Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Likelyhood of Success

I'm often amazed at the way some people make money. It can be the kind of job they have or the business they have started, but the commonality which surprises me is the lack of planning or inspiration they had before they were committed to their vocation.

Start doing your own research by asking someone what kind of degree or certification they have. Often times the successful real estate broker, handyman, or retail person will reply they have a degree in Liberal Arts. This might imply that they went to college to enjoy their education and sharpen their mind or that they just hadn't or couldn't make up their mind on what they wanted to do with their life.

After you graduate with a degree in Art History teaching, selling or achieving art is pretty much the limits. I could go on with other degree choices, but needless to say you don't want to graduate with one hundred thousand dollars in student loans and hope to make it back writing poetry. The goal may be laudable, but the pay is not.

I find that another commonly unused degree is in education. There may be no profession that offers more disillusionment and early burnout that teaching. My career in industrial sales introduced me to many of my colleagues that had given up teaching. I heard a number of reasons, but right at the top was the generic, "It wasn't what I thought it was going to be." Read that, I wasn't going to be Mr. or Mrs. Chips. Teaching is hard work and even though people seem to think teachers make a lot of money for nine months work, those that have tired have given up in amazing numbers.

You'd think that if someone paid the money and put forth the effort and commitment to get a professional degree such as medicine or law they wouldn't let their education slid by. I can tell that isn't true. A lawyer that end up selling cars is not a common occurrence, although I do know one that does, However, lawyers that go into business quite often and changing specialities in medicine is often a symptom of disappointment with original choices.

If you read the self help books on business and how to be a success, compare their road maps with information gained from interviewing people who are successful in an area you are investigating, you'll often find great disparity in fact. Much of what drives people to the area they are successful is serendipitous. Many times it's taking over the family business, and not always because they choose to do so. Dad falls ill and mom can't handle it, so Sue or Jack leaves their career track in ,you fill in the blank, and becomes head of the family empire, even if it happens to be a small restaurant.

Often it's a job that people take when they are quite young and just never get out of it even after they get their degree that should be leading them in another area. I know a music major who is now a divorce attorney. I know a Fine Art graduate who went back to get a mechanical engineering degree. Under the category of, "Employers don't care what your degree is in. They want to see evidence of scholarship", my son has his Electrical Engineering Degree and he works in Information Technology, which if it's anything is Electronics. My Daughter use her degree in Design and my son-in-law uses his degree in Agriculture, but Mary Jo hasn't cashed in on her degree in Japanese language the way she could have and Dan is dreaming about being a Veterinarian.

The only book I ever recommend for people that are contemplating career changes is What Color is You Parachute by Richard Bolles. This book can be used in many ways. It isn't just about a job search or a career change. I maintain that if everyone used his analytical approach to many of life's decisions they would be better off. (I've advised sales people to use his techniques to prospect customers.). Bolles suggest rigorous research and investigation of a subject before acting on it. What his book offers is a template for mounting you own investigation.Doesn't it just make sense that knowing something about the company you are interviewing for would be helpful in deciding if you even wanted to work for them or not. The same is true if your deciding which customers to call on. Some prospects are better than others. Knowing which ones are is a critical key to success.

The one thing you will find out if you do the research is that there is no path to success. It's when you wander and wonder that you find your niche

Friday, May 25, 2007

What is it about some people?

I have a good friend John B, who is, if you were to look at our makeup and personalities you would never think we could be close friends. Than there is my cousin John. As we all know kin don't necessarily make good friends, but John is a friend and a confidant. I have many women friends. As I have written before, I am far more comfortable with women as friends. I do not seek anyone as a close friend. Friendships are born in moments of need and mature with use over time. It's the initial attraction that mystifies me

The first thing I can remember feeling about John B is that out of a group of guys that we bowled with, he and I always seemed to end up hanging out and talking about ourselves rather than the usual cover topics men usually blab about, such as ball games, women and tools. We found our differences quickly enough, but we also sensed in each other that we could respect those differences and still be friends.