Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch

High school is the time to think about your career, but not to decide it from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Echo, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” When I was going to high school — back in the Dark Ages of the 1970’s — teachers and counselors would talk about possible careers,  but unless you were moving into a vocational education program, no one expected you to decide on a career right then.  College was meant to the be place where you ‘found yourself’.  Today, though, we have magnet schools — for junior high aged children — dedicated to zoology, journalism, science, arts, performing arts, math, engineering and more. It seems to me that, more and more, we are asking children to decide on their carers earlier and earlier. As someone who has yet to decide “What I want to be when I grow up”, I find this a bit troubling. For me, childhood is about discovering what you might want to do with the rest of your life, not deciding. Read High school is the time to think about your career, but not to decide it from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

A Year of Self Preservation from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Echo, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” As I have done for the past several years, 2013 starts with a word or phrase that I will focus on throughout the year. It is always my hope that you will find this focus just as useful. For 2013, I am declaring A Year of Self Preservation. A year of taking care of yourself so that you can help take care of others. When we had our son nearly 15 years ago, our pediatrician passed on an important piece of advice — one that I share with almost everyone I meet at some point. “Rested Parents are Good Parents!” It is so easy, as a new parent to dedicate yourself so completely to your child that everything else in your life suffers. Your sleep suffers, of course, but also your relationship with your spouse and family, your relationship with friends and even your relationship with yourself. Your work and career can suffer, as well. Read A Year of Self Preservation from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Start the New Year without a plan From the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Echo, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” In the past, I have written columns on starting the New Year off right in terms of your career. I have told you “Don’t make resolutions, make action items.” (2010) I have said “Get a plan” (2006) and encouraged you to “Start a Journal for the New Year.” This year, however, I have decided to do the opposite. I think 2013 is the year you just might want to begin WITHOUT a plan. After almost 30 years of creating a career, I have seen how plans, dreams and resolutions can often go awry — not because they were bad, but simply because they were inflexible. When the realities of life meet the complexities and chaos of your career, things can fly apart. Rather than fly apart with them, I’m urging you to build some flexibility into your New Year. Read Start the New Year without a plan From the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Halfway out of the dark from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Echo, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” “…wherever people are, in the deepest part of the winter, at the exact mid-point, everybody stops and turns and hugs. As if to say, “Well done. Well done, everyone! We’re halfway out of the dark.” — Doctor Who, A Christmas Carol As in the quote above, we are very close to our own moment of the year where we are “halfway out of the dark.” The Winter Solstice has passed and the days get longer – second by second, minute by minute – with each passing day. In our careers, it is important to remember this endless cycles that has gone on for millions of years. The darkness comes, the darkness abates and then it all starts over again. Of course the same cycle can be said to occur in our lives and in our careers. There are boom times, there are bust times and there is everything in between. No one knows exactly what life will bring, but I find myself more and more assured each day, that the cycles will continue to oscillate back and forth for as long as we – and the planet – exist. Cycles are a fundamental part of our world. Look to any science – physics, chemistry, biology – and you will see them represented. It only makes sense that cycles occur over and over in our lives as well. Read Halfway out of the dark from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Tips for the long-term unemployed from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Echo, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Throughout my life, both offline and online, I meet many people who — for lack of a better term — find themselves among the long-term unemployed. They might be working in some capacity, as a freelancer, for example, but they would much rather re-join the ranks of full-time employees. They can find themselves in this situation due to a layoff, recovery from health problems or because they followed a career path that has not worked out. Regardless of the reasons, there are several tips that can help the long-term unemployed get back to work full-time. Read Tips for the long-term unemployed from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

What You Need: Presenting Yourself Well from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Echo, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” With this column I am starting an ongoing series entitled, “What You Need.” These columns will highlight what I consider the fundamental foundations of any career. These foundations often deal with the, so-called, “softer” side of jobs, work and careers, but I have always considered this the most important part of any career. These foundations are the underpinnings of everything else that you do in your career and without tending to them you put yourself at a severe disadvantage. Read What You Need: Presenting Yourself Well from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Do your best work from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Echo, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” In any given day at work, we are faced with a multitude of  — often conflicting — priorities. We are trying to keep everyone happy, from our boss to our customers, trying to be productive and sometimes most important, trying to make some money to support ourselves and perhaps our families. Amidst all these priorities, we can sometimes lose sight of the most important goal of any day at work — to do the best work possible. For me, doing the best work possible overrides nearly every other priority. The more things change…the better! from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

