http://www.odeo.com/channels/678-Career-Opportunities douglaswelch no Helping to Build the Career You Deserve! Helping to Build the Career You Deserve! NOW IN OUR 5TH YEAR!-- Helping to build the career you deserve! A twice-weekly podcast focusing on the unique challenges of a building a 21st Century career. Join author Douglas E. Welch for this audio version of his weekly print column, now in its 9th ye en 40 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:37:37 -0800 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:37:37 -0800 Business http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25416490-You-are-unique-Act-like-it You are unique. Act like it! By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Here is a little experiment. If you work in an office with cubicles, stand up on your desk and look out over the office. What do you see? If you work in an building with individual offices, walk down a line of offices and notice what is happening within. What are people doing? How are they dressed? What sort of decoration do you see? Now that you have done this experiment, let me give you a way of evaluating what you see. When you did your observations, did everything look the same from cube to cube or office to office? Were there oddities scattered among the sameness? Was everyone doing something unique? Now, here is what all this means. The more conformity, the more sameness, the more blah your office, the less innovative it is likely to be and the less likely you will find a way to express your true talents and skills. The fact is, we know all of this intuitivel... You are unique. Act like it! By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Here is a little experiment. If you work in an office with cubicles, stand up on your desk and look out over the office. What do you see? If you work in an building with individual offices, walk down a line of offices and notice what is happening within. What are people doing? How are they dressed? What sort of decoration do you see? Now that you have done this experiment, let me give you a way of evaluating what you see. When you did your observations, did everything look the same from cube to cube or office to office? Were there oddities scattered among the sameness? Was everyone doing something unique? Now, here is what all this means. The more conformity, the more sameness, the more blah your office, the less innovative it is likely to be and the less likely you will find a way to express your true talents and skills. The fact is, we know all of this intuitively, but we force ourselves to ignore it by becoming buried in the day-to-day mundanity of our work. It is only when we stop and take a moment to really look at where we work that we can make the fog clear and see the truth. Why should you care about how your place of business looks? As I have often said in the past, you can only do your best work when you are passionate. Sure, you might do good work, but nothing approaching what you might achieve, given half a chance. If you are burying your uniqueness under the same clothes, the same interests, the same way of working as everyone else, you are bound to suffer. You might still get your paycheck every week, but you won’t change the world. You might like some of your co-workers and your office, but you will avoid them whenever you can. You might work, but you might not live. You are unique. Act like it. Look inside yourself — deep inside. What clothes would you prefer to wear? What work do you love to do? Where would you like to do it? Is your current job fulfilling your needs beyond a simple paycheck? If not, there is a way you can change things for the better — and a big reason why. First the why. Being true to yourself, your passions and your sensibilities is the first path to the career you deserve. If you are constantly corralling your true self and hiding it behind a facade of sameness you are killing yourself every day. You don’t have to “go crazy” in public, but you need to express how unique you are. Start small. Wear odd socks, a neat tie, a new hat. I know it sounds a bit silly, but it is a start and it leads the way to more dramatic changes. If there seems to be only one way to complete a task, find another. You don’t need to stand on your desk and announce to the world how you will do it differently, but do it in a way that makes the most sense to you. Once you have something worked out, introduce it to others and see how it received. You may soon find yourself rising above your co-workers who don’t make any attempt to mix things up. The next steps take a bit more courage. Take every opportunity to explore who you are. Don’t like the hours you work? Ask for different ones. Don’t like your location? Ask to work from home on a regular basis. Obviously, all this works much better after you have established a good — no, great — track record in your work. If you hope to make such large changes, you need to make sure that everyone believes you can complete your work — even be more productive — after these changes. If you look around and see only sameness, it is time to make a change. Don’t let your job turn you into merely another worker bee, just like all the rest. Find ways to explore and express your uniqueness. Find ways to make your job into the career you deserve. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com You are unique. Act like it! You are unique. Act like it! By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Here is a little experiment. If you work in an office with cubicles, stand up on your desk and look out over the office. What do you see? If you work in an building with individual offices, walk down a line of offices and notice what is happening within. What are people doing? How are they dressed? What sort of decoration do you see? Now that you have done this experiment, let me give you a way of evaluating what you see. When you did your observations, did everything look the same from cube to cube or office to office? Were there oddities scattered among the sameness? Was everyone doing something unique? Now, here is what all this means. The more conformity, the more sameness, the more blah your office, the less innovative it is likely to be and the less likely you will find a way to express your true talents and skills. The fact is, we know all of this intuitively, but we force ourselves to ignore it by becoming buried in the day-to-day mundanity of our work. It is only when we stop and take a moment to really look at where we work that we can make the fog clear and see the truth. Why should you care about how your place of business looks? As I have often said in the past, you can only do your best work when you are passionate. Sure, you might do good work, but nothing approaching what you might achieve, given half a chance. If you are burying your uniqueness under the same clothes, the same interests, the same way of working as everyone else, you are bound to suffer. You might still get your paycheck every week, but you won’t change the world. You might like some of your co-workers and your office, but you will avoid them whenever you can. You might work, but you might not live. You are unique. Act like it. Look inside yourself — deep inside. What clothes would you prefer to wear? What work do you love to do? Where would you like to do it? Is your current job fulfilling your needs beyond a simple paycheck? If not, there is a way you can change things for the better — and a big reason why. First the why. Being true to yourself, your passions and your sensibilities is the first path to the career you deserve. If you are constantly corralling your true self and hiding it behind a facade of sameness you are killing yourself every day. You don’t have to “go crazy” in public, but you need to express how unique you are. Start small. Wear odd socks, a neat tie, a new hat. I know it sounds a bit silly, but it is a start and it leads the way to more dramatic changes. If there seems to be only one way to complete a task, find another. You don’t need to stand on your desk and announce to the world how you will do it differently, but do it in a way that makes the most sense to you. Once you have something worked out, introduce it to others and see how it received. You may soon find yourself rising above your co-workers who don’t make any attempt to mix things up. The next steps take a bit more courage. Take every opportunity to explore who you are. Don’t like the hours you work? Ask for different ones. Don’t like your location? Ask to work from home on a regular basis. Obviously, all this works much better after you have established a good — no, great — track record in your work. If you hope to make such large changes, you need to make sure that everyone believes you can complete your work — even be more productive — after these changes. If you look around and see only sameness, it is time to make a change. Don’t let your job turn you into merely another worker bee, just like all the rest. Find ways to explore and express your uniqueness. Find ways to make your job into the career you deserve. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com You are unique. Act like it! tag:odeo.com,2009-11-06,25416490 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:37:37 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25359409-Your-career-needs-a-holiday Your career needs a holiday By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Win a Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer laptop sleeve from TechNewsRadio.com. Send email to technewsradio@gmail.com with the Subject Line: Tom Bihn Giveaway to enter today. Contest Ends November 1, 2009 It might seem a bit too soon to be thinking about “the holidays” — yet with Halloween only 2 weeks away they are rapidly approaching. For those working to “Build the Career You Deserve” the holidays might seem like a time yo slack off. Business will be slowing down, people will be distracted by other concerns and you might simply want a break from thinking about — or worse, worrying about — your career. While the holidays might not be the best time for more formal career activities like sending out resumes or going on interviews, it can be great for re-establishing old ties, building new relationships and developing plans for the fut... Your career needs a holiday By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Win a Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer laptop sleeve from TechNewsRadio.com. Send email to technewsradio@gmail.com with the Subject Line: Tom Bihn Giveaway to enter today. Contest Ends November 1, 2009 It might seem a bit too soon to be thinking about “the holidays” — yet with Halloween only 2 weeks away they are rapidly approaching. For those working to “Build the Career You Deserve” the holidays might seem like a time yo slack off. Business will be slowing down, people will be distracted by other concerns and you might simply want a break from thinking about — or worse, worrying about — your career. While the holidays might not be the best time for more formal career activities like sending out resumes or going on interviews, it can be great for re-establishing old ties, building new relationships and developing plans for the future. One common thread throughout the holidays is camaraderie — spending time together with friends and family. At this time of year, there will be more parties, more family meals, more public events, more opportunities for getting out and engaging with the world. This is much needed in a world where we typically spend way too many hours hunkered over our work. Yes, you need to focus on your work, but you also need to come up for air on occasion. Too much of anything, even oxygen, can be a bad thing. Consider the holidays as a time to decompress, but not disengage. Time to think about yourself and your connections to the world instead of just your work. Make a point of accepting as many engagements as you find comfortable and enjoyable. When invited somewhere or to some activity, look for the one reason to say “yes” instead of the many reasons to say “no.” Strike a balance between your old, friendly, comfortable activities and a few, challenging, new ones. In my case, this meant going to an El Día de los Muertos celebration for the first time a few years ago. I was surrounded by new people, a few friends and a completely different atmosphere than usual. While El Día de los Muertos is celebrated at the same time as Halloween, its focus is quite different. Where our modern Halloween focuses on the gruesome, the gory and the frightening, El Día de los Muertos seeks to celebrate those now gone from our lives, but not forgotten. Decorations are macabre — candy skulls, skeletons and such, but in ways that help us deal with the realities of death, not make us afraid of it. After that experience, I’m now thinking – as you should be thinking – What new activities can I say “Yes” to this year? Engaging in new activities helps to challenge and energize your thinking. Confronted with new sights, new sounds, and new ideas, you can’t help but think new thoughts. Visiting new places, talking with new people, smelling new smells, hearing new sounds and music, all refill our creative well and give us the basic building blocks of new innovations. Next, take the time to truly connect and converse with those around you. Avoid parties and other gatherings with loud music and other distractions that prevent you from speaking and listening to one another. One of my personal pet peeves is friends who would rather go to a movie than come over for dinner. You can’t talk at all in the movie, so while you experience the movie together, you never get a chance to connect. At the very least, find a more quiet part of the room or location. You are almost sure to find other, like-minded, people looking to escape the noise and engage in a little conversation. At one raucous Hollywood holiday party years ago, my wife and I escaped to the pool area of a home, even on a cold December night and fell in with a small group already there. Some people crave conversation more than than anything. You should cultivate it in your life, too. People are inclined to talk around the holidays. There is usually plenty of good food and good drink to lubricate the conversation, but you still need to find people and get the conversation started. My wife and I have found that many people don’t know how to hold a conversation, so we make the effort to include them and show them how in a comfortable environment. We even started LA Friday Coffee (http://lafridaycoffee.com) to give people a weekly opportunity to get together and simply talk. Once you go out and start engaging with people, you’ll find that you will also have more thinking to do by yourself. Again, new experiences bring new thoughts. The long, dark, nights of Winter give us ample time to do some hard thinking about where we are and where we want to go. This doesn’t mean wallowing in depression, though. Just the opposite. Your thinking should turn to grand plans, new ideas and new adventures. Thinking your way through Winter could lead to some explosive growth come the Spring. Just like the flower bulbs, sometimes we need a period of darkness and cold before we can burst into bloom. The holiday season can be fun and also productive — if perhaps, in some non-traditional ways. It may be difficult to land a new job, but the potential for many meetings and amazing conversations could lead you down the path to the career you deserve. Don’t just get angry — do something about it! Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Related articles by Zemanta What I’m Reading…Rules of Thumb by Alan M. Webber (welchwrite.com) Preconceptions (welchwrite.com) Time to be an adult (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Your career needs a holiday Your career needs a holiday By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Win a Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer laptop sleeve from TechNewsRadio.com. Send email to technewsradio@gmail.com with the Subject Line: Tom Bihn Giveaway to enter today. Contest Ends November 1, 2009 It might seem a bit too soon to be thinking about “the holidays” — yet with Halloween only 2 weeks away they are rapidly approaching. For those working to “Build the Career You Deserve” the holidays might seem like a time yo slack off. Business will be slowing down, people will be distracted by other concerns and you might simply want a break from thinking about — or worse, worrying about — your career. While the holidays might not be the best time for more formal career activities like sending out resumes or going on interviews, it can be great for re-establishing old ties, building new relationships and developing plans for the future. One common thread throughout the holidays is camaraderie — spending time together with friends and family. At this time of year, there will be more parties, more family meals, more public events, more opportunities for getting out and engaging with the world. This is much needed in a world where we typically spend way too many hours hunkered over our work. Yes, you need to focus on your work, but you also need to come up for air on occasion. Too much of anything, even oxygen, can be a bad thing. Consider the holidays as a time to decompress, but not disengage. Time to think about yourself and your connections to the world instead of just your work. Make a point of accepting as many engagements as you find comfortable and enjoyable. When invited somewhere or to some activity, look for the one reason to say “yes” instead of the many reasons to say “no.” Strike a balance between your old, friendly, comfortable activities and a few, challenging, new ones. In my case, this meant going to an El Día de los Muertos celebration for the first time a few years ago. I was surrounded by new people, a few friends and a completely different atmosphere than usual. While El Día de los Muertos is celebrated at the same time as Halloween, its focus is quite different. Where our modern Halloween focuses on the gruesome, the gory and the frightening, El Día de los Muertos seeks to celebrate those now gone from our lives, but not forgotten. Decorations are macabre — candy skulls, skeletons and such, but in ways that help us deal with the realities of death, not make us afraid of it. After that experience, I’m now thinking – as you should be thinking – What new activities can I say “Yes” to this year? Engaging in new activities helps to challenge and energize your thinking. Confronted with new sights, new sounds, and new ideas, you can’t help but think new thoughts. Visiting new places, talking with new people, smelling new smells, hearing new sounds and music, all refill our creative well and give us the basic building blocks of new innovations. Next, take the time to truly connect and converse with those around you. Avoid parties and other gatherings with loud music and other distractions that prevent you from speaking and listening to one another. One of my personal pet peeves is friends who would rather go to a movie than come over for dinner. You can’t talk at all in the movie, so while you experience the movie together, you never get a chance to connect. At the very least, find a more quiet part of the room or location. You are almost sure to find other, like-minded, people looking to escape the noise and engage in a little conversation. At one raucous Hollywood holiday party years ago, my wife and I escaped to the pool area of a home, even on a cold December night and fell in with a small group already there. Some people crave conversation more than than anything. You should cultivate it in your life, too. People are inclined to talk around the holidays. There is usually plenty of good food and good drink to lubricate the conversation, but you still need to find people and get the conversation started. My wife and I have found that many people don’t know how to hold a conversation, so we make the effort to include them and show them how in a comfortable environment. We even started LA Friday Coffee (http://lafridaycoffee.com) to give people a weekly opportunity to get together and simply talk. Once you go out and start engaging with people, you’ll find that you will also have more thinking to do by yourself. Again, new experiences bring new thoughts. The long, dark, nights of Winter give us ample time to do some hard thinking about where we are and where we want to go. This doesn’t mean wallowing in depression, though. Just the opposite. Your thinking should turn to grand plans, new ideas and new adventures. Thinking your way through Winter could lead to some explosive growth come the Spring. Just like the flower bulbs, sometimes we need a period of darkness and cold before we can burst into bloom. The holiday season can be fun and also productive — if perhaps, in some non-traditional ways. It may be difficult to land a new job, but the potential for many meetings and amazing conversations could lead you down the path to the career you deserve. Don’t just get angry — do something about it! Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Related articles by Zemanta What I’m Reading…Rules of Thumb by Alan M. Webber (welchwrite.com) Preconceptions (welchwrite.com) Time to be an adult (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Your career needs a holiday tag:odeo.com,2009-10-23,25359409 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:02:03 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25310682-Recently-%E2%80%9CNoted%E2%80%9D-Items-from-my-reading From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Recently “Noted” Items from my reading From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Recently “Noted” Items from my reading From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Recently “Noted” Items from my reading tag:odeo.com,2009-10-19,25310682 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:43:08 -0700 no Career Opportunities Special http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25265009-Don%E2%80%99t-just-get-angry-do-something-about-it Don’t just get angry, do something about it By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site I was sitting at my favorite local coffee shop the other day, reading some email and sipping my latte, when it suddenly became a very stressful place to be. Two tables away a man sat talking loudly on his cell phone. While I wasn’t necessarily upset that he was talking on his phone, the tenor of his conversation made my chest clench with anxiety. He was obviously having trouble with a business partner and spent 15-20 minutes laying out his troubles in graphic detail. Then, a short time later, I heard another conversation begin, even more angry and graphic than the first. One woman was complaining vociferously to her friend about how she had systematically been frozen out of a business relationship. I was amazed at what she was saying within clear earshot of any number of strangers. Again, her anger spilled out regardless of who might be l... Don’t just get angry, do something about it By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site I was sitting at my favorite local coffee shop the other day, reading some email and sipping my latte, when it suddenly became a very stressful place to be. Two tables away a man sat talking loudly on his cell phone. While I wasn’t necessarily upset that he was talking on his phone, the tenor of his conversation made my chest clench with anxiety. He was obviously having trouble with a business partner and spent 15-20 minutes laying out his troubles in graphic detail. Then, a short time later, I heard another conversation begin, even more angry and graphic than the first. One woman was complaining vociferously to her friend about how she had systematically been frozen out of a business relationship. I was amazed at what she was saying within clear earshot of any number of strangers. Again, her anger spilled out regardless of who might be listening. Airing our dirty laundry in a public place is never a good idea. You never know who might be listening — a friend of your target, the target themselves, future clients or employers. While I have taken that up in past columns, I want to address a deeper issue of this behavior in this one. Too often we replace action with anger. We spend our time in unproductive complaining instead of getting something done. Venting has its advantages. It can feel cleansing. It can feel good. It can also be a substitute for more important work. I have my moments of venting. You only need to ask my wife about that. That said, my next step is to take some direct action about the problem I am facing. I find great solace in movement — in action. Sometimes this action takes the form of a good long walk. Sometimes I write about it. Sometimes I start to plan my movement to disentangle myself from a bad situation. What I try not to do is wallow. It is so easy to descend into the depths of a bad situation and wallow there for days or weeks. Wallowing allows us to blame everyone and everything but ourselves. We can lash out at the economy, co-workers, clients, the world and heaven above. We can feel like we are taking action, but in reality we are going absolutely nowhere. We are wallowing deeper and deeper in the mud hole, making it increasingly difficult to get out. Wallowing is a death spiral, like an airplane in a deadly spin. Only dramatic action will save you. If you find yourself wallowing, do everything you can to stop the descent immediately. Go for a walk. Start work on another project. Plan your resignation. Do something that will help to clear your head a bit and slow your descent. Next, take a long, hard, look at yourself, your actions, your behaviors and yes, your mistakes. It is rare that a problem is solely caused by outside forces. Like the scene from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” when Lukes walks into the jungle, “What is in there?” he asks. “Only what you bring with you.” replies Yoda. We carry our own baggage and would do well to recognize our own issues and failings, along with the failings (as you see them) of those around you. Sometimes, when we recognize our own culpability in our problems it can help us to find a way out. The problem no longer resides “out there” but rather inside ourselves where we can actually do something about it. When anger strikes, it is okay to vent — to a friend, to a spouse, to your journal. For your own sake, don’t do it in public. You might do more harm than good if someone overhears. But remember that once you have vented, it is time to get back to work. Look at the problem objectively. Look for opportunities to take action. What next steps can you put into play immediately to reduce the effects of your problem or avoid it in the future? What can you change about yourself, your life, your career that can make these problems only a memory? Don’t just get angry — do something about it! Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Related articles by Zemanta Expand Your Horizons (welchwrite.com) The New Career Danger Zone (welchwrite.com) Do something crazy! (welchwrite.com) Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Don’t just get angry, do something about it! Don’t just get angry, do something about it By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site I was sitting at my favorite local coffee shop the other day, reading some email and sipping my latte, when it suddenly became a very stressful place to be. Two tables away a man sat talking loudly on his cell phone. While I wasn’t necessarily upset that he was talking on his phone, the tenor of his conversation made my chest clench with anxiety. He was obviously having trouble with a business partner and spent 15-20 minutes laying out his troubles in graphic detail. Then, a short time later, I heard another conversation begin, even more angry and graphic than the first. One woman was complaining vociferously to her friend about how she had systematically been frozen out of a business relationship. I was amazed at what she was saying within clear earshot of any number of strangers. Again, her anger spilled out regardless of who might be listening. Airing our dirty laundry in a public place is never a good idea. You never know who might be listening — a friend of your target, the target themselves, future clients or employers. While I have taken that up in past columns, I want to address a deeper issue of this behavior in this one. Too often we replace action with anger. We spend our time in unproductive complaining instead of getting something done. Venting has its advantages. It can feel cleansing. It can feel good. It can also be a substitute for more important work. I have my moments of venting. You only need to ask my wife about that. That said, my next step is to take some direct action about the problem I am facing. I find great solace in movement — in action. Sometimes this action takes the form of a good long walk. Sometimes I write about it. Sometimes I start to plan my movement to disentangle myself from a bad situation. What I try not to do is wallow. It is so easy to descend into the depths of a bad situation and wallow there for days or weeks. Wallowing allows us to blame everyone and everything but ourselves. We can lash out at the economy, co-workers, clients, the world and heaven above. We can feel like we are taking action, but in reality we are going absolutely nowhere. We are wallowing deeper and deeper in the mud hole, making it increasingly difficult to get out. Wallowing is a death spiral, like an airplane in a deadly spin. Only dramatic action will save you. If you find yourself wallowing, do everything you can to stop the descent immediately. Go for a walk. Start work on another project. Plan your resignation. Do something that will help to clear your head a bit and slow your descent. Next, take a long, hard, look at yourself, your actions, your behaviors and yes, your mistakes. It is rare that a problem is solely caused by outside forces. Like the scene from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” when Lukes walks into the jungle, “What is in there?” he asks. “Only what you bring with you.” replies Yoda. We carry our own baggage and would do well to recognize our own issues and failings, along with the failings (as you see them) of those around you. Sometimes, when we recognize our own culpability in our problems it can help us to find a way out. The problem no longer resides “out there” but rather inside ourselves where we can actually do something about it. When anger strikes, it is okay to vent — to a friend, to a spouse, to your journal. For your own sake, don’t do it in public. You might do more harm than good if someone overhears. But remember that once you have vented, it is time to get back to work. Look at the problem objectively. Look for opportunities to take action. What next steps can you put into play immediately to reduce the effects of your problem or avoid it in the future? What can you change about yourself, your life, your career that can make these problems only a memory? Don’t just get angry — do something about it! Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Related articles by Zemanta Expand Your Horizons (welchwrite.com) The New Career Danger Zone (welchwrite.com) Do something crazy! (welchwrite.com) Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Don’t just get angry, do something about it! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-10,25265009 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25238456-Career-Tip-20091005-%E2%80%93-Don%E2%80%99t-get-angry-do-something iPod Ready Video | See all past Career Tips From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Career Tip 20091005 – Don’t get angry, do something! iPod Ready Video | See all past Career Tips From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Career Tip 20091005 – Don’t get angry, do something! iPod Ready Video | See all past Career Tips From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Career Tip 20091005 – Don’t get angry, do something! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-05,25238456 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:39:42 -0700 no Career Opportunities Uncategorized http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25202411-Longevity%E2%80%A6and-our-5th-Anniversary Longevity…and our 5th Anniversary! By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site This week marks the 5th anniversary of the Career Opportunities podcast. The print version of Career Opportunities is now entering its 12th year. I want to offer my thanks to everyone who has read or listened to the show over the years. While I have my own reasons and rewards for creating Career Opportunities, the main reason will always be you. I will continue as long as what I write has some value for you and anyone else hoping to “Build the Career You Deserve.” This major milestone seems a perfect time to address the concept of longevity in your projects and in your career. While there is some honor in doing something important over a long period of time, longevity is never a goal in and of itself. There needs to be a reason and a series of goals behind the longevity. Otherwise, you may end up focusing on habits instead of something which... Longevity…and our 5th Anniversary! By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site This week marks the 5th anniversary of the Career Opportunities podcast. The print version of Career Opportunities is now entering its 12th year. I want to offer my thanks to everyone who has read or listened to the show over the years. While I have my own reasons and rewards for creating Career Opportunities, the main reason will always be you. I will continue as long as what I write has some value for you and anyone else hoping to “Build the Career You Deserve.” This major milestone seems a perfect time to address the concept of longevity in your projects and in your career. While there is some honor in doing something important over a long period of time, longevity is never a goal in and of itself. There needs to be a reason and a series of goals behind the longevity. Otherwise, you may end up focusing on habits instead of something which is truly worthwhile. Over the years, I have revisited the purpose and usefullness of Career Opportunities. I did some hard thinking about whether it was adding value to the conversation and whether it carried significant rewards for myself and my own career. The most important part of this review is forcing yourself to step back and consider your work as an outsider. Despite your intimate involvement with your work, you have to consider it with a critical eye. Why? It has to do with the concept of “sunk costs.” According to Wikipedia, “sunk costs are retrospective (past) costs which have already been incurred and cannot be recovered.” Too often, we look at the sunk costs of our work and are loathe to bring the project to an end. Surely, after investing all this time and energy, there is a reward to continuing. Why would you stop now? Unfortuntely, the heavy physcological baggage of sunk costs can lead us to do some odd, and sometimes destructive, things. Take for example a new television show that takes months, if not years, to produce. This same show then fails after its first episode. Why couldn’t those invovled see that the show was not working? Why would they continue production when it seems obvious to many that it was going to fail? Why couldn’t someone have put a stop to it before even more money was wasted? You already know the answer — sunk costs. So much money was poured into the effort that no one wanted to be the one to call the turkey a turkey. No one wants to be the one to abandon those sunk costs, even though that is exactly what needs to be done. Do you recognize yourself in this discussion? I know I do. This is why you have to regularly review your work and your projects, even if you have been doing them for a very long time. In fact, the longer you have been doing something, the more carefully and deeply you must review why you do it. Don’t let sunk costs fool you into doing something long after the benefits are gone. Despite the dangers, longevity in anything can do a lot for you and your career. It establishes you as someone who is focused, organized and reliable. If your project is self-defined, it also shows an ability to manage yourself and work independently — skills nearly every job interview asks you to describe. These are great examples to be able to quote when dealing with prospective employers or clients. Longevity in any project also gives us sense of accomplishment in our lives. It is accomplishments like this that help us to gain confidence, stretch and grow throughout our lives and our careers. After this year’s review of my work with Career Opportunies and other projects, it looks like they will continue. I believe this column and podcast offers value to both you and I. You can help me to insure that fact by letting me know what you want and need from Career Opportunities. What questions do you want addressed? What information do you need to “Help Build the Career You Deserve?” How can I help you to make sure that your work and projects have a long, happy and producuctive life? I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me on the web site at welchwrite.com, via email aat career@welchwrite.com or on any of the social networks including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and our own career community at careercommunity.welchwrite.com. Thanks again for making Career Opportunities such a success. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Related articles by Zemanta Expand Your Horizons (welchwrite.com) The New Career Danger Zone (welchwrite.com) Do something crazy! (welchwrite.com) Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Longevity…and our 5th Anniversary! Longevity…and our 5th Anniversary! By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site This week marks the 5th anniversary of the Career Opportunities podcast. The print version of Career Opportunities is now entering its 12th year. I want to offer my thanks to everyone who has read or listened to the show over the years. While I have my own reasons and rewards for creating Career Opportunities, the main reason will always be you. I will continue as long as what I write has some value for you and anyone else hoping to “Build the Career You Deserve.” This major milestone seems a perfect time to address the concept of longevity in your projects and in your career. While there is some honor in doing something important over a long period of time, longevity is never a goal in and of itself. There needs to be a reason and a series of goals behind the longevity. Otherwise, you may end up focusing on habits instead of something which is truly worthwhile. Over the years, I have revisited the purpose and usefullness of Career Opportunities. I did some hard thinking about whether it was adding value to the conversation and whether it carried significant rewards for myself and my own career. The most important part of this review is forcing yourself to step back and consider your work as an outsider. Despite your intimate involvement with your work, you have to consider it with a critical eye. Why? It has to do with the concept of “sunk costs.” According to Wikipedia, “sunk costs are retrospective (past) costs which have already been incurred and cannot be recovered.” Too often, we look at the sunk costs of our work and are loathe to bring the project to an end. Surely, after investing all this time and energy, there is a reward to continuing. Why would you stop now? Unfortuntely, the heavy physcological baggage of sunk costs can lead us to do some odd, and sometimes destructive, things. Take for example a new television show that takes months, if not years, to produce. This same show then fails after its first episode. Why couldn’t those invovled see that the show was not working? Why would they continue production when it seems obvious to many that it was going to fail? Why couldn’t someone have put a stop to it before even more money was wasted? You already know the answer — sunk costs. So much money was poured into the effort that no one wanted to be the one to call the turkey a turkey. No one wants to be the one to abandon those sunk costs, even though that is exactly what needs to be done. Do you recognize yourself in this discussion? I know I do. This is why you have to regularly review your work and your projects, even if you have been doing them for a very long time. In fact, the longer you have been doing something, the more carefully and deeply you must review why you do it. Don’t let sunk costs fool you into doing something long after the benefits are gone. Despite the dangers, longevity in anything can do a lot for you and your career. It establishes you as someone who is focused, organized and reliable. If your project is self-defined, it also shows an ability to manage yourself and work independently — skills nearly every job interview asks you to describe. These are great examples to be able to quote when dealing with prospective employers or clients. Longevity in any project also gives us sense of accomplishment in our lives. It is accomplishments like this that help us to gain confidence, stretch and grow throughout our lives and our careers. After this year’s review of my work with Career Opportunies and other projects, it looks like they will continue. I believe this column and podcast offers value to both you and I. You can help me to insure that fact by letting me know what you want and need from Career Opportunities. What questions do you want addressed? What information do you need to “Help Build the Career You Deserve?” How can I help you to make sure that your work and projects have a long, happy and producuctive life? I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me on the web site at welchwrite.com, via email aat career@welchwrite.com or on any of the social networks including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and our own career community at careercommunity.welchwrite.com. Thanks again for making Career Opportunities such a success. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Related articles by Zemanta Expand Your Horizons (welchwrite.com) The New Career Danger Zone (welchwrite.com) Do something crazy! (welchwrite.com) Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Longevity…and our 5th Anniversary! