call upon your research skills again and expl

    Recycling Promotional Gifts
    There was a time when being green or caring about the environment was practically frowned upon. Recycling was just a hassle not many could be bothered with and you really didn’t think twice about product manufacture or packaging. These days it’s trendy to be wearing recycled, organic, Fair trade T Shirts. Suppliers are joined green revolution and can supply organic t shirts, recycled pens, recycled pencils, recycled sticky notes, recycled pads to name a few with great success.There is a solution: Suppliers, distributors whose wide range of business gifts are all made from recycled material or are otherwise eco friendly. Being intrinsically different and interesting they keep your name in front of customers. Rubber tyres, the kind that lie at the bottom of rivers and at the back of junkyards the world over, are ideal for mousemats, coasters and pencil cases.UK suppliers offers a large range of quality promotional products, made from Recycled and Biodegradable Materials, custom printed. With the UK generating some 2.8 million tonnes of plastic waste each year (and this figure is rising by about 2% per year) we wanted to include a range of high quality promotional products made from Recycled Materials. Recycled Plastic Bottles, Recycled Paper, Recycled Vending Cups, Biodegradable Corn Starch Wood from sustainable forests and even Algae from the sea, have been turned into a range of Promotional Pens, all printed to your design in UK.The Green Flower Pen, made from Biodegradable Cornstarch and with a pod of seeds fixed to the end. Great for School Promotions and as a school project to plant the seeds and grow Aster flowers. The pod acts as a fertilizer.Pencils, Rulers, Key Rings and Paper Clips, made from Recycled Vending Cups and available in a range of colours. Mouse Mats, Pencil Cases and Coasters re-borne from Old Car Tyres along with Recycled Tyre Covered A6 Notebooks. We offer Deskpads, Notebooks, cotton bags, tote bags, Pens, Pencils and Paper Bags in a variety of sizes, all made from Recycled Paper and customer printed to your design.EcoSpun is a material made from Recy
    education she may be taking. If you're brave, ask her what kind of salary pharmacists can expect to earn. In addition, pick up that college course catalog again and inspect the pharmacology program. Look at the prerequisites and notice how long the program will take to complete and how much the courses cost. Read the course descriptions. Do they peak your interest or do they make you want to throw the book down? A great supplement to all of your research is the internet. There are plenty of newsgroup, blog, forum and professional association sites out there. Any of these can give you a solid peak into what it means and takes to be a given occupation.

    For each career path you are interested in, you will want to know the following:

    • What are the education requirements?
    • Does it require any job certification?
    • Is there an apprenticeship required?
    • Does it require travel?
    • How much money can you make?
    • Where are the regions of the country that people in this career field are more successful? more in supply? more in demand? make more money?
    • Will it require you to relocate?
    • Will it require regular, ongoing education?
    • Will it require you to have your own business or work for another company?
    • Are there yearly fees? (e.g. license renewal, union dues, association membership, equipment, etc.)
    • How many hours will you normally work in a week?
    • Are there any age requirements or cut-offs?
    • How much will it cost you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    • How long will it take you to become gainfully employed in the field?
    The answers to these questions will help you narrow your career choices further and may even get a fire burning under your feet.

    5. Take financial stock

    Okay. You've done it! You've come up with one or more career paths that you'd like to embark on. You have looked into what it means to be employed in the career field(s) and you are now powerfully armed with the knowledge of what it takes to get you where you want to go! But like everything in life, it's going to cost you. You now need to list out all the costs, add them up and compare them with what you will be able to swing. There's no doubt you will be able to accomplish your goals, no matter what your financial situation. It may take you longer than you like or may come at the expense of some other items or conveniences in your life, but you can do it if you set your mind to it and approach it methodically. This may mean you have to call upon your research skills again and explore financial options such as grants, scholarships, payment plans, or 401K or private institution education loans. You even may be able to pay for education or experience by doing an internship or by performing work using a skill that you currently have in exchange for training or experience.

    When you are taking financial stock, allow yourself breathing room. Perhaps your goals are not financially feasible at this moment in time. Perhaps you just had a baby, your youngest son needs braces, or you've just paid an absorbent amount of money to repair your car. It's okay. Rejoice in the fact that you've come this far. You can put a plan together and start saving or start applying for aid or other means of financing. There may even be things you can start to do that will be free or cheap, such as volunteering in the field or reading books to prepare you for your studies. Most people don't have the luxury of quitting their jobs while they switch careers, so most likely you will be living a "double life" while you prepare for the switch. Whatever you do, don't break the bank, because you'll inevitably find yourself right back where you started.

    6. Check your calendar

    Great! You've got it all under control. You know where you're going, how you're going to get there and how you're going to pay for it. But can you afford the time? Do you have enough free time or flexibility to meet the educational requirements? Are you young enough or old enough to fall within any professional age requirements? If you have the time and the age, skip this step. If not, the last step of your journey is to shuffle your calendar!

    Shuffling your calendar may be easy. You may know right away what to eliminate or move in order to make room for your new career path. Conversely, finding the time might be downright complicated. Maybe you have small children, maybe you have an ailing parent, maybe you have church or community commitments…any of these things would make working towards a new career an uphill battle. Here again, it may mean that you have to post-pone your journey for a little while. Or, it could mean that you have to settle for beginning your education informally by reading books or taking online courses when you can. Whatever your challenge, don't lose hope! Faith in yourself and perseverance will get you where you want to go.

    7. Take the plunge

    You've arrived at the last step. It's time to jump in! Time to register for that first class, accept that internship, or apply for that entry level or part-time job in your chosen field. Whatever you've found to be the first step towards your new career, delight in the fact that you've come a long way and you're doing it! You've done a lot of hard, thorough work and you have a lot to be proud of. Start down that path with your chin up and your shoulders back!

    Food for your trip

    You can't take this trip without packing! If you leave home with one thing, leave home with the comforting knowledge that your approach to a new career is circular. This means that you can always go back to the beginning of the circle or to any point within the circle. If you've started a class or program and found that you hate it. So what? You've learned to cross it off you list and go back and take another look. Even if you get all the way to end of the path and decide it is not for you, take comfort that you did your best and its time to go back to another number in the circle. There is no shame in that.

    So go on now…get out of here! Your train is leaving and you better be on it! Just don't forget to take some pictures along the way, stop and smell the flowers, buy a few souvenirs and by all means, don't forget where you came from!

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