Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch

A clip from this longer presentation -- Douglas E. Welch presents "Transition as the New Normal" to OPEN (Outstanding Professionals Employment Network) Ventura County in Simi Valley, CA on February 27, 2015. OPEN Facebook Page Also mentioned in this talk is "Career Compass: Finding Your Career North", an Amazon Kindle booklet   Transcript: Now, I know, it seems, How can you have too much stability in our lives? I mean, we strive so hard for our cars, our houses, our children, our families, but what it means is we actually forget how to transition. We forget how to engage in change. Just like a muscle that doesn't get used, it starts to atrophy and that "risk muscle" that we all need in our lives, for big and small things, starts to atrophy. We get stuck. We get stalled by our own success, is actually the phrase I have in my notes here and I'm sure you've met people like that. They have a decent job with a decent company and they hate it, because it's boring. They are totally stable. They are, what we would all seem to subscribe to as -- that's a perfect job. It's stable. It pays well. It doesn't have a 3 hour commute. Whatever.  Circle Career-Op on Google+ Like Career-Op on Facebook

A clip from this longer presentation -- Douglas E. Welch presents "Transition as the New Normal" to OPEN (Outstanding Professionals Employment Network) Ventura County in Simi Valley, CA on February 27, 2015. OPEN Facebook Page Also mentioned in this talk is "Career Compass: Finding Your Career North", an Amazon Kindle booklet Listen to Too much stability? from Transition as the New Normal 2015 with Douglas E. Welch   Transcript: Now, I know, it seems, How can you have too much stability in our lives? I mean, we strive so hard for our cars, our houses, our children, our families, but what it means is we actually forget how to transition. We forget how to engage in change. Just like a muscle that doesn't get used, it starts to atrophy and that "risk muscle" that we all need in our lives, for big and small things, starts to atrophy. We get stuck. We get stalled by our own success, is actually the phrase I have in my notes here and I'm sure you've met people like that. They have a decent job with a decent company and they hate it, because it's boring. They are totally stable. They are, what we would all seem to subscribe to as -- that's a perfect job. It's stable. It pays well. It doesn't have a 3 hour commute. Whatever.  Circle Career-Op on Google+ Like Career-Op on Facebook

Get out of your neighborhood From the Career Opportunities Archives... I have spent the last four weekends speaking at conferences, and speaking with many people, in California and Arizona. Despite being a bit tired from the long drives and long hours, I am also energized. It is amazing how exciting and enlightening it can be to talk to people outside your normal area of expertise. Too often, we find ourselves in an echo chamber where we hear the same thoughts, the same advice, the same voices again and again. If you want to build your career, it is important to step outside your neighborhood and see what others may be doing. Read this entire column - Get out of your neighborhood Listen to this Podcast

A clip from this longer presentation - CareerCamp: New Unconference Methods for Helping People Build the Career They Deserve with Douglas E. Welch CareerCamp Founder, Douglas E. Welch, shares CareerCamp with the attendees of the California Placement Association at their annual 2015 conference in San Luis Obispo. He discusses What is CareerCamp?, how it might be used in your organization and takes you through an example of a Day at CareerCamp.   Download this video Subscribe to CareerCamp International on YouTube Subscribe to Douglas E. Welch on YouTube Transcript: We have gift bags that people receive when they come in. We've had authors give their books away. We have local businesses give away car washes and dry cleaning. How many people, when their unemployed and they're going out on interview after interview after interview. What do they need? They need their suite -- they need their clothes to look nice. A little coupon for free dry cleaning can go a long way for some people. We have food coupons that we give away. We've actually -- in the first years of CareerCampSCV, local restaurants would actually either donate food -- because we do like to try -- it's not required -- but I like to try and feed people breakfast. I like to try and feed people lunch and I'll give you some reasons for that, but, in this case, we actually had restaurants who would either donate those meals or would give us an extremely good price. A Jersey Mike's chain, the local Jersey Mike's, gave us an excellent price. Basically a wholesale price on feeding 100 and some people at, I think, the first and the second conference at CareerCampSCV. What is CareerCamp and Career Camp International? CareerCamp is a community organized, career-focused, unconference which calls upon local communities and people to share their knowledge, expertise and other important information on developing yourself and your career. What is an unconference? Unconferences are self-organizing conferences, similar to many professional conferences, but instead of hiring well-known, professional speakers, they call on the attendees themselves to provide the content and focus for the event. Every person who attends is highly encouraged to present on some topic deeply important to them or, barring that, to facilitate an open breakout session or round table discussion or even just to engage and converse with their fellow attendees between presentations. A few organizers band together to find a venue for the event, recruit sponsors and invite attendees, but the focus of the unconference is driven solely by the attendees. Some might question the usefulness of presentations by their peers, but we have found that there is an enormous amount of real-world expertise available in each and every local community. CareerCamp utilizes a format that draws out that expertise and benefits everyone. CareerCamp (and other unconferences) provide a structure and an opportunity to share this expertise in ways that traditional conferences do not. Additionally, CareerCamps also attract career development professionals who can use CareerCamp as a way of introducing themselves to a new audience of potential clients. How was CareerCamp developed? The genesis of CareerCamp was found by attending BarCamp unconferences held around the world. CareerCamp founder, Douglas E. Welch, was a long time attendee of BarCamp, which is an event that embraces any topic, although it often leans toward technology. After seeing the success of BarCamp as a way to illuminate and educate within a community, Welch applied the unconference concept to the specific world of Career Development. For more information, visit: CareerCamp International CareerCampSCV (Santa Clarita Valley) Douglas E. Welch  