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-28,25202411 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:24:33 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25152563-What-are-you-selling-to-your-employer What are you selling to your employer? By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site The nature of work has changed dramatically over the centuries. As a people, we moved from hunting and gathering, to subsistence farming, to larger agricultural communities, through industrialization to manufacturing and into the “information economy. Sweeping dramatic changes all, but each stage has demanded more physical work than thought. Even the information economy still encompasses much “grunt work” to keep it operating. In many cases in your career, companies are still only buying your “hands”. Sure, they might also be buying a certain amount of your “head” — your best thoughts and ideas — but the next wave in business, which many people do not understand, is asking people to sell their hearts, as well. This will not, and should not, come cheap. It is probably obvious what I mean by selling your... What are you selling to your employer? By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site The nature of work has changed dramatically over the centuries. As a people, we moved from hunting and gathering, to subsistence farming, to larger agricultural communities, through industrialization to manufacturing and into the “information economy. Sweeping dramatic changes all, but each stage has demanded more physical work than thought. Even the information economy still encompasses much “grunt work” to keep it operating. In many cases in your career, companies are still only buying your “hands”. Sure, they might also be buying a certain amount of your “head” — your best thoughts and ideas — but the next wave in business, which many people do not understand, is asking people to sell their hearts, as well. This will not, and should not, come cheap. It is probably obvious what I mean by selling your “hands” to your employer. In the past, this might have meant working in a farm field or on an assembly line, but today it could also apply to webmasters and server administrators whose job it is to keep information resources running. In my work as a computer consultant, most of my time is spent troubleshooting, repairing and recovering. Even though I find training and preventive maintenance to be much more involving and rewarding, in many ways I am the high-tech equivalent of a plumber. My job is to fix ‘what’s broke’ as quickly as possible. As I am moving my consulting business into New Media work, I find that I am selling more of my “head” than my hands. Instead of doing the actual work of setting up blogs and social media accounts, I spend more time helping individuals and businesses discover what is possible and the best ways to make use of these new tools. I have moved from making the automobile on the assembly line to helping design the car that will be made by others. In some ways, writing this column and podcast has also been more “head” work than “hand.” Each week I try to develop ideas that help you “build the career you deserve.” This shows how different parts of your career can simultaneously be at different steps in this new migration of the concepts of career and work. Today, though, we are entering entirely new waters in the work world. To be deeply successful, to do the best work possible, we need to find a company, a business or a life where we can “sell” our “heart” — our passion. While it can sound odd to discuss selling our passion, that is truly what we are doing. In the best careers, we find a place where we are willing to provide our passionate skills and thoughts to another in return for monetary rewards. This isn’t selling out. This is finding what I consider to be the epitome, sine quo non, of careers — a career where you make money doing something you love. A career in which you can invest your heart and soul. A career that supports you not only monetarily, but spiritually. I am sure some of you are shaking your heads, not believing that such a career exists, but you can look around you to see some current practitioners of this idea. Yo Yo Ma and other classical musicians of less reknown make a living doing what they love. Many other artists, too. Many of the great thinkers we read or see speak at conferences all over the world have reached this level, in some ways. It isn’t only famous people, though. The songwriter who sells a top 40 hit remains largely unknown, but supports themselves and their families in fine style. We have many friend who are “working” actors you see on television nearly every day, who love their work and are successful, even if they are not “star” names to you. For me, the very definition of success is having a comfortable life while doing something you love. There are opportunities to be successful no matter your industry or type of work. These opportunities arise from finding a place where you can exercise your passions as much as possible. In some ways, I don’t think you can do your best work unless you are truly passionate about what you are doing. So what are you selling? Your hands, your head or your heart? If you want to build the career you deserve you need to do some hard thinking about your work and your life. You need to discover your passions so that you can go and find a place — a new company, your own business, a career in the arts, whatever — where you can engage your passions and reach the highest levels of financial and spiritual success possible. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Expand Your Horizons (welchwrite.com) Do something crazy! (welchwrite.com) The New Career Danger Zone (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com What are you selling to your employer? What are you selling to your employer? By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site The nature of work has changed dramatically over the centuries. As a people, we moved from hunting and gathering, to subsistence farming, to larger agricultural communities, through industrialization to manufacturing and into the “information economy. Sweeping dramatic changes all, but each stage has demanded more physical work than thought. Even the information economy still encompasses much “grunt work” to keep it operating. In many cases in your career, companies are still only buying your “hands”. Sure, they might also be buying a certain amount of your “head” — your best thoughts and ideas — but the next wave in business, which many people do not understand, is asking people to sell their hearts, as well. This will not, and should not, come cheap. It is probably obvious what I mean by selling your “hands” to your employer. In the past, this might have meant working in a farm field or on an assembly line, but today it could also apply to webmasters and server administrators whose job it is to keep information resources running. In my work as a computer consultant, most of my time is spent troubleshooting, repairing and recovering. Even though I find training and preventive maintenance to be much more involving and rewarding, in many ways I am the high-tech equivalent of a plumber. My job is to fix ‘what’s broke’ as quickly as possible. As I am moving my consulting business into New Media work, I find that I am selling more of my “head” than my hands. Instead of doing the actual work of setting up blogs and social media accounts, I spend more time helping individuals and businesses discover what is possible and the best ways to make use of these new tools. I have moved from making the automobile on the assembly line to helping design the car that will be made by others. In some ways, writing this column and podcast has also been more “head” work than “hand.” Each week I try to develop ideas that help you “build the career you deserve.” This shows how different parts of your career can simultaneously be at different steps in this new migration of the concepts of career and work. Today, though, we are entering entirely new waters in the work world. To be deeply successful, to do the best work possible, we need to find a company, a business or a life where we can “sell” our “heart” — our passion. While it can sound odd to discuss selling our passion, that is truly what we are doing. In the best careers, we find a place where we are willing to provide our passionate skills and thoughts to another in return for monetary rewards. This isn’t selling out. This is finding what I consider to be the epitome, sine quo non, of careers — a career where you make money doing something you love. A career in which you can invest your heart and soul. A career that supports you not only monetarily, but spiritually. I am sure some of you are shaking your heads, not believing that such a career exists, but you can look around you to see some current practitioners of this idea. Yo Yo Ma and other classical musicians of less reknown make a living doing what they love. Many other artists, too. Many of the great thinkers we read or see speak at conferences all over the world have reached this level, in some ways. It isn’t only famous people, though. The songwriter who sells a top 40 hit remains largely unknown, but supports themselves and their families in fine style. We have many friend who are “working” actors you see on television nearly every day, who love their work and are successful, even if they are not “star” names to you. For me, the very definition of success is having a comfortable life while doing something you love. There are opportunities to be successful no matter your industry or type of work. These opportunities arise from finding a place where you can exercise your passions as much as possible. In some ways, I don’t think you can do your best work unless you are truly passionate about what you are doing. So what are you selling? Your hands, your head or your heart? If you want to build the career you deserve you need to do some hard thinking about your work and your life. You need to discover your passions so that you can go and find a place — a new company, your own business, a career in the arts, whatever — where you can engage your passions and reach the highest levels of financial and spiritual success possible. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Expand Your Horizons (welchwrite.com) Do something crazy! (welchwrite.com) The New Career Danger Zone (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com What are you selling to your employer? tag:odeo.com,2009-09-19,25152563 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:05:48 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, Business, audio, work, Passion, career, Show, love, employment, job http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25134864-Archive-An-Interview-with-Kevin-Devin Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the second in our on-going interview series, talking with high-tech workers of all types. Today’s guest is Kevin Devin, Information Systems Analyst with a large building controls manufacturer, host of In the Trenches: The Podcast for SysAdmins and founder of Friends in Tech. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive; An Interview with Kevin Devin Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the second in our on-going interview series, talking with high-tech workers of all types. Today’s guest is Kevin Devin, Information Systems Analyst with a large building controls manufacturer, host of In the Trenches: The Podcast for SysAdmins and founder of Friends in Tech. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive; An Interview with Kevin Devin Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the second in our on-going interview series, talking with high-tech workers of all types. Today’s guest is Kevin Devin, Information Systems Analyst with a large building controls manufacturer, host of In the Trenches: The Podcast for SysAdmins and founder of Friends in Tech. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive; An Interview with Kevin Devin tag:odeo.com,2009-09-16,25134864 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:11:16 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25147635-Archive-An-Interview-with-Kevin-Devin Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the second in our on-going interview series, talking with high-tech workers of all types. Today’s guest is Kevin Devin, Information Systems Analyst with a large building controls manufacturer, host of In the Trenches: The Podcast for SysAdmins and founder of Friends in Tech. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: An Interview with Kevin Devin Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the second in our on-going interview series, talking with high-tech workers of all types. Today’s guest is Kevin Devin, Information Systems Analyst with a large building controls manufacturer, host of In the Trenches: The Podcast for SysAdmins and founder of Friends in Tech. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: An Interview with Kevin Devin Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the second in our on-going interview series, talking with high-tech workers of all types. Today’s guest is Kevin Devin, Information Systems Analyst with a large building controls manufacturer, host of In the Trenches: The Podcast for SysAdmins and founder of Friends in Tech. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: An Interview with Kevin Devin tag:odeo.com,2009-09-16,25147635 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:11:16 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25120328-Who-are-you-laboring-for Who are you laboring for? By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site This week began with the US celebration of the Labor Day holiday, celebrating the labor that keeps our economy and our nation moving forward. Labor Day “is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” according the US Department of Labor web site, but I think it is much more important to think of our own personal labor, and the benefits it brings us. The true meaning of our labor can get lost among the interlinked needs of company, employee, business and individual. Everyone works for someone else, this is always true. Whether you are a traditional employee or a freelancer, we sell our time, our knowledge and our skills to someone in return for money. To... Who are you laboring for? By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site This week began with the US celebration of the Labor Day holiday, celebrating the labor that keeps our economy and our nation moving forward. Labor Day “is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” according the US Department of Labor web site, but I think it is much more important to think of our own personal labor, and the benefits it brings us. The true meaning of our labor can get lost among the interlinked needs of company, employee, business and individual. Everyone works for someone else, this is always true. Whether you are a traditional employee or a freelancer, we sell our time, our knowledge and our skills to someone in return for money. Too often, though, we only consider the effects of our labor on our employer or customer. Instead, no matter what your work arrangement, you must also consider the effect of your work on yourself. How does your work effect not only your monetary well-being but also your mental, spiritual and medical well-being? The value equation of work doesn’t move in one direction. Yes, you must provide value to the person who provides your paycheck or pays your invoices, but you also need to be gaining something other than money. I am very fond of saying that money should never be the sole reason for doing — or not doing — anything. There are countless reasons and needs that surround any work decision. To reduce it to a simple matter of dollars and cents is a disservice to both you and your employer. If your job isn’t valuable to you, in a number of ways, then it is a clear sign that you need to find a way to increase its value or find a job that provides that additional value. So, what are the other valuable items you should be finding in your job? First, and most important, is knowledge. Your job should be challenging in a variety of ways. You should be learning new things about a wide variety of topics as often as you can. Sure, over the years some tasks will become almost automatic, but this stable environment should provide you opportunities to stretch your skills and knowledge. If you aren’t learning more each day, your value to your company can actually decrease over time. At its worst, you can become better and better at a task that is needed less and less. If you aren’t learning about new methods, new needs, new changes in your company — and your industry in general — you could find your job has disappeared out from under you. Next, the new skills, experience and knowledge you gain each day must be transferable to another job, another company, another industry. Certain jobs can be so specific that the skills you have are only applicable to a very narrow band of industries. Sure, there will always be some specific skills, but if the majority of your work is taken up with these tasks, you might find it very hard to find your next job. You must take every opportunity to explore all aspects of your job and find those skills that serve not only your current position, but whatever future position you might desire. These two valuable items, knowledge and transferable skills are the driving factors in a long and successful career. By pursuing them, you are preparing for the reality that a career is made of many jobs over many years, not one job with one company. You have to prepare yourself for the dissolution of any particular company, or even an entire industry. Your paycheck may cover your expenses and allow you to buy the items you want for your house and family now, but expanded knowledge and transferable skills are the added value of any job that allows you to build the career you deserve in the future. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Related articles by Zemanta Expand Your Horizons (welchwrite.com) The New Career Danger Zone (welchwrite.com) Do something crazy! (welchwrite.com) Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Who are you laboring for? Who are you laboring for? By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site This week began with the US celebration of the Labor Day holiday, celebrating the labor that keeps our economy and our nation moving forward. Labor Day “is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” according the US Department of Labor web site, but I think it is much more important to think of our own personal labor, and the benefits it brings us. The true meaning of our labor can get lost among the interlinked needs of company, employee, business and individual. Everyone works for someone else, this is always true. Whether you are a traditional employee or a freelancer, we sell our time, our knowledge and our skills to someone in return for money. Too often, though, we only consider the effects of our labor on our employer or customer. Instead, no matter what your work arrangement, you must also consider the effect of your work on yourself. How does your work effect not only your monetary well-being but also your mental, spiritual and medical well-being? The value equation of work doesn’t move in one direction. Yes, you must provide value to the person who provides your paycheck or pays your invoices, but you also need to be gaining something other than money. I am very fond of saying that money should never be the sole reason for doing — or not doing — anything. There are countless reasons and needs that surround any work decision. To reduce it to a simple matter of dollars and cents is a disservice to both you and your employer. If your job isn’t valuable to you, in a number of ways, then it is a clear sign that you need to find a way to increase its value or find a job that provides that additional value. So, what are the other valuable items you should be finding in your job? First, and most important, is knowledge. Your job should be challenging in a variety of ways. You should be learning new things about a wide variety of topics as often as you can. Sure, over the years some tasks will become almost automatic, but this stable environment should provide you opportunities to stretch your skills and knowledge. If you aren’t learning more each day, your value to your company can actually decrease over time. At its worst, you can become better and better at a task that is needed less and less. If you aren’t learning about new methods, new needs, new changes in your company — and your industry in general — you could find your job has disappeared out from under you. Next, the new skills, experience and knowledge you gain each day must be transferable to another job, another company, another industry. Certain jobs can be so specific that the skills you have are only applicable to a very narrow band of industries. Sure, there will always be some specific skills, but if the majority of your work is taken up with these tasks, you might find it very hard to find your next job. You must take every opportunity to explore all aspects of your job and find those skills that serve not only your current position, but whatever future position you might desire. These two valuable items, knowledge and transferable skills are the driving factors in a long and successful career. By pursuing them, you are preparing for the reality that a career is made of many jobs over many years, not one job with one company. You have to prepare yourself for the dissolution of any particular company, or even an entire industry. Your paycheck may cover your expenses and allow you to buy the items you want for your house and family now, but expanded knowledge and transferable skills are the added value of any job that allows you to build the career you deserve in the future. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 Related articles by Zemanta Expand Your Horizons (welchwrite.com) The New Career Danger Zone (welchwrite.com) Do something crazy! (welchwrite.com) Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA (welchwrite.com) From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Who are you laboring for? tag:odeo.com,2009-09-13,25120328 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:34:30 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, career, Show, employment, workplace, job, Careers, jobs. work http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25062075-Career-Opportunities-5th-Anniversary-Help-Me-Celebrate September 24, 2009 will mark the 5th anniversary of the Career Opportunities podcast and I would like to ask you to help me celebrate this milestone. Listen I would love for you to share how Career Opportunities has helped you in your career, your work and your life. Was there a particular column or podcast that opened doors or opened your mind in a unique way and helped you move forward? Did the podcast help you deal with a difficult situation or a difficult person? How did the podcast help you to “Build the Career You Deserve?” What is your favorite tip, hint, idea, action item from the last 4 years of Career Opportunities podcasts? I would love to know and so would your fellow listeners. Please share your stories here, as a comment on the web site, on the Career Opportunities Community Site or directly through email at career@welchwrite.com. If you haven’t had an opportunity or reason in the past, please consider writing a review of Career Opportunities for the ... September 24, 2009 will mark the 5th anniversary of the Career Opportunities podcast and I would like to ask you to help me celebrate this milestone. Listen I would love for you to share how Career Opportunities has helped you in your career, your work and your life. Was there a particular column or podcast that opened doors or opened your mind in a unique way and helped you move forward? Did the podcast help you deal with a difficult situation or a difficult person? How did the podcast help you to “Build the Career You Deserve?” What is your favorite tip, hint, idea, action item from the last 4 years of Career Opportunities podcasts? I would love to know and so would your fellow listeners. Please share your stories here, as a comment on the web site, on the Career Opportunities Community Site or directly through email at career@welchwrite.com. If you haven’t had an opportunity or reason in the past, please consider writing a review of Career Opportunities for the iTunes Podcast Directory. The Career Opportunities community continues to grow, year after year. Thank you for being part of it and thank you for sharing it with others! I am looking forward to another 5 years. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Career Opportunities 5th Anniversary: Help Me Celebrate! September 24, 2009 will mark the 5th anniversary of the Career Opportunities podcast and I would like to ask you to help me celebrate this milestone. Listen I would love for you to share how Career Opportunities has helped you in your career, your work and your life. Was there a particular column or podcast that opened doors or opened your mind in a unique way and helped you move forward? Did the podcast help you deal with a difficult situation or a difficult person? How did the podcast help you to “Build the Career You Deserve?” What is your favorite tip, hint, idea, action item from the last 4 years of Career Opportunities podcasts? I would love to know and so would your fellow listeners. Please share your stories here, as a comment on the web site, on the Career Opportunities Community Site or directly through email at career@welchwrite.com. If you haven’t had an opportunity or reason in the past, please consider writing a review of Career Opportunities for the iTunes Podcast Directory. The Career Opportunities community continues to grow, year after year. Thank you for being part of it and thank you for sharing it with others! I am looking forward to another 5 years. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Career Opportunities 5th Anniversary: Help Me Celebrate! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-02,25062075 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:55:19 -0700 no Career Opportunities audio, News/Opinion, Special http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25040781-We-must-divorce-health-care-from-employment-status We must divorce health care from employment status By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site I hope everyone is paying close attention to the current health care debate, as it is probably one of the most important issues of your life and your career at this time. I am not an expert in health care policy. The benefits and drawbacks of each particular plan require deep study and thought. Regardless of what plan is chosen, though, for the good of us all, we must move toward divorcing ourselves from healthcare plans provided by our employers. We need a health care system that covers the majority of people at costs that the average person can afford. Without it, we, as workers, find ourselves constrained, abused and even trapped in jobs that do us and the world little service, solely to maintain healthcare for ourselves and our families. Too often I hear stories of people working in dead end, low-paying and even abusive jobs because they ha... We must divorce health care from employment status By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site I hope everyone is paying close attention to the current health care debate, as it is probably one of the most important issues of your life and your career at this time. I am not an expert in health care policy. The benefits and drawbacks of each particular plan require deep study and thought. Regardless of what plan is chosen, though, for the good of us all, we must move toward divorcing ourselves from healthcare plans provided by our employers. We need a health care system that covers the majority of people at costs that the average person can afford. Without it, we, as workers, find ourselves constrained, abused and even trapped in jobs that do us and the world little service, solely to maintain healthcare for ourselves and our families. Too often I hear stories of people working in dead end, low-paying and even abusive jobs because they have no choice. This is a poor way to run an economy, wasting people’s talent because we can’t decide on how to best keep them healthy. Health care benefits made great sense in the days when workers could expect to hold the same job, or at least stay with the same company for 20-30 years. Cheap health care plans were an excellent fringe benefit, allowing employers to keep salaries lower in lieu of such benefits. You only have to look around you, though, to understand that the work world has undergone seismic changes since then. People now move regularly from job to job and company to company in an attempt to further their career. They might even start their own consultancies or businesses. Forcing workers to risk their own well-being, and that of their families, in order to better themselves and their working lives seems ridiculous and outdated. As a freelancer today, people must pay a large percentage of their income towards health care, if they can find anyone to cover them at all. Insurance companies are so focused on the large potential earnings from corporate health care plans that they have abandoned any attempt to service small groups or individuals. In most cases, entrepreneurs must walk the healthcare tightrope and pray they don’t fall ill before their small startup becomes a success. Lack of affordable health care is the single most damaging brake on economic expansion today. We have put a high value on innovation in our culture, and yet we put huge roadblocks in the path of innovation. How are we supposed to innovate when our basic career decisions must first hinge on our ability to find or maintain health care? People cannot change the world while their most basic survival needs are not met. Without our health, we cannot take the risks that need to be taken, we cannot make the changes that need to be made. We are mired in the status quo, which still leaves millions relying on emergency medical safety nets. Regardless of what governmental health care plans are discussed or chosen, any plan that does not include easy and continuous access to health care to majority of American citizens, regardless of employment status, will be an abject failure and doom us to decades more of a 19th Century economy while trying to survive in the 21st Century. If we hope to move this country, our economy and our individual businesses forward, we must divorce our access to health care from our employment status. All workers, from field hands, to office workers, to freelancers to entrepreneurs deserve access to health care as comprehensive and inexpensive as possible. It is their labor that drives our economy and access to health care is certainly one aspect of the “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” component of our Constitution, that is so important to our nation. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com We must divorce health care from employment status We must divorce health care from employment status By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site I hope everyone is paying close attention to the current health care debate, as it is probably one of the most important issues of your life and your career at this time. I am not an expert in health care policy. The benefits and drawbacks of each particular plan require deep study and thought. Regardless of what plan is chosen, though, for the good of us all, we must move toward divorcing ourselves from healthcare plans provided by our employers. We need a health care system that covers the majority of people at costs that the average person can afford. Without it, we, as workers, find ourselves constrained, abused and even trapped in jobs that do us and the world little service, solely to maintain healthcare for ourselves and our families. Too often I hear stories of people working in dead end, low-paying and even abusive jobs because they have no choice. This is a poor way to run an economy, wasting people’s talent because we can’t decide on how to best keep them healthy. Health care benefits made great sense in the days when workers could expect to hold the same job, or at least stay with the same company for 20-30 years. Cheap health care plans were an excellent fringe benefit, allowing employers to keep salaries lower in lieu of such benefits. You only have to look around you, though, to understand that the work world has undergone seismic changes since then. People now move regularly from job to job and company to company in an attempt to further their career. They might even start their own consultancies or businesses. Forcing workers to risk their own well-being, and that of their families, in order to better themselves and their working lives seems ridiculous and outdated. As a freelancer today, people must pay a large percentage of their income towards health care, if they can find anyone to cover them at all. Insurance companies are so focused on the large potential earnings from corporate health care plans that they have abandoned any attempt to service small groups or individuals. In most cases, entrepreneurs must walk the healthcare tightrope and pray they don’t fall ill before their small startup becomes a success. Lack of affordable health care is the single most damaging brake on economic expansion today. We have put a high value on innovation in our culture, and yet we put huge roadblocks in the path of innovation. How are we supposed to innovate when our basic career decisions must first hinge on our ability to find or maintain health care? People cannot change the world while their most basic survival needs are not met. Without our health, we cannot take the risks that need to be taken, we cannot make the changes that need to be made. We are mired in the status quo, which still leaves millions relying on emergency medical safety nets. Regardless of what governmental health care plans are discussed or chosen, any plan that does not include easy and continuous access to health care to majority of American citizens, regardless of employment status, will be an abject failure and doom us to decades more of a 19th Century economy while trying to survive in the 21st Century. If we hope to move this country, our economy and our individual businesses forward, we must divorce our access to health care from our employment status. All workers, from field hands, to office workers, to freelancers to entrepreneurs deserve access to health care as comprehensive and inexpensive as possible. It is their labor that drives our economy and access to health care is certainly one aspect of the “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” component of our Constitution, that is so important to our nation. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com We must divorce health care from employment status tag:odeo.com,2009-08-28,25040781 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:38:45 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24965768-Video-Interview-with-Christie-Greer Interview with Christie Greer of U Move Me Pilates By Douglas E. Welch Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Douglas interviews Christie Greer, owner and operator of U Move Me Pilates, in Sherman Oaks, California. iPod Ready Video Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Interview with Christie Greer Interview with Christie Greer of U Move Me Pilates By Douglas E. Welch Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Douglas interviews Christie Greer, owner and operator of U Move Me Pilates, in Sherman Oaks, California. iPod Ready Video Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Interview with Christie Greer Interview with Christie Greer of U Move Me Pilates By Douglas E. Welch Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Douglas interviews Christie Greer, owner and operator of U Move Me Pilates, in Sherman Oaks, California. iPod Ready Video Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Interview with Christie Greer tag:odeo.com,2009-08-14,24965768 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:00:00 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, Interview, video, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24961196-Interview-with-Christie-Greer Interview with Christie Greer of U Move Me Pilates By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Douglas interviews Christie Greer, owner and operator of U Move Me Pilates, in Sherman Oaks, California. Watch the video version of this interview Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Interview with Christie Greer Interview with Christie Greer of U Move Me Pilates By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Douglas interviews Christie Greer, owner and operator of U Move Me Pilates, in Sherman Oaks, California. Watch the video version of this interview Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Interview with Christie Greer Interview with Christie Greer of U Move Me Pilates By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Douglas interviews Christie Greer, owner and operator of U Move Me Pilates, in Sherman Oaks, California. Watch the video version of this interview Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Interview with Christie Greer tag:odeo.com,2009-08-14,24961196 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:00:00 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, Interview, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24924382-Tuning-out Tuning out By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site There was a screech of tires, a blast of a horn and I was thrown forward hard, only being stopped by the bus’s hangstrap and a quick grab for a bar to my left. Thankfully I hadn’t been fiddling with my iPhone or both it and I would have been thrown to the floor or on top of a fellow bus rider. I looked out the front window of the bus and saw a guy toodling by on a bicycle, riding against traffic, headphones on — never realizing that he was nearly killed and countless people on the bus nearly injured. This is what can happen when you tune out the world. You can make life very dangerous for both yourself and those around you. Unfortunately, tuning out seems to be very common in today’s world. These columns are often effected by what is happening in my life and this is no exception. As soon as I had recovered my balance and made my transfer to the Metro Red Line ... Tuning out By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site There was a screech of tires, a blast of a horn and I was thrown forward hard, only being stopped by the bus’s hangstrap and a quick grab for a bar to my left. Thankfully I hadn’t been fiddling with my iPhone or both it and I would have been thrown to the floor or on top of a fellow bus rider. I looked out the front window of the bus and saw a guy toodling by on a bicycle, riding against traffic, headphones on — never realizing that he was nearly killed and countless people on the bus nearly injured. This is what can happen when you tune out the world. You can make life very dangerous for both yourself and those around you. Unfortunately, tuning out seems to be very common in today’s world. These columns are often effected by what is happening in my life and this is no exception. As soon as I had recovered my balance and made my transfer to the Metro Red Line Subway (yes, LA has a subway) I pulled out my journal and made a note to talk about my experience. Not only are people tuning out in personal aspects of their lives, they are also tuning out of their work and career. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, of course. Today we are faced with more of everything. More people, more technology, more change. While I believe that humans have an infinite ability to deal with complexity, it often takes us some time to catch up with the amount of complexity as it leapfrogs every day. When a new technology enters our lives, like Twitter or Facebook, it can take us a while to integrate into our lives and work. This is the danger zone for most people. Too often, when faced with complexity, we start to tune out — simply ignore — the complexity of the new technology, often to our peril. While we can always turn off technology when we choose, to ignore it completely can be foolhardy. Like the cyclist in my bus anecdote, going through life oblivious is a recipe for disaster. Whether you like it or not, life will eventually catch up with you. Looking to the automotive industry as an example, many car makers simply ignored the changes happening in their industry, or tried to deny them. They went along as if everything would be the same as it had always been. No amount of wishful thinking could change the future, though, and we see the mess they are dealing with today. The only thing that could have averted this crisis is adapting to change. Had they faced the issues, faced the changes that seemed obvious to many, we might be witnessing a very different story. This also takes place on an individual level. Sometimes, in the midst of a crisis, we keep our head down and hope that the world and its issues will pass us by. Like a child sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting “la, la, la, — I don’t hear you” we willfully ignore the world around us. Sure, it can seem like self-preservation to tune out all the negative, worrisome and downright scary things we face each day, but they must be faced eventually. Ignoring them makes them worse — makes them more damaging than had we faced them on our own terms. If we continue riding along, listening to our iPod, life (in the form of a large bus) will make a dramatic change for us. This is no way to live our lives or build our careers — changing only when forced. As much as it might scare us, there comes a time when we need to wake up to the world around us instead of trying to hide from it. Life has a way of finding us, wherever we go — even inside our own minds. Taking breaks from your life can be healing, but also make sure you come back and engage in life again, once you have that break. We all love to go to the cabin by the lake, but eventually you have to return to the real world once again. In fact, it is the contrast between the two that allows us to appreciate the difference even more. Don’t wait for the bus of life to forces big changes upon you. Wake up, take off your headphones and face the world around you head on. Then you can continue building the career you deserve. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Tuning out Tuning out By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site There was a screech of tires, a blast of a horn and I was thrown forward hard, only being stopped by the bus’s hangstrap and a quick grab for a bar to my left. Thankfully I hadn’t been fiddling with my iPhone or both it and I would have been thrown to the floor or on top of a fellow bus rider. I looked out the front window of the bus and saw a guy toodling by on a bicycle, riding against traffic, headphones on — never realizing that he was nearly killed and countless people on the bus nearly injured. This is what can happen when you tune out the world. You can make life very dangerous for both yourself and those around you. Unfortunately, tuning out seems to be very common in today’s world. These columns are often effected by what is happening in my life and this is no exception. As soon as I had recovered my balance and made my transfer to the Metro Red Line Subway (yes, LA has a subway) I pulled out my journal and made a note to talk about my experience. Not only are people tuning out in personal aspects of their lives, they are also tuning out of their work and career. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, of course. Today we are faced with more of everything. More people, more technology, more change. While I believe that humans have an infinite ability to deal with complexity, it often takes us some time to catch up with the amount of complexity as it leapfrogs every day. When a new technology enters our lives, like Twitter or Facebook, it can take us a while to integrate into our lives and work. This is the danger zone for most people. Too often, when faced with complexity, we start to tune out — simply ignore — the complexity of the new technology, often to our peril. While we can always turn off technology when we choose, to ignore it completely can be foolhardy. Like the cyclist in my bus anecdote, going through life oblivious is a recipe for disaster. Whether you like it or not, life will eventually catch up with you. Looking to the automotive industry as an example, many car makers simply ignored the changes happening in their industry, or tried to deny them. They went along as if everything would be the same as it had always been. No amount of wishful thinking could change the future, though, and we see the mess they are dealing with today. The only thing that could have averted this crisis is adapting to change. Had they faced the issues, faced the changes that seemed obvious to many, we might be witnessing a very different story. This also takes place on an individual level. Sometimes, in the midst of a crisis, we keep our head down and hope that the world and its issues will pass us by. Like a child sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting “la, la, la, — I don’t hear you” we willfully ignore the world around us. Sure, it can seem like self-preservation to tune out all the negative, worrisome and downright scary things we face each day, but they must be faced eventually. Ignoring them makes them worse — makes them more damaging than had we faced them on our own terms. If we continue riding along, listening to our iPod, life (in the form of a large bus) will make a dramatic change for us. This is no way to live our lives or build our careers — changing only when forced. As much as it might scare us, there comes a time when we need to wake up to the world around us instead of trying to hide from it. Life has a way of finding us, wherever we go — even inside our own minds. Taking breaks from your life can be healing, but also make sure you come back and engage in life again, once you have that break. We all love to go to the cabin by the lake, but eventually you have to return to the real world once again. In fact, it is the contrast between the two that allows us to appreciate the difference even more. Don’t wait for the bus of life to forces big changes upon you. Wake up, take off your headphones and face the world around you head on. Then you can continue building the career you deserve. