When you've had a series of jobs in different fields (or using different skill sets), forget trying to find the one that's the Real You.
(1) Create a good story (or "spin" as journalists say.
Practice a cover story till that you can repeat in 5 minutes or less.
(2) Think of your career as an artful mosaic, not a patchwork quilt.
Recognize the underlying pattern. Sometimes an outsider (yes, a paid coach or consultant) will help you see underlying trends.
(3) Never apologize.
Hang out only with folks who see your variety as strength, not weakness.
Showing posts with label career ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label career ideas. Show all posts
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Need a new midlife career? Think "Open Road"
Ezine subscriber Ellen Zucker (www.facesandfortunes.com) sent me this story about fifty-something career changers who left their cubicles for the open road:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19875409/site/newsweek/
"Becoming a truck driver? You must be kidding." I can just see my readers shaking their heads in disbelief.
Well, maybe not. A few years ago I interviewed a truck driver who left his fifth grade science classroom to drive big rigs. He loved it.
"Forget the stereotype," he said. "You'll find doctors, lawyers, college professors...all kinds of people. At a truck stop, I'm not the only one in a booth reading a book."
These days, he told me, trucks come with automatic transmission and they're not as hard to drive as they used to be. Truckers communicate by CB, but more likely they have cab phones, fax machines and computers, too.
"Who changes those big wheels?" I asked, shuddering. Mechanical I'm not.
"Oh, if you're truck breaks down, you just call in your location and they send a repair truck. Faster than the auto club!"
You can drive alone or with your partner. You can bring along your dogs and cats.
He recommended going with the big companies, like Schneider, not the smaller outfits. Talk to the recruiters and learn which driving schools they recommend. Hang out at truck stops and chat with the drivers.
Of course, you do have to be able to drive in all kinds of weather. You have to be a confident driver who charges up hills and flies down mountain roads.
Frankly, if I were a better driver, I wouldn't be sitting here. I'd be out there myself. Next lifetime.
Also see: http://gettrucking.com/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19875409/site/newsweek/
"Becoming a truck driver? You must be kidding." I can just see my readers shaking their heads in disbelief.
Well, maybe not. A few years ago I interviewed a truck driver who left his fifth grade science classroom to drive big rigs. He loved it.
"Forget the stereotype," he said. "You'll find doctors, lawyers, college professors...all kinds of people. At a truck stop, I'm not the only one in a booth reading a book."
These days, he told me, trucks come with automatic transmission and they're not as hard to drive as they used to be. Truckers communicate by CB, but more likely they have cab phones, fax machines and computers, too.
"Who changes those big wheels?" I asked, shuddering. Mechanical I'm not.
"Oh, if you're truck breaks down, you just call in your location and they send a repair truck. Faster than the auto club!"
You can drive alone or with your partner. You can bring along your dogs and cats.
He recommended going with the big companies, like Schneider, not the smaller outfits. Talk to the recruiters and learn which driving schools they recommend. Hang out at truck stops and chat with the drivers.
Of course, you do have to be able to drive in all kinds of weather. You have to be a confident driver who charges up hills and flies down mountain roads.
Frankly, if I were a better driver, I wouldn't be sitting here. I'd be out there myself. Next lifetime.
Also see: http://gettrucking.com/
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