A clip from this longer presentation -- Douglas E. Welch presents "Transition as the New Normal" to OPEN (Outstanding Professionals Employment Network) Ventura County in Simi Valley, CA on February 27, 2015. OPEN Facebook Page Also mentioned in this talk is "Career Compass: Finding Your Career North", an Amazon Kindle booklet   Transcript: Now, I know, it seems, How can you have too much stability in our lives? I mean, we strive so hard for our cars, our houses, our children, our families, but what it means is we actually forget how to transition. We forget how to engage in change. Just like a muscle that doesn't get used, it starts to atrophy and that "risk muscle" that we all need in our lives, for big and small things, starts to atrophy. We get stuck. We get stalled by our own success, is actually the phrase I have in my notes here and I'm sure you've met people like that. They have a decent job with a decent company and they hate it, because it's boring. They are totally stable. They are, what we would all seem to subscribe to as -- that's a perfect job. It's stable. It pays well. It doesn't have a 3 hour commute. Whatever.  Circle Career-Op on Google+ Like Career-Op on Facebook

Sometimes we deserve to be fired From the Career Opportunities Archives... I will ask you to forgive me in advance if this column rambles a bit, as I am still coming to grips with the topic, even as I write. Firing someone, and being fired, is always an emotional event. Still, I believe that today we have forgotten that there are times when we deserve to be fired, especially when we show that we cannot complete even the most fundamental tasks of the position. Instead, we allow ourselves or people in our departments to continue in a role long after proven incapable of doing the job. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying “Insanity (is) doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” While failure is a part of every job, shouldn’t complete failure be a clear indicator that someone else needs to be given a chance?Let m e be clear that when I say failure, I am not talking about the average, everyday failures we all experience. This isn’t about the lost contract or client, the failed project, the marketing misstep. This is about complete failure, like not being able to accept or accurately count the votes in your precinct, county or state or being unable to produce accurate paychecks for your workers like the LA County Schools recent problem. These are failures of both the highest and lowest degrees. These people are unable to fulfill even the most basic tenets of their job and this, unfortunately, has the most dramatic effect on their clients and customers. Read this entire column - Sometimes we deserve to be fired Listen to this Podcast

A clip from this longer presentation - CareerCamp: New Unconference Methods for Helping People Build the Career They Deserve with Douglas E. Welch CareerCamp Founder, Douglas E. Welch, shares CareerCamp with the attendees of the California Placement Association at their annual 2015 conference in San Luis Obispo. He discusses What is CareerCamp?, how it might be used in your organization and takes you through an example of a Day at CareerCamp.   Download this video Subscribe to CareerCamp International on YouTube Subscribe to Douglas E. Welch on YouTube Transcript: Organizing costs are also very low, in most cases. Anthony said -- well, I will say, we never asked the college for money. The thing that I went to Anthony for -- the thing that we went to the College of the Canyons for and the reason this is Anthony's project and not my project is, because he works at the college, we get the use of the facilities for free. That will be your biggest issue, getting a venue. Getting a place to hold this. And again, it doesn't have to be the perfect place, but you do need a place to get together with your people to hold a CareerCamp and by partnering with a community college we were able to do that. The first CareerCampLA was actually held at a Congregational Church in Northridge and it worked great. It worked fine. We have a nice room and it sort of cemented some of my ideas of how you organize one of these events. Again, totally free.   What is CareerCamp and Career Camp International? CareerCamp is a community organized, career-focused, unconference which calls upon local communities and people to share their knowledge, expertise and other important information on developing yourself and your career. What is an unconference? Unconferences are self-organizing conferences, similar to many professional conferences, but instead of hiring well-known, professional speakers, they call on the attendees themselves to provide the content and focus for the event. Every person who attends is highly encouraged to present on some topic deeply important to them or, barring that, to facilitate an open breakout session or round table discussion or even just to engage and converse with their fellow attendees between presentations. A few organizers band together to find a venue for the event, recruit sponsors and invite attendees, but the focus of the unconference is driven solely by the attendees. Some might question the usefulness of presentations by their peers, but we have found that there is an enormous amount of real-world expertise available in each and every local community. CareerCamp utilizes a format that draws out that expertise and benefits everyone. CareerCamp (and other unconferences) provide a structure and an opportunity to share this expertise in ways that traditional conferences do not. Additionally, CareerCamps also attract career development professionals who can use CareerCamp as a way of introducing themselves to a new audience of potential clients. How was CareerCamp developed? The genesis of CareerCamp was found by attending BarCamp unconferences held around the world. CareerCamp founder, Douglas E. Welch, was a long time attendee of BarCamp, which is an event that embraces any topic, although it often leans toward technology. After seeing the success of BarCamp as a way to illuminate and educate within a community, Welch applied the unconference concept to the specific world of Career Development. For more information, visit: CareerCamp International CareerCampSCV (Santa Clarita Valley) Douglas E. Welch  

Archive: Start building some independence for yourself — from the Career Opportunities Podcast

Video: Cool things happen at the fringes from “Transition as the New Normal” with Douglas E. Welch

Video: In Conclusion from “It’s Your Career, After All” with Douglas E. Welch

Archive: Not everyone is happy when you change — from the Career Opportunities Podcast

Video: Can you domesticate transition? from “Transition as the New Normal” with Douglas E. Welch

Video: Remove yourself from abusive jobs from “It’s Your Career, After All” with Douglas E. Welch

Archive: Summer Solstice is time for reflection and projection — from the Career Opportunities Podcast

Video: Transition is a force for good in our lives from “Transition as the New Normal” with Douglas E. Welch