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Tuning out tag:odeo.com,2009-08-07,24924382 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:50:56 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24900440-Preconceptions Preconceptions By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site As I was sitting by my father’s hospital bed earlier this month, I received a direct lesson on the the problems that can be caused by preconceived notions in almost any situation. Sure, we rely on preconceptions to help make it though our day without being crushed by all the information we face, but when we let our preconceptions take the place of active thought, we can do a disservice to ourselves and everyone around us. The first day I was in the hospital, one of the nurse’s asked a very telling question that shocked me into action. She asked how long my father had been in a wheelchair prior to his surgery. The fact is, he had been up and walking and even working on his small business of small engine repair before he was admitted. I realized immediately that this nurse, not knowing his pre-history was treating him as if he had been an invalid for years. They weren&#... Preconceptions By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site As I was sitting by my father’s hospital bed earlier this month, I received a direct lesson on the the problems that can be caused by preconceived notions in almost any situation. Sure, we rely on preconceptions to help make it though our day without being crushed by all the information we face, but when we let our preconceptions take the place of active thought, we can do a disservice to ourselves and everyone around us. The first day I was in the hospital, one of the nurse’s asked a very telling question that shocked me into action. She asked how long my father had been in a wheelchair prior to his surgery. The fact is, he had been up and walking and even working on his small business of small engine repair before he was admitted. I realized immediately that this nurse, not knowing his pre-history was treating him as if he had been an invalid for years. They weren’t pushing him as hard to do things for himself, assuming that he had been incapable of those things before he ever arrived at the hospital. Once this occurred, I made a point of telling every new nurse, physical therapist and doctor where he had been before the surgery in hopes that they would start treating him differently. It seemed to help. I noticed them challenging him more, much like my wife and I were doing that week. Our goal was to get him moved out of intensive care and into the rehab that had been delayed by aftereffects of the surgery itself. It seemed to work. As his condition stabilized, we noticed a marked change in his attitude and behavior. No longer being treated like an invalid, he stopped acting as one. Sure, there was a long road ahead, but now we all began to see the future with clearer eyes. I can’t really blame the nurses in this situation. I am sure it is difficult to learn and remember each patients history, but this makes it doubly important for all of us to recognize when preconceptions are clouding our actions and the actions of those around us. I am sure that if you think back on your past week or month, there are several occasions when your own preconceptions got in the way of your work. Maybe you assumed the tech support people would be unhelpful. Perhaps you thought the new client would be reluctant to pay your fee. There are countless preconceptions we engage in every day. So, how do we guard against allowing preconceptions to control our thinking more than they should? First, when faced with a situation you need to be more aware of the current moment. Try not to let past experiences color your understanding of this experience. As I often say, react to what is happening, not what might happen or what has happened. We can spin all sort of doom and gloom scenarios if we allow ourselves. Your goal should be to be in the moment reacting to what people are saying and doing as it happens. Sure, it can be difficult, but it is also very important. Next, begin to take notice when people allow their preconceived notions about you to color their actions. As I grow older, I notice the people treat me differently, assuming that I won’t understand them or their problem simply because I am a few decades older, a different color, or have different politics. If you see this occurring, you need to take a step back and think of way to politely, but firmly show this person that you don’t plan on living up to their preconceived ideas about you. If you start to monitor and control your preconceptions, I think you will find that you will have fewer confrontations, fewer misunderstandings and be generally more productive. Think of how you are treating people and how you might react in the same situation. If someone is acting defensively, you become defensive, too. If someone is angry, it can be very difficult to not get angry as well. Watch how others interact with you and how their preconceptions might be coloring their conversations and behavior towards you. If we can become more aware of preconceptions and how they effect every interaction, we can begin to reduce the effect they have on our work, our career and our lives. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Preconceptions%% Preconceptions Preconceptions By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site As I was sitting by my father’s hospital bed earlier this month, I received a direct lesson on the the problems that can be caused by preconceived notions in almost any situation. Sure, we rely on preconceptions to help make it though our day without being crushed by all the information we face, but when we let our preconceptions take the place of active thought, we can do a disservice to ourselves and everyone around us. The first day I was in the hospital, one of the nurse’s asked a very telling question that shocked me into action. She asked how long my father had been in a wheelchair prior to his surgery. The fact is, he had been up and walking and even working on his small business of small engine repair before he was admitted. I realized immediately that this nurse, not knowing his pre-history was treating him as if he had been an invalid for years. They weren’t pushing him as hard to do things for himself, assuming that he had been incapable of those things before he ever arrived at the hospital. Once this occurred, I made a point of telling every new nurse, physical therapist and doctor where he had been before the surgery in hopes that they would start treating him differently. It seemed to help. I noticed them challenging him more, much like my wife and I were doing that week. Our goal was to get him moved out of intensive care and into the rehab that had been delayed by aftereffects of the surgery itself. It seemed to work. As his condition stabilized, we noticed a marked change in his attitude and behavior. No longer being treated like an invalid, he stopped acting as one. Sure, there was a long road ahead, but now we all began to see the future with clearer eyes. I can’t really blame the nurses in this situation. I am sure it is difficult to learn and remember each patients history, but this makes it doubly important for all of us to recognize when preconceptions are clouding our actions and the actions of those around us. I am sure that if you think back on your past week or month, there are several occasions when your own preconceptions got in the way of your work. Maybe you assumed the tech support people would be unhelpful. Perhaps you thought the new client would be reluctant to pay your fee. There are countless preconceptions we engage in every day. So, how do we guard against allowing preconceptions to control our thinking more than they should? First, when faced with a situation you need to be more aware of the current moment. Try not to let past experiences color your understanding of this experience. As I often say, react to what is happening, not what might happen or what has happened. We can spin all sort of doom and gloom scenarios if we allow ourselves. Your goal should be to be in the moment reacting to what people are saying and doing as it happens. Sure, it can be difficult, but it is also very important. Next, begin to take notice when people allow their preconceived notions about you to color their actions. As I grow older, I notice the people treat me differently, assuming that I won’t understand them or their problem simply because I am a few decades older, a different color, or have different politics. If you see this occurring, you need to take a step back and think of way to politely, but firmly show this person that you don’t plan on living up to their preconceived ideas about you. If you start to monitor and control your preconceptions, I think you will find that you will have fewer confrontations, fewer misunderstandings and be generally more productive. Think of how you are treating people and how you might react in the same situation. If someone is acting defensively, you become defensive, too. If someone is angry, it can be very difficult to not get angry as well. Watch how others interact with you and how their preconceptions might be coloring their conversations and behavior towards you. If we can become more aware of preconceptions and how they effect every interaction, we can begin to reduce the effect they have on our work, our career and our lives. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Preconceptions%% Preconceptions tag:odeo.com,2009-08-02,24900440 Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:33:03 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24884462-Archive-Sidetracking Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site Sometimes you might like to believe your career is a straight-line proposition. You start here, put in hours of work and you will eventually end up over there, at your goal. In the distant past, this might have been true, but today your career is filled with dead ends, mistaken shortcuts, detours and uncompleted roads that can leave you feeling trapped. Despite these fear-inducing possibilities, though, I think that these detours, these aberrations, these deviations from the norm are actually the underpinnings of a great career. Chance and happenstance might feel frightening when you are in their midst, but they can often bring you the greatest rewards. 20 years ago today Looking back on my own freelance consulting career got me thinking about the important role that chance plays in our lives. While we shouldn’t rely on chance to provide all the answers, we al... Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site Sometimes you might like to believe your career is a straight-line proposition. You start here, put in hours of work and you will eventually end up over there, at your goal. In the distant past, this might have been true, but today your career is filled with dead ends, mistaken shortcuts, detours and uncompleted roads that can leave you feeling trapped. Despite these fear-inducing possibilities, though, I think that these detours, these aberrations, these deviations from the norm are actually the underpinnings of a great career. Chance and happenstance might feel frightening when you are in their midst, but they can often bring you the greatest rewards. 20 years ago today Looking back on my own freelance consulting career got me thinking about the important role that chance plays in our lives. While we shouldn’t rely on chance to provide all the answers, we all have moments when chance seems to push us in the right direction even before we know where we want to go. Back in 1986, I moved to Los Angeles with my wife, our marriage only 7 days old by the time we arrived in a 24 foot moving truck packed by the wedding party. In a large way, chance led me to Los Angeles as my wife wanted to work in television and I had no objections, so off we went. Although I had a degree in theater, I already knew I would be working in some high-tech job. The opportunities were better, as was the pay. After a month of searching with no results I came across an advertisement, oddly enough in the Administration section, for a computer savvy person to work for a small entertainment-related online service. Remember, this was almost a decade before the Internet was part of the language, outside of universities. It was here I got my first taste of “Hollywood”, visiting star’s homes, working events at the famous Whiskey-a-Go-Go and training various pop musicians how to use our systems. To take this job, I had turned down an offer to work with a stable software retail company that had stores all over America at the time. It certainly would have been a safer choice, but for any number of reasons, chance won out and led me down a path that enhanced my life in ways I could not have imagined. The truth is, my career has been filled with such occurrences and almost every time I allowed myself to take the road less traveled it has been a positive experience. Sure, there have been odd moments, the unfulfilled promises, the failed startup company, but overall, the benefits that chance has brought to my career have far outweighed the problems. Take a chance This is why I urge all of you to take a chance whenever you can. If you are choosing between a stable corporate position and the wild world of freelancing, give freelancing a try. I believe you can always find a stable position if you want one, but chance only enters the picture at infrequent moments. Why not take the plunge? If you are already in a corporation and a new position opens, at least think about taking the job that scares you a little. You shouldn’t be paralyzed with fear, but the job that makes your knees shake and your palms sweat might just be the better choice. Fear tells us we are stepping outside of our comfort zone and that is where you always want to be. It is at the edges of fear that we grow the most. Reaching out for more, challenging ourselves to go farther than we think we can, is how we achieve great things in our lives and our careers. You don’t want to miss the opportunities that chance provides. It is here your career is made, broken or stalled. If you decide early on in your career to only take the safe routes, stick to the main highways, avoid the small towns, you may find yourself wondering, in later years, how you got to your final, possibly dreary, destination. Too often, we can end up at a place that is so different from what we wanted, what we dreamed about, that it stuns us. I don’t want any of you to look back on your careers and wonder what it was all about. I want you to seize the opportunities that chance provides and make decisions instead of letting life push you from job to job, company to company. Right this moment, and every day from now on, be aware of how chance effects your life. Be aware of the good things that stumble into your path time and time again. Then, make a conscious effort to exploit these opportunities and let them lead you into new thoughts, new jobs and a new, challenging, high-tech career. Question of the Week: How do you react when chance places an opportunity in your path? Do you seize it or run away? Do you have some recent examples of missed opportunities? Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Archive: Sidetracking%% Archive: Sidetracking Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site Sometimes you might like to believe your career is a straight-line proposition. You start here, put in hours of work and you will eventually end up over there, at your goal. In the distant past, this might have been true, but today your career is filled with dead ends, mistaken shortcuts, detours and uncompleted roads that can leave you feeling trapped. Despite these fear-inducing possibilities, though, I think that these detours, these aberrations, these deviations from the norm are actually the underpinnings of a great career. Chance and happenstance might feel frightening when you are in their midst, but they can often bring you the greatest rewards. 20 years ago today Looking back on my own freelance consulting career got me thinking about the important role that chance plays in our lives. While we shouldn’t rely on chance to provide all the answers, we all have moments when chance seems to push us in the right direction even before we know where we want to go. Back in 1986, I moved to Los Angeles with my wife, our marriage only 7 days old by the time we arrived in a 24 foot moving truck packed by the wedding party. In a large way, chance led me to Los Angeles as my wife wanted to work in television and I had no objections, so off we went. Although I had a degree in theater, I already knew I would be working in some high-tech job. The opportunities were better, as was the pay. After a month of searching with no results I came across an advertisement, oddly enough in the Administration section, for a computer savvy person to work for a small entertainment-related online service. Remember, this was almost a decade before the Internet was part of the language, outside of universities. It was here I got my first taste of “Hollywood”, visiting star’s homes, working events at the famous Whiskey-a-Go-Go and training various pop musicians how to use our systems. To take this job, I had turned down an offer to work with a stable software retail company that had stores all over America at the time. It certainly would have been a safer choice, but for any number of reasons, chance won out and led me down a path that enhanced my life in ways I could not have imagined. The truth is, my career has been filled with such occurrences and almost every time I allowed myself to take the road less traveled it has been a positive experience. Sure, there have been odd moments, the unfulfilled promises, the failed startup company, but overall, the benefits that chance has brought to my career have far outweighed the problems. Take a chance This is why I urge all of you to take a chance whenever you can. If you are choosing between a stable corporate position and the wild world of freelancing, give freelancing a try. I believe you can always find a stable position if you want one, but chance only enters the picture at infrequent moments. Why not take the plunge? If you are already in a corporation and a new position opens, at least think about taking the job that scares you a little. You shouldn’t be paralyzed with fear, but the job that makes your knees shake and your palms sweat might just be the better choice. Fear tells us we are stepping outside of our comfort zone and that is where you always want to be. It is at the edges of fear that we grow the most. Reaching out for more, challenging ourselves to go farther than we think we can, is how we achieve great things in our lives and our careers. You don’t want to miss the opportunities that chance provides. It is here your career is made, broken or stalled. If you decide early on in your career to only take the safe routes, stick to the main highways, avoid the small towns, you may find yourself wondering, in later years, how you got to your final, possibly dreary, destination. Too often, we can end up at a place that is so different from what we wanted, what we dreamed about, that it stuns us. I don’t want any of you to look back on your careers and wonder what it was all about. I want you to seize the opportunities that chance provides and make decisions instead of letting life push you from job to job, company to company. Right this moment, and every day from now on, be aware of how chance effects your life. Be aware of the good things that stumble into your path time and time again. Then, make a conscious effort to exploit these opportunities and let them lead you into new thoughts, new jobs and a new, challenging, high-tech career. Question of the Week: How do you react when chance places an opportunity in your path? Do you seize it or run away? Do you have some recent examples of missed opportunities? Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Archive: Sidetracking%% Archive: Sidetracking tag:odeo.com,2009-07-29,24884462 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:39:58 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24862765-Expand-Your-Horizons Expand Your Horizons By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Common career thought over the last several decades has been that you need to learn more and more about the work you are doing. You should specialize more and more and develop your own set of rules and guidelines for your work. Of course, in a world where job stability is rapidly disappearing, learning more and more about a job that might not exist tomorrow might not be the wisest course. While you do want to deepen your knowledge about your job, I think you should also be exploring other opportunities and information and expanding your horizons as much as possible. In this way, you will be better able to weather whatever career storms might come your way. Keeping your head down can lead you into a wall You need to look for opportunities to expand your interests. You can’t simply put your head down and grind through your work anymore. Otherwise, you are liable to come... Expand Your Horizons By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Common career thought over the last several decades has been that you need to learn more and more about the work you are doing. You should specialize more and more and develop your own set of rules and guidelines for your work. Of course, in a world where job stability is rapidly disappearing, learning more and more about a job that might not exist tomorrow might not be the wisest course. While you do want to deepen your knowledge about your job, I think you should also be exploring other opportunities and information and expanding your horizons as much as possible. In this way, you will be better able to weather whatever career storms might come your way. Keeping your head down can lead you into a wall You need to look for opportunities to expand your interests. You can’t simply put your head down and grind through your work anymore. Otherwise, you are liable to come up for air and realize that your job, your co-workers and life have passed you by. We used to think that certain jobs and certain industries would last forever, but you only need to look to the steel and automotive industry to see the results of that thinking. Despite what you might read or watch in the press, there are no companies or industries that are “too big to fail.” If economic realities decide that they will fail, they will, and there is little we can do about it. All we can do is expand our expertise, our knowledge and our skills. Starting today, you need to develop a new mindset about the world around you. Where before you might only have read about interesting trends in your industry, today you need to find and follow interesting trends in a wide variety of industries. If you work in software design, what examples, directions and activities can you take from the fashion industry? How about from the world of finance? Political science? You need to look outside your own small world and energize your work with new ideas, new actions and, perhaps most importantly, new people. You never know where your next great idea is going to come from. In most cases, great new ideas are going to come from outside your current business or industry. Too many of us today live in a great echo chamber, where the ideas of a few get reflected again and again. Just like a traditional echo, though, this constant repetition and re-echoing quickly devolve the idea into a cacophonous noise devoid of any value. Sure, you can monitor what the “experts” of your industry are saying, but when these experts gain too much power, too much of a following, they will start to drown out the truly innovative voices that can lead you and your industry forward. Finding the under seen, the under heard, the quiet voices out there in the dark Much of my time on the Internet takes the form of listening for those under heard voices that are developing the new ideas, the new products, the new industries that will sustain us all down the road. Sometimes these people and their ideas can seem crazy to us, but within their shocking craziness is a kernel of truth that can be adapted, shaped and turned into amazing things. You can see this today in those people who proclaim that “Free” is the new business model. Most traditional business people scoff at such ideas and can become downright angry at the thought. How can you make money giving away stuff for free? Well, as many people are showing, and no matter how counter-intuitive it might sound to us today, you can make money by giving some things away, while charging for related items that add to, expand on or enhance the free product. It is important to understand that an idea which may sound crazy today, could hold great promise in the future. Even more, you don’t always know which crazy ideas will be the ones to succeed. Some crazy ideas are truly crazy, but even then, if you adapt, manipulate and transform these ideas, you could come up with “the next big thing.” Get out of your own head. Get out of your own industry. Get out of your own stale (and comfortable) ideas. Challenge your thinking and yourself with new ideas, no matter how crazy they might sound. You goal is to expand your horizons so that when the world changes you will already have an idea of your next step, your next job, your next career. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Expand Your Horizons%% Expand Your Horizons Expand Your Horizons By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Common career thought over the last several decades has been that you need to learn more and more about the work you are doing. You should specialize more and more and develop your own set of rules and guidelines for your work. Of course, in a world where job stability is rapidly disappearing, learning more and more about a job that might not exist tomorrow might not be the wisest course. While you do want to deepen your knowledge about your job, I think you should also be exploring other opportunities and information and expanding your horizons as much as possible. In this way, you will be better able to weather whatever career storms might come your way. Keeping your head down can lead you into a wall You need to look for opportunities to expand your interests. You can’t simply put your head down and grind through your work anymore. Otherwise, you are liable to come up for air and realize that your job, your co-workers and life have passed you by. We used to think that certain jobs and certain industries would last forever, but you only need to look to the steel and automotive industry to see the results of that thinking. Despite what you might read or watch in the press, there are no companies or industries that are “too big to fail.” If economic realities decide that they will fail, they will, and there is little we can do about it. All we can do is expand our expertise, our knowledge and our skills. Starting today, you need to develop a new mindset about the world around you. Where before you might only have read about interesting trends in your industry, today you need to find and follow interesting trends in a wide variety of industries. If you work in software design, what examples, directions and activities can you take from the fashion industry? How about from the world of finance? Political science? You need to look outside your own small world and energize your work with new ideas, new actions and, perhaps most importantly, new people. You never know where your next great idea is going to come from. In most cases, great new ideas are going to come from outside your current business or industry. Too many of us today live in a great echo chamber, where the ideas of a few get reflected again and again. Just like a traditional echo, though, this constant repetition and re-echoing quickly devolve the idea into a cacophonous noise devoid of any value. Sure, you can monitor what the “experts” of your industry are saying, but when these experts gain too much power, too much of a following, they will start to drown out the truly innovative voices that can lead you and your industry forward. Finding the under seen, the under heard, the quiet voices out there in the dark Much of my time on the Internet takes the form of listening for those under heard voices that are developing the new ideas, the new products, the new industries that will sustain us all down the road. Sometimes these people and their ideas can seem crazy to us, but within their shocking craziness is a kernel of truth that can be adapted, shaped and turned into amazing things. You can see this today in those people who proclaim that “Free” is the new business model. Most traditional business people scoff at such ideas and can become downright angry at the thought. How can you make money giving away stuff for free? Well, as many people are showing, and no matter how counter-intuitive it might sound to us today, you can make money by giving some things away, while charging for related items that add to, expand on or enhance the free product. It is important to understand that an idea which may sound crazy today, could hold great promise in the future. Even more, you don’t always know which crazy ideas will be the ones to succeed. Some crazy ideas are truly crazy, but even then, if you adapt, manipulate and transform these ideas, you could come up with “the next big thing.” Get out of your own head. Get out of your own industry. Get out of your own stale (and comfortable) ideas. Challenge your thinking and yourself with new ideas, no matter how crazy they might sound. You goal is to expand your horizons so that when the world changes you will already have an idea of your next step, your next job, your next career. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Expand Your Horizons%% Expand Your Horizons tag:odeo.com,2009-07-25,24862765 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:00:49 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24849376-Archive-Interview-with-David-Jefferson-of-JPL-%E2%80%93-February-8-2006 Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the first in our on-going interview series with high-tech careerists of all types. Today’s interview is with David Jefferson, senior engineer/navigator at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). We talk about how we got started in his career, how high-tech is integrated into his work and how you plan for projects that take 10 years or more to come to fruition. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Archive: Interview with David Jefferson of JPL – February 8, 2006%% Archive: Interview wi... Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the first in our on-going interview series with high-tech careerists of all types. Today’s interview is with David Jefferson, senior engineer/navigator at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). We talk about how we got started in his career, how high-tech is integrated into his work and how you plan for projects that take 10 years or more to come to fruition. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Archive: Interview with David Jefferson of JPL – February 8, 2006%% Archive: Interview with David Jefferson of JPL – February 8, 2006 Listen to this episode Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site This is the first in our on-going interview series with high-tech careerists of all types. Today’s interview is with David Jefferson, senior engineer/navigator at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). We talk about how we got started in his career, how high-tech is integrated into his work and how you plan for projects that take 10 years or more to come to fruition. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com %%Archive: Interview with David Jefferson of JPL – February 8, 2006%% Archive: Interview with David Jefferson of JPL – February 8, 2006 tag:odeo.com,2009-07-22,24849376 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:25:10 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, Podcasting, Technology, Interview, audio, work, career, Show, workplace, jobs, job, high-tech http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24765520-Time-to-be-an-adult Time to be an adult By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Let me set the scene…I am sitting in the ICU ward of Firelands Regional Medical Center while my father sleeps peacefully beside me. He is recovering from a 5-way heart bypass that happened rather suddenly, when previous heart fixes needed to be replaced. We had planned a family trip back to Ohio already when we got the call that he was in the hospital, so we knew immediately what we would be doing on our first week back. Which is what I am doing right now. Cheerleading, handholding, brow-mopping and just simply being there. Basically, that all this means is that I am forced to play an adult, even if perhaps I don’t ... Time to be an adult By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Let me set the scene…I am sitting in the ICU ward of Firelands Regional Medical Center while my father sleeps peacefully beside me. He is recovering from a 5-way heart bypass that happened rather suddenly, when previous heart fixes needed to be replaced. We had planned a family trip back to Ohio already when we got the call that he was in the hospital, so we knew immediately what we would be doing on our first week back. Which is what I am doing right now. Cheerleading, handholding, brow-mopping and just simply being there. Basically, that all this means is that I am forced to play an adult, even if perhaps I don’t really feel like one. Even at 45, I don’t think of myself much different than I was at 18, but I know that I have grown and that I am capable of being “an adult”, even when I may not want to be. While we should do everything we can to maintain some child-like attitudes towards our life and our work, we need to be able to “turn on” our adult side when we need it. Unfortunately, I meet a lot of people in my life that don’t seem to have any adult skills. Everything in life seems to happen “to” them. Purses are lost, keys missing, bills late and more. While this can make life more difficult in small ways, it is truly a problem when they are forced to take on the adult role through a sickness, death, or family tragedy. Too many of them simply “melt down” under the pressure. They haven’t practiced being an adult in the their normal lives and don’t know how to be an adult when it really matters. It is never too early to practice being an adult and thinking about adult questions, even if you don’t have to. As I have often said in the past, it is so much better and easier to think through difficult questions without the stress that will be involved when you need to implement the plans you create. Trying to think through all the plans that need to be made is nearly impossible when grieving, worrying or panicking. A little though about issues that might arise allows you to move into action just when you need it most. One clear sign that you are not “stepping up to the role of an adult is when you allow others to make too many decisions for you. There are some decisions that you can’t and shouldn’t abdicate to others. Even so, I see people do this all the time. They agree to let their doctor, their boss, their spouse and even their kids dictate decisions to them, often just to avoid the critical thinking required to come to an informed decision. How many people do you know who have been swayed to use a drug, buy a product or service simply because they saw an advertisement on the television or in the papers? When you, or someone you know, responds to a request for a decision with “Whatever you want?” — push them for an answer. Push them for a decision. When you do this, you are helping them and yourself to grow. Too many people allow life to happen “to” them, rather than consciously making decisions about their life. Don’t fall into this trap. There are times we all need to, at least, act like an adult and make adult decisions. Doing this with smaller decisions first means that you will be well-prepared when the time come. Adult decisions are something that cannot be avoided. Even if you actively try to put off or ignore them, they will come looking for you, often at the worst time. Stay young at heart, but understand that there are times when you need to be an adult.   Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site!  Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Time to be an adult Time to be an adult By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcast on the Career-Op Community Site Let me set the scene…I am sitting in the ICU ward of Firelands Regional Medical Center while my father sleeps peacefully beside me. He is recovering from a 5-way heart bypass that happened rather suddenly, when previous heart fixes needed to be replaced. We had planned a family trip back to Ohio already when we got the call that he was in the hospital, so we knew immediately what we would be doing on our first week back. Which is what I am doing right now. Cheerleading, handholding, brow-mopping and just simply being there. Basically, that all this means is that I am forced to play an adult, even if perhaps I don’t really feel like one. Even at 45, I don’t think of myself much different than I was at 18, but I know that I have grown and that I am capable of being “an adult”, even when I may not want to be. While we should do everything we can to maintain some child-like attitudes towards our life and our work, we need to be able to “turn on” our adult side when we need it. Unfortunately, I meet a lot of people in my life that don’t seem to have any adult skills. Everything in life seems to happen “to” them. Purses are lost, keys missing, bills late and more. While this can make life more difficult in small ways, it is truly a problem when they are forced to take on the adult role through a sickness, death, or family tragedy. Too many of them simply “melt down” under the pressure. They haven’t practiced being an adult in the their normal lives and don’t know how to be an adult when it really matters. It is never too early to practice being an adult and thinking about adult questions, even if you don’t have to. As I have often said in the past, it is so much better and easier to think through difficult questions without the stress that will be involved when you need to implement the plans you create. Trying to think through all the plans that need to be made is nearly impossible when grieving, worrying or panicking. A little though about issues that might arise allows you to move into action just when you need it most. One clear sign that you are not “stepping up to the role of an adult is when you allow others to make too many decisions for you. There are some decisions that you can’t and shouldn’t abdicate to others. Even so, I see people do this all the time. They agree to let their doctor, their boss, their spouse and even their kids dictate decisions to them, often just to avoid the critical thinking required to come to an informed decision. How many people do you know who have been swayed to use a drug, buy a product or service simply because they saw an advertisement on the television or in the papers? When you, or someone you know, responds to a request for a decision with “Whatever you want?” — push them for an answer. Push them for a decision. When you do this, you are helping them and yourself to grow. Too many people allow life to happen “to” them, rather than consciously making decisions about their life. Don’t fall into this trap. There are times we all need to, at least, act like an adult and make adult decisions. Doing this with smaller decisions first means that you will be well-prepared when the time come. Adult decisions are something that cannot be avoided. Even if you actively try to put off or ignore them, they will come looking for you, often at the worst time. Stay young at heart, but understand that there are times when you need to be an adult.   Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site!  Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Time to be an adult tag:odeo.com,2009-07-07,24765520 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:04:24 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24756209-Communication Communication By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Way back in my college days, as part of my BA in Communications, there was a required class that we all found a bit silly at first. This class was called IPCO 305 or Interpersonal Communications. Basically, this was a class on how people talked to one another. Surely, we all knew how to talk to each other. We had been doing it for years. Still, we did as we were asked and engaged in “dyadic encounters” which were basically conversations — usually over food or beer — and then studied these conversations in a somewhat scientific way. It all seemed a bit silly at the time, but I find this experience and education ... Communication By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Way back in my college days, as part of my BA in Communications, there was a required class that we all found a bit silly at first. This class was called IPCO 305 or Interpersonal Communications. Basically, this was a class on how people talked to one another. Surely, we all knew how to talk to each other. We had been doing it for years. Still, we did as we were asked and engaged in “dyadic encounters” which were basically conversations — usually over food or beer — and then studied these conversations in a somewhat scientific way. It all seemed a bit silly at the time, but I find this experience and education more useful every day. The fact is, we often communicate poorly, if at all. Whether talking or listening, the ideas, thoughts, or tasks we are trying to communicate get lost in the surrounding noise, are misunderstood or simply go unheard. We spend a great deal of time “talking at” people without ever really communicating. Is it any wonder that so little gets accomplished for all the talking that goes on? One of the most insidious communication problems, in your work and professional life, is assuming that others will just understand. Instead of asking a person to do something, we merely act as if we want something done and they are supposed to pick up on these, often, non-verbal clues and do what we want them to do. We see this in families all the time. If I pick up a broom and start sweeping the floor, I might assume that you will also figure out it is time to clean and join me in the task. This is flawed thinking for a variety of reasons. First, we might not have the same understanding of what is an appropriate time for a particular task. You might think it is time to clean, but I know I have a column due on deadline and must complete that first. You might think that since I am already doing the task, you don’t have to do it and can continue doing whatever you are doing. You may even find my cleaning activities to be annoying as you are trying to finish a different project or simply get some rest. It’s odd how something as simple as picking up a broom can mean so many things to different people. As you can see, left to our non-verbal, non-communicating devices, it is no wonder why we get frustrated with others and they with us. In many cases, we have competing desires, but we never communicate that to others. We simply grow more and more frustrated and even angry that the other person doesn’t understand us, or worse still, is ignoring us or acting out of spite. Yet, we still avoid communicating clearly when we should see how much it facilitates our lives and our work. Perhaps we do this in a wrong-headed attempt to avoid conflict or confrontation. Maybe we don’t understand how to effectively communicate our wants, needs and desires. Perhaps we are shy, quiet or simply scared of causing a stir. Whichever it is, though, we all need to break away from our uncommunicative ways and forge a new path for our careers. Great careers grow out of great communications. We might label it drive, leadership, being a people person or a good talker, but it is a simple fact that nearly every great leader is first a great communicator and you can be, too. You simply need to start communicating. Look back in the recent past and re-imagine an opportunity you had to communicate an idea, but failed to do so. How would things be different today had you taken that opportunity to speak up? How much trouble would have been saved? How much money? How many jobs? How much better would you feel about yourself and your work? I believe that you will easily find many situations that would have been improved, or avoided altogether, had you only communicated more clearly. Your task for the coming weeks is to look for opportunities to communicate, both good and bad news, solutions and problems, wild ideas and concrete thoughts. Look to head problems off “at the pass” by communicating more frequently, more clearly and with more people. Free up time in your busy career by communicating so clearly that extra meetings, teleconferences and follow-up emails simply aren’t necessary. Never again assume that people know what you want simply by looking at your actions. Explain to them, in both large and small ways, exactly what you want, need and desire from them. Clear communication has the ability to make everyone’s life a bit easier and a bit more productive. