Maximize Career Discovery - Pointers

Pointers are sort of like bird dogs. My Grandpa Cobb had bird dogs all of the time I knew him. At one period he had two… Hap and Sis. They were both German Short Hairs and great dogs. I don’t remember as much about Sis but Hap was all energy and absolutely no sense. In reality his energy level was far beyond any creature I have ever known. How he ever contributed to my grandfathers shooting one bird is still a mystery to me. If Hap got out of his spacious backyard pen he would run all night chasing who knows what in the orange groves across the street. I'm not sure he knew what he was chasing. If you managed to get Hap on a rope or leash you better be wearing a good pair of leather gloves or rope burns were guaranteed. With the gloves, you better have good shoulder sockets and stay very aware of the tension on the leash. If there was much slack and Hap decided to run he would pull you right off your feet. Hopefully at that point you had the good sense to let go. I’m quite sure Hap could have pulled up two water skiers on a shore start if he had been given the opportunity.

With careers and callings, pointers are anything that point you in the right direction. They don’t shoot the bird, bag it, clean it, or cook it. It would be similar to a fish finder. As my Dad would tell you, these high tech gadgets don’t catch fish… of course you use dynamite for that….

Here is a short list of career discovery pointers:

1.  Experience - Awareness of strengths, passion, and need develop over time by involvement and observation of daily experiences. This usually requires reflection as well. My observation is that most callings or dream jobs come at least in some measure from this pointer.

2.  Clarifying Moments - A single pivotal experience can drop kick you into the right place. We often call these moments change, crisis, challenge, and even tragedy. But it doesn’t have to be something negative. It might just as well be an intense pleasure.

3.  Intuition - Some people just get an inner knowing of what they are supposed to do with their life. This nudge doesn’t always come young.

4.  Classes and Course Work - This is the biggest benefit of college from my perspective and why everyone should go for at least a couple of years… and probably go back every few years through out a lifetime. College has so many more electives and options than high school. A good liberal arts education is a good way to find out what turns you on. Start with Junior College and save money. Kick in the big bucks only as needed if there is really the benefit for a specific career.

5.  Job Shadowing - Go spend a day or two following someone around while they do their thing. This gets you past the glamour and into the trenches where the actual work takes place.

6.   Parallel Career or Volunteer Work - At one point I was taking course work toward a career in counseling. I found the course work riveting and could see I had some talent. For two years I volunteered with a crisis hot-line doing telephone counseling. I also spent a lot of time with those working on counseling degrees. At the end of the day I realized that counseling meant working with a lot of people that didn’t really want to get better. They went to counseling to feel like they were trying and show others they were trying…. But they weren’t really trying. I have a relative by marriage that is currently working as a medical tech with an ambulance company before he spends boat loads of money to go to medical school. This is a smart guy.

7.  Coaches and Counseling - Career Coaches and Counselors can be a big help. They don’t have to be professional or trained. They need to have the gift of insight with a little background and experience. Check out the Crossroads Career Network for some referrals. If you like what you see in this blog, I would be happy to explore working with you.

8.  Questions and a Notebook - A good set of questions with reflection over time is invaluable. You’ll get some of my favorites here.

9. Career Assessments, Indicators, and Tests - I’m going to review a bunch of these in the following pages and posts. Several are linked to the right. I am a big believer in the value of assessments. I actually recommend taking and even re-taking some over the course of a lifetime. Plan late December, early January, or your birthday to take a couple of new tests. These assessments also have limitations. They are one category of tool. Most people need a set of tools and rarely is one tool a magic wand or a magic key that opens the door all by itself.

10. Mastermind Career Group - Many people benefit greatly from an inner circle or personal board of directors. This might start out with some sort of networking group. Here again Crossroads Career Network has affiliated groups all over the country. Most people benefit from some kind of outside perspective, encouragement, and support.