The more things change…the better! from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Echo, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” I was walking around a local store yesterday when I was struck with a bit of an epiphany. There, on the end of a shopping aisle, were some lightbulbs for sale. These lights were the, now ubiquitous, compact fluorescent bulbs, but there was something odd about them. These bulbs were manufactured with an outside enclosure to specifically make them look like the incandescent bulbs that most of us grew up with. A company had taken the time to do the research and create this product specifically for those people who were unwilling to give up their idea of what they thought a light bulb should look like. The more things change…the better! from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Stop worshipping the obsessive from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” As a people, Americans love to worship the obsessives among us. Witness the near deification of Steve Jobs and other amazing business people. We are quick to forgive them their sins of anti-social, bullying and “ends justify the means” behavior since their accomplishments are so great. We begin to see their obsessive behaviors as the one true secret to business and life success. Unfortunately, business thought-leaders have tied onto this star, as well, and seem to think that this obsessive behavior is the ONLY way to achieve success in any business. While certainly there are some success stories of obsessive leaders leading a company to greatness, to expect everyone to be obsessive is a road to disaster. Read Stop worshipping the obsessive from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

The Best Time Is Always Now! from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Often, when facing important decisions, we are counseled to “go slow — take our time — don’t jump from the frying pan into the fire”. While there is certainly some wisdom in the this advice, I think for most of us, we error far too heavily on the slow side of the equation. This can lead to unacceptable situations where we struggle in a bad job or position for years before we even attempt to make a move. Read this entire article – Don’t Disqualify Yourself from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Don’t Disqualify Yourself from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” There are plenty of opportunities in your career to be rejected. You might have your ideas for a new project rejected. Your application for a new job or new promotion might be rejected. Life itself  is full of rejection. It is an unpleasant, if unwavering fact of life. That said, I find that many people seek to avoid rejection from others by disqualifying themselves before there is a chance to be rejected. Unfortunately, disqualifying yourself is one of the most damaging actions you can take in your career. It often means that you are throwing away opportunities that might otherwise expand and enhance your career. Read this entire article – Don’t Disqualify Yourself from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Fear should move you to action, not inaction from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Fear is an ever-present part of our lives. Since the days when humans stalked — and were stalked — on the plains, fear has been an integral part of our human experience. Based on this history, fear should not be seen as a bad thing. Rather, fear should be seen as a wise emotion, one that keeps us aware and alive and points out when we should launch into fight or flight. Unfortunately, for many of us in the modern world, fear is used as an excuse for hiding away and avoiding fearful situations when we should be facing them. In too many cases, fear moves us to inaction at exactly the moment when we should be spurred into action. Read this entire article – Fear should move you to action, not inaction from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Go where you are most needed from the Career Opportunities Podcast   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” I was talking to one of our cousins in Sicily recently and he was bemoaning a very common problem. He recently graduated with a Masters in Science (Laurea Specialistica) in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Like many, he is looking for his first “real” job in his field and he has run headlong into the old conundrum of “connections.” Simply put, he doesn’t have any and it seems that getting any good job requires them. While the problem might be especially acute in Italy, it exists everywhere. For a job seeker, it can seem like all doors are closed just when you need an open door the most. Read this entire article – Go where you are most needed from the Career Opportunities Podcast One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

What is success…and why you might have it already! from CareerCampSCV 2012 [Video] (38:34) …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Douglas E. Welch (http://douglasewelch.com/career) presents “What is success….and why you might have it already!” at CareerCampSCV (Santa Clarita Valley) 2012 (http://careercampscv.wordpress.com) There has been a “perversion” of the meaning of success these days with only the extremely famous or rich being labelled as successful. Douglas’ definition of success is “if you can support yourself and and your family doing something you love.” Success is not black or white, it has many shades of grey and we are wise to remember it.   One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

What is success….and why you might have it already! from CareerCampSCV 2012 [Audio] (40:00)   Listen to this podcast …or tell your Alexa, “Alexa, play the podcast Career Opportunities” Douglas E. Welch (http://douglasewelch.com/career) presents “What is success….and why you might have it already!” at CareerCampSCV (Santa Clarita Valley) 2012 (http://careercampscv.wordpress.com) There has been a “perversion” of the meaning of success these days with only the extremely famous or rich being labelled as successful. Douglas’ definition of success is “if you can support yourself and and your family doing something you love.” Success is not black or white, it has many shades of grey and we are wise to remember it. Listen to this entire presentation What is success….and why you might have it already! from CareerCampSCV 2012 [Audio] (40:00) One-To-One Career Consulting Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. Click for more information and pricing  Build the Career You Deserve with these books ††† * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library