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Communication Communication By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Way back in my college days, as part of my BA in Communications, there was a required class that we all found a bit silly at first. This class was called IPCO 305 or Interpersonal Communications. Basically, this was a class on how people talked to one another. Surely, we all knew how to talk to each other. We had been doing it for years. Still, we did as we were asked and engaged in “dyadic encounters” which were basically conversations — usually over food or beer — and then studied these conversations in a somewhat scientific way. It all seemed a bit silly at the time, but I find this experience and education more useful every day. The fact is, we often communicate poorly, if at all. Whether talking or listening, the ideas, thoughts, or tasks we are trying to communicate get lost in the surrounding noise, are misunderstood or simply go unheard. We spend a great deal of time “talking at” people without ever really communicating. Is it any wonder that so little gets accomplished for all the talking that goes on? One of the most insidious communication problems, in your work and professional life, is assuming that others will just understand. Instead of asking a person to do something, we merely act as if we want something done and they are supposed to pick up on these, often, non-verbal clues and do what we want them to do. We see this in families all the time. If I pick up a broom and start sweeping the floor, I might assume that you will also figure out it is time to clean and join me in the task. This is flawed thinking for a variety of reasons. First, we might not have the same understanding of what is an appropriate time for a particular task. You might think it is time to clean, but I know I have a column due on deadline and must complete that first. You might think that since I am already doing the task, you don’t have to do it and can continue doing whatever you are doing. You may even find my cleaning activities to be annoying as you are trying to finish a different project or simply get some rest. It’s odd how something as simple as picking up a broom can mean so many things to different people. As you can see, left to our non-verbal, non-communicating devices, it is no wonder why we get frustrated with others and they with us. In many cases, we have competing desires, but we never communicate that to others. We simply grow more and more frustrated and even angry that the other person doesn’t understand us, or worse still, is ignoring us or acting out of spite. Yet, we still avoid communicating clearly when we should see how much it facilitates our lives and our work. Perhaps we do this in a wrong-headed attempt to avoid conflict or confrontation. Maybe we don’t understand how to effectively communicate our wants, needs and desires. Perhaps we are shy, quiet or simply scared of causing a stir. Whichever it is, though, we all need to break away from our uncommunicative ways and forge a new path for our careers. Great careers grow out of great communications. We might label it drive, leadership, being a people person or a good talker, but it is a simple fact that nearly every great leader is first a great communicator and you can be, too. You simply need to start communicating. Look back in the recent past and re-imagine an opportunity you had to communicate an idea, but failed to do so. How would things be different today had you taken that opportunity to speak up? How much trouble would have been saved? How much money? How many jobs? How much better would you feel about yourself and your work? I believe that you will easily find many situations that would have been improved, or avoided altogether, had you only communicated more clearly. Your task for the coming weeks is to look for opportunities to communicate, both good and bad news, solutions and problems, wild ideas and concrete thoughts. Look to head problems off “at the pass” by communicating more frequently, more clearly and with more people. Free up time in your busy career by communicating so clearly that extra meetings, teleconferences and follow-up emails simply aren’t necessary. Never again assume that people know what you want simply by looking at your actions. Explain to them, in both large and small ways, exactly what you want, need and desire from them. Clear communication has the ability to make everyone’s life a bit easier and a bit more productive. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Communication tag:odeo.com,2009-06-26,24756209 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:39:57 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24695710-Why-we-share Why we share By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site With the continuing growth of services like Facebook, Twitter and others, questions often gets asked, “Why do we share all this information? Who does it benefit? Is it too much? Is it simply a fad…or troubling…or even dangerous?” The fact is, sharing is a deep part of our basic human nature. As humans, we constantly gather together for safety, for productivity and yes, socialization. The fact that we embrace services like Facebook and Twitter should be a surprise to no one. For me, it is simply an online extension of tribe members gathering around the fire to share stories of adventures real and imagined. We hav... Why we share By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site With the continuing growth of services like Facebook, Twitter and others, questions often gets asked, “Why do we share all this information? Who does it benefit? Is it too much? Is it simply a fad…or troubling…or even dangerous?” The fact is, sharing is a deep part of our basic human nature. As humans, we constantly gather together for safety, for productivity and yes, socialization. The fact that we embrace services like Facebook and Twitter should be a surprise to no one. For me, it is simply an online extension of tribe members gathering around the fire to share stories of adventures real and imagined. We have an immense need to share our lives, our knowledge, our sadness, our joys with others. The Internet simply gives us a way to share more easily and more widely. If we take sharing as a common part of human nature, though, then it pays to ask, “Why do we share? How does it complete us? What purpose, beyond basic social interaction, does it serve?” For the individual — especially someone developing a career — sharing what you do and how well you do it is an important part of establishing your visibility in the world. As I have written and spoken about in the past, you must make your work, both personal and professional, visible to those around you. You do not build a great career by “hiding your light under a bushel.” Jesus may have been talking about faith, but I think the phrase equally applies to your gifts, your knowledge, your skills. Of course, I am not talking about arrogance, inflating your accomplishments or otherwise presenting a false picture of yourself. You share to give people a better understanding of your work and, you as a person. Which leads us to the next reason for sharing — giving others a better, fuller, understanding of who you are as a person. If you follow me on twitter (@douglaswelch), you will see that I have many more interests than just technology or just careers. I often say, “a geek in one thing, a geek in all things.” This certainly applies to me. I geek out on coffee, wine, architecture, performing music, technology, the outdoors, gardening and a host of other things. If you only monitor one aspect of my sharing, you might think of me as only one thing or another. Those who follow me on Twitter see, what I hope, is a more complete whole. I believe that the more information others have about you, the better chance that you will find a deeper bond, a deeper synergy, a deeper relationship, whether that relationship is personal or professional. In hiring, for example, I would be much more secure in my choice to fill a particular job if I knew more about a person than what can be discovered in a resume and through a short interview. I was asked during my talk to Tuesdays with Transitioners a few weeks ago, whether it would be useful to include links to Twitter or Facebook in a resume or cover letter. My answer was that, yes, if those sites gave a clear, positive picture of who you are, I would definitely include them. I think that doing so could help to cement a job offer that might be wavering in the middle. I also think it would make the hiring person much more secure in their choice and lead to a better work relationship the moment you walk in the door. It is like giving a jump start to your relationship. Finally, we often share in hopes that it will improve the lives of those around us. If I can save someone hours of troubleshooting by blogging a solution I discovered, I have made the world a better place. If I can share my favorite restaurants, stores, parks — and most importantly, people — I may make someone’s life better, or at least a little easier. I may help to keep one of those family businesses viable. If I share my life with others, they may share their life with me and expose me to new ideas, new thoughts and new challenges. When we share everyone wins. When we “hide our light under a bushel” we deny ourselves and others the opportunity to connect and understand. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Why we share Why we share By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site With the continuing growth of services like Facebook, Twitter and others, questions often gets asked, “Why do we share all this information? Who does it benefit? Is it too much? Is it simply a fad…or troubling…or even dangerous?” The fact is, sharing is a deep part of our basic human nature. As humans, we constantly gather together for safety, for productivity and yes, socialization. The fact that we embrace services like Facebook and Twitter should be a surprise to no one. For me, it is simply an online extension of tribe members gathering around the fire to share stories of adventures real and imagined. We have an immense need to share our lives, our knowledge, our sadness, our joys with others. The Internet simply gives us a way to share more easily and more widely. If we take sharing as a common part of human nature, though, then it pays to ask, “Why do we share? How does it complete us? What purpose, beyond basic social interaction, does it serve?” For the individual — especially someone developing a career — sharing what you do and how well you do it is an important part of establishing your visibility in the world. As I have written and spoken about in the past, you must make your work, both personal and professional, visible to those around you. You do not build a great career by “hiding your light under a bushel.” Jesus may have been talking about faith, but I think the phrase equally applies to your gifts, your knowledge, your skills. Of course, I am not talking about arrogance, inflating your accomplishments or otherwise presenting a false picture of yourself. You share to give people a better understanding of your work and, you as a person. Which leads us to the next reason for sharing — giving others a better, fuller, understanding of who you are as a person. If you follow me on twitter (@douglaswelch), you will see that I have many more interests than just technology or just careers. I often say, “a geek in one thing, a geek in all things.” This certainly applies to me. I geek out on coffee, wine, architecture, performing music, technology, the outdoors, gardening and a host of other things. If you only monitor one aspect of my sharing, you might think of me as only one thing or another. Those who follow me on Twitter see, what I hope, is a more complete whole. I believe that the more information others have about you, the better chance that you will find a deeper bond, a deeper synergy, a deeper relationship, whether that relationship is personal or professional. In hiring, for example, I would be much more secure in my choice to fill a particular job if I knew more about a person than what can be discovered in a resume and through a short interview. I was asked during my talk to Tuesdays with Transitioners a few weeks ago, whether it would be useful to include links to Twitter or Facebook in a resume or cover letter. My answer was that, yes, if those sites gave a clear, positive picture of who you are, I would definitely include them. I think that doing so could help to cement a job offer that might be wavering in the middle. I also think it would make the hiring person much more secure in their choice and lead to a better work relationship the moment you walk in the door. It is like giving a jump start to your relationship. Finally, we often share in hopes that it will improve the lives of those around us. If I can save someone hours of troubleshooting by blogging a solution I discovered, I have made the world a better place. If I can share my favorite restaurants, stores, parks — and most importantly, people — I may make someone’s life better, or at least a little easier. I may help to keep one of those family businesses viable. If I share my life with others, they may share their life with me and expose me to new ideas, new thoughts and new challenges. When we share everyone wins. When we “hide our light under a bushel” we deny ourselves and others the opportunity to connect and understand. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Why we share tag:odeo.com,2009-06-12,24695710 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:20:30 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24634939-Do-something-crazy Do something crazy By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site If you are like me, one day can seem much like another. If we allow it, our daily rut can become so deep that we can’t even see a way out. We wander from bed to shower to coffee to work to dinner to home to bed without so much as a single thought that there might be a better, or at least different, way. You don’t have to live in that rut, of course, but if you want to get out, you will have to expend some energy. You will have to look for some new alternatives to the same old, same old. You just might have to do something crazy. Now, when I say crazy, I don’t necessarily mean anything life threatening. Sure, som... Do something crazy By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site If you are like me, one day can seem much like another. If we allow it, our daily rut can become so deep that we can’t even see a way out. We wander from bed to shower to coffee to work to dinner to home to bed without so much as a single thought that there might be a better, or at least different, way. You don’t have to live in that rut, of course, but if you want to get out, you will have to expend some energy. You will have to look for some new alternatives to the same old, same old. You just might have to do something crazy. Now, when I say crazy, I don’t necessarily mean anything life threatening. Sure, some of my friends have found excitement in skydiving, white water rafting and jungle treks, but I think there are much simpler ways of putting some energy back into your life. In my case, one walked right into my life. A friend recently called with an interesting request. Over the last several years, he has been producing a horror musical he had adapted from a film. He had put on this show in his down of Bakersfield, California and elsewhere in the state. This time, though, he was bringing it to the big city of LA and was asking me personally to take on a small role. For those who might not know, my degree is actually in theater and I quite enjoy working there. That said, I don’t find much opportunity here in LA due the professional nature of even the smallest productions. I haven’t acted in nearly 25 years, although I have performed music in public every so often. Still, I had to think long and hard about deciding to accept a role again. It seemed so far outside my normal daily life, but that is exactly what made me decide to do it. I saw this as life offering me an opportunity to get a little crazy, to get out of my rut. I think I would have been a fool to ignore it. It is rare when such opportunities come looking for you. What has this bit of craziness done for me? First, if has introduced me to a score of young, talented people who have not lost that youthful optimism and energy for life and their work. Life can be tough and we all get beaten down a little over the years, but surrounding yourself with young people can be a great way to break out of your older mindset and perhaps find a new interest to pursue or new energy for your existing career. This is the same reason I recommend that you attend BarCamp events and other un-conferences. You gain the energy of youth and also, in many cases, the young want to know what you have to say. Finding an audience for your knowledge and experience can be one of the most rewarding aspects of these events. Second, acting is a new challenge that is entirely different than my daily work. Putting myself into a different character and a different mindset is not only fun, but it gives me new insight to my daily work. I often find myself thinking new thoughts, having new ideas, applying theater experiences to my presentations and generally being more aware of what I am doing and how I am doing it. This is the power of rut-busting activities. They break not only the rut of our daily schedule but also the rut of our daily thinking. When you are faced with new opportunities and new activities you can’t help but think new thoughts. You mind has to deal with new inputs and, in many cases, creates new outputs to make use of them. For your own sake, go out today and do something crazy,. Again, you don’t have to jump out of a plane, but something as simple as visiting a new restaurant or a new part of town, signing up for piano lessons, performing for your child’s school or even being in a play like me can open new doors in your mind, your life and your career. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Do something crazy! Do something crazy By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site If you are like me, one day can seem much like another. If we allow it, our daily rut can become so deep that we can’t even see a way out. We wander from bed to shower to coffee to work to dinner to home to bed without so much as a single thought that there might be a better, or at least different, way. You don’t have to live in that rut, of course, but if you want to get out, you will have to expend some energy. You will have to look for some new alternatives to the same old, same old. You just might have to do something crazy. Now, when I say crazy, I don’t necessarily mean anything life threatening. Sure, some of my friends have found excitement in skydiving, white water rafting and jungle treks, but I think there are much simpler ways of putting some energy back into your life. In my case, one walked right into my life. A friend recently called with an interesting request. Over the last several years, he has been producing a horror musical he had adapted from a film. He had put on this show in his down of Bakersfield, California and elsewhere in the state. This time, though, he was bringing it to the big city of LA and was asking me personally to take on a small role. For those who might not know, my degree is actually in theater and I quite enjoy working there. That said, I don’t find much opportunity here in LA due the professional nature of even the smallest productions. I haven’t acted in nearly 25 years, although I have performed music in public every so often. Still, I had to think long and hard about deciding to accept a role again. It seemed so far outside my normal daily life, but that is exactly what made me decide to do it. I saw this as life offering me an opportunity to get a little crazy, to get out of my rut. I think I would have been a fool to ignore it. It is rare when such opportunities come looking for you. What has this bit of craziness done for me? First, if has introduced me to a score of young, talented people who have not lost that youthful optimism and energy for life and their work. Life can be tough and we all get beaten down a little over the years, but surrounding yourself with young people can be a great way to break out of your older mindset and perhaps find a new interest to pursue or new energy for your existing career. This is the same reason I recommend that you attend BarCamp events and other un-conferences. You gain the energy of youth and also, in many cases, the young want to know what you have to say. Finding an audience for your knowledge and experience can be one of the most rewarding aspects of these events. Second, acting is a new challenge that is entirely different than my daily work. Putting myself into a different character and a different mindset is not only fun, but it gives me new insight to my daily work. I often find myself thinking new thoughts, having new ideas, applying theater experiences to my presentations and generally being more aware of what I am doing and how I am doing it. This is the power of rut-busting activities. They break not only the rut of our daily schedule but also the rut of our daily thinking. When you are faced with new opportunities and new activities you can’t help but think new thoughts. You mind has to deal with new inputs and, in many cases, creates new outputs to make use of them. For your own sake, go out today and do something crazy,. Again, you don’t have to jump out of a plane, but something as simple as visiting a new restaurant or a new part of town, signing up for piano lessons, performing for your child’s school or even being in a play like me can open new doors in your mind, your life and your career. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Do something crazy! tag:odeo.com,2009-05-31,24634939 Sun, 31 May 2009 23:42:56 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24615541-Video-Douglas-speaks-to-Tuesdays-with-Transitioners Douglas E. Welch speaks to the career group, Tuesdays with Transitioners, which meets each week in Northridge, California. (62 mins) iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Douglas speaks to Tuesdays with Transitioners Douglas E. Welch speaks to the career group, Tuesdays with Transitioners, which meets each week in Northridge, California. (62 mins) iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Douglas speaks to Tuesdays with Transitioners Douglas E. Welch speaks to the career group, Tuesdays with Transitioners, which meets each week in Northridge, California. (62 mins) iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Douglas speaks to Tuesdays with Transitioners tag:odeo.com,2009-05-27,24615541 Wed, 27 May 2009 08:00:00 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, video, Show, events, Community http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24611657-The-New-Career-Danger-Zone The New Career Danger Zone By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Over the last several decades, the age at which someone needs to have cemented their career has been steadily dropping. Where, in the past, it would not have been surprising to see workers in the 50’s and 60’s, now many of these people have been “aged out” of the work place. In fact, in the course of my own career, I have come to see that 40 is the new career danger zone. If you haven’t moved into management, or into your own company, the chances are very high that you will be fired or laid off in the coming 5 years. In some cases, if you can make it through this danger zone, you might contin... The New Career Danger Zone By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Over the last several decades, the age at which someone needs to have cemented their career has been steadily dropping. Where, in the past, it would not have been surprising to see workers in the 50’s and 60’s, now many of these people have been “aged out” of the work place. In fact, in the course of my own career, I have come to see that 40 is the new career danger zone. If you haven’t moved into management, or into your own company, the chances are very high that you will be fired or laid off in the coming 5 years. In some cases, if you can make it through this danger zone, you might continue with your current company in your current position, but for many of us, 40 is a career milestone that we will have to face head on. I normally don’t like to use hard, age-related, milestones when discussing life and career, but my own experience has shown that many people are more than willing to use age as a deciding factor in job decisions. We all learn and grow at different rates and we all have different goals at different times, but much like the now mostly abandoned concept of “middle age,” those around us will apply certain stereotypes to us once we reach a certain age. Once we reach the age of 40, people will start to look at us differently — treat us differently. This is especially true in work environments where management can be younger than those they manage. I have seen this in direct action over the last 20 years as my wife worked in television. The entertainment industry thrives on youth and has always been quick to abandon those “of a certain age.” My observations about television and movies are what opened my eyes to this same trend as it began to make stronger inroads into business as a whole. This century-long youth obsession has started to effect even the most staid of companies as younger people have been indoctrinated into it much more than the youth of the past. In the worst cases, younger managers can see 40 year olds as being at the end of the line in their careers, regardless of what these workers might have achieved or currently be producing. It might seem hopeless at first glance. Obviously, we can’t change our physical age. We might get away with shaving a year off here and there, but time eventually catches up with all of us. That said, we can all seek to improve our careers by pursuing 2 avenues that can help to protect us from this youth bias by essentially making it irrelevant. You can never be sure of your job, but you can take actions that improve your position. In my mind, today there are 2 possible paths for any worker as they age. First, you need to insure that by age 40 your position in your company or industry is strongly cemented. This typically means that you must be in management and not out on the “shop floor”, whether that be in a manufacturing company, a financial institution or on a movie set. People over 40 who are still working “in the trenches” will soon find themselves facing questions about why they are still there. Is it fair? Of course, not. Sometimes this is the most effective place for a person to be working, but those around them will come to see it as a sign of failure. They will wonder, both silently and out loud, what is holding you back. If you find yourself in that position today, you need to start thinking seriously about your career options. Regardless of your skill, you could be on the next layoff list. Second, do everything in your power to start your own company. This might be a small consultancy like my own, a small business or even something larger, but whatever the form, you must do it. Placing yourself in the position of power is one of the few ways to insure that your career won’t be interrupted by age bias. As my wife is fond of saying, “when you work for yourself, there will never be a day when someone comes to tell you you no longer have a job.” Sure, businesses can falter and fail, but placing yourself in your own business is one way of protecting your career as you grow older. Whether you are approaching the age of 40, are already well beyond, or are young enough to find it difficult to imagine, you need to start planning and working for the day when you face this critical career milestone. Today, the age of 40 is taking on the stigma once reserved for 65. While you aren’t expected to retire, you will be expected to have achieved some stability in your career. Otherwise, those in power may decide that you need to look elsewhere for the next step in your career. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com The New Career Danger Zone The New Career Danger Zone By Douglas E. Welch Listen Let’s Meetup In Ohio! Douglas will be traveling back to Ohio to visit family and friends from June 28 through July 13. Would you like to meetup? Email career@welchwrite.com and watch the Career Opportunities Community Site for more information. Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Over the last several decades, the age at which someone needs to have cemented their career has been steadily dropping. Where, in the past, it would not have been surprising to see workers in the 50’s and 60’s, now many of these people have been “aged out” of the work place. In fact, in the course of my own career, I have come to see that 40 is the new career danger zone. If you haven’t moved into management, or into your own company, the chances are very high that you will be fired or laid off in the coming 5 years. In some cases, if you can make it through this danger zone, you might continue with your current company in your current position, but for many of us, 40 is a career milestone that we will have to face head on. I normally don’t like to use hard, age-related, milestones when discussing life and career, but my own experience has shown that many people are more than willing to use age as a deciding factor in job decisions. We all learn and grow at different rates and we all have different goals at different times, but much like the now mostly abandoned concept of “middle age,” those around us will apply certain stereotypes to us once we reach a certain age. Once we reach the age of 40, people will start to look at us differently — treat us differently. This is especially true in work environments where management can be younger than those they manage. I have seen this in direct action over the last 20 years as my wife worked in television. The entertainment industry thrives on youth and has always been quick to abandon those “of a certain age.” My observations about television and movies are what opened my eyes to this same trend as it began to make stronger inroads into business as a whole. This century-long youth obsession has started to effect even the most staid of companies as younger people have been indoctrinated into it much more than the youth of the past. In the worst cases, younger managers can see 40 year olds as being at the end of the line in their careers, regardless of what these workers might have achieved or currently be producing. It might seem hopeless at first glance. Obviously, we can’t change our physical age. We might get away with shaving a year off here and there, but time eventually catches up with all of us. That said, we can all seek to improve our careers by pursuing 2 avenues that can help to protect us from this youth bias by essentially making it irrelevant. You can never be sure of your job, but you can take actions that improve your position. In my mind, today there are 2 possible paths for any worker as they age. First, you need to insure that by age 40 your position in your company or industry is strongly cemented. This typically means that you must be in management and not out on the “shop floor”, whether that be in a manufacturing company, a financial institution or on a movie set. People over 40 who are still working “in the trenches” will soon find themselves facing questions about why they are still there. Is it fair? Of course, not. Sometimes this is the most effective place for a person to be working, but those around them will come to see it as a sign of failure. They will wonder, both silently and out loud, what is holding you back. If you find yourself in that position today, you need to start thinking seriously about your career options. Regardless of your skill, you could be on the next layoff list. Second, do everything in your power to start your own company. This might be a small consultancy like my own, a small business or even something larger, but whatever the form, you must do it. Placing yourself in the position of power is one of the few ways to insure that your career won’t be interrupted by age bias. As my wife is fond of saying, “when you work for yourself, there will never be a day when someone comes to tell you you no longer have a job.” Sure, businesses can falter and fail, but placing yourself in your own business is one way of protecting your career as you grow older. Whether you are approaching the age of 40, are already well beyond, or are young enough to find it difficult to imagine, you need to start planning and working for the day when you face this critical career milestone. Today, the age of 40 is taking on the stigma once reserved for 65. While you aren’t expected to retire, you will be expected to have achieved some stability in your career. Otherwise, those in power may decide that you need to look elsewhere for the next step in your career. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com The New Career Danger Zone tag:odeo.com,2009-05-25,24611657 Mon, 25 May 2009 11:39:42 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24564693-Opportunity-Lost Opportunity Lost By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site In good times or bad, opportunities that come knocking should never be ignored. Certainly, every opportunity will not be right for you, but too often we reject, or simply ignore opportunities. There are many reasons why this might happen — inattention, lack of confidence and even fear — but if you want to keep your career moving forward, you must tackle each opportunity as it is presented. You never know which one will be the next, important step in your career. Opportunities can be found anywhere and sometimes present themselves at the oddest moments. Perhaps you are having a discussion with the owner of your local coffee shop, who mentions off-hand that their computer is crashing or that they know another customer with a similar problem. You might find opportunities at a friend’s party, picking up your dry cleaning or hanging out with friends at the local pu... Opportunity Lost By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site In good times or bad, opportunities that come knocking should never be ignored. Certainly, every opportunity will not be right for you, but too often we reject, or simply ignore opportunities. There are many reasons why this might happen — inattention, lack of confidence and even fear — but if you want to keep your career moving forward, you must tackle each opportunity as it is presented. You never know which one will be the next, important step in your career. Opportunities can be found anywhere and sometimes present themselves at the oddest moments. Perhaps you are having a discussion with the owner of your local coffee shop, who mentions off-hand that their computer is crashing or that they know another customer with a similar problem. You might find opportunities at a friend’s party, picking up your dry cleaning or hanging out with friends at the local pub. The ubiquitous nature of opportunity means that you must constantly be on the watch for it as it appears. This almost guarantees that you will find more opportunities, but then you need to work on the next step — taking advantage of them when and where they appear. It may seem odd, but I regularly see situations where people have opportunities practically walk up and kiss them on the mouth and then they do nothing about them. They simply walk away as if nothing has happened. There is no exchange of phone numbers, no promise to call later, no attempt to continue the connection. Nothing. To be fair, I think we can all look back on moments when we did the same thing, but that doesn’t excuse the problem. I am sure you do much the same as I do and firmly plant your palm to your forehead when you realize what you have done. Unfortunately, opportunity is fleeting and, when missed, is often gone forever. While you can’t beat yourself up over every missed connection, hopefully you can learn from your mistakes and be more aware in the future. There are times when you need to be even more sensitive to opportunities — when they are presented by friends, co-workers or clients. Failing to follow up on an opportunity presented by this group reflects badly not only on you, but also on the person who is connecting you with the opportunity. While I don’t have the world’s largest network, I regularly try to share opportunities with my friends. I hope that they can find some good in each opportunity, but also understand that only a handful of connections will ever work out entirely. I typically present the opportunity to my friend first to see if they are interested before passing off their name to the potential client. In this way, they can decide whether the project or job is interesting to them before taking the next step. You don’t have to accept every opportunity, but being open to the opportunities is very important. One frustrating aspect of opportunities, though, is when I offer an opportunity only to be met with indifference and inaction. Sometimes it seems that I see more in people than they can see in themselves. I can understand the reluctance to pursue an opportunity in some ways. I know I have faced these same fears myself. You start to “futuretrip” and the “What ifs?” begin to pile up until to you are too afraid to do anything. Still, I am sure you have felt this same frustration when your friends fail to grab onto the opportunities you present. This doesn’t mean you stop trying, of course, but it can make you less inclined to share future opportunities. Remember this, too, when you are on the receiving end of an opportunity. Ignore them enough times and they might stop appearing. Sharing your opportunities with those around you, and accepting them when they are presented, is one important way the career world turns. Whether you decide to accept an opportunity or not is much less important than simply being open to them when they arrive. Ignoring the equation on either side can limit your career opportunities and leave you wondering why the next step in your career is so hard to find. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Opportunity Lost No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Opportunity Lost By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site In good times or bad, opportunities that come knocking should never be ignored. Certainly, every opportunity will not be right for you, but too often we reject, or simply ignore opportunities. There are many reasons why this might happen — inattention, lack of confidence and even fear — but if you want to keep your career moving forward, you must tackle each opportunity as it is presented. You never know which one will be the next, important step in your career. Opportunities can be found anywhere and sometimes present themselves at the oddest moments. Perhaps you are having a discussion with the owner of your local coffee shop, who mentions off-hand that their computer is crashing or that they know another customer with a similar problem. You might find opportunities at a friend’s party, picking up your dry cleaning or hanging out with friends at the local pub. The ubiquitous nature of opportunity means that you must constantly be on the watch for it as it appears. This almost guarantees that you will find more opportunities, but then you need to work on the next step — taking advantage of them when and where they appear. It may seem odd, but I regularly see situations where people have opportunities practically walk up and kiss them on the mouth and then they do nothing about them. They simply walk away as if nothing has happened. There is no exchange of phone numbers, no promise to call later, no attempt to continue the connection. Nothing. To be fair, I think we can all look back on moments when we did the same thing, but that doesn’t excuse the problem. I am sure you do much the same as I do and firmly plant your palm to your forehead when you realize what you have done. Unfortunately, opportunity is fleeting and, when missed, is often gone forever. While you can’t beat yourself up over every missed connection, hopefully you can learn from your mistakes and be more aware in the future. There are times when you need to be even more sensitive to opportunities — when they are presented by friends, co-workers or clients. Failing to follow up on an opportunity presented by this group reflects badly not only on you, but also on the person who is connecting you with the opportunity. While I don’t have the world’s largest network, I regularly try to share opportunities with my friends. I hope that they can find some good in each opportunity, but also understand that only a handful of connections will ever work out entirely. I typically present the opportunity to my friend first to see if they are interested before passing off their name to the potential client. In this way, they can decide whether the project or job is interesting to them before taking the next step. You don’t have to accept every opportunity, but being open to the opportunities is very important. One frustrating aspect of opportunities, though, is when I offer an opportunity only to be met with indifference and inaction. Sometimes it seems that I see more in people than they can see in themselves. I can understand the reluctance to pursue an opportunity in some ways. I know I have faced these same fears myself. You start to “futuretrip” and the “What ifs?” begin to pile up until to you are too afraid to do anything. Still, I am sure you have felt this same frustration when your friends fail to grab onto the opportunities you present. This doesn’t mean you stop trying, of course, but it can make you less inclined to share future opportunities. Remember this, too, when you are on the receiving end of an opportunity. Ignore them enough times and they might stop appearing. Sharing your opportunities with those around you, and accepting them when they are presented, is one important way the career world turns. Whether you decide to accept an opportunity or not is much less important than simply being open to them when they arrive. Ignoring the equation on either side can limit your career opportunities and leave you wondering why the next step in your career is so hard to find. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Opportunity Lost No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-05-10,24564693 Sun, 10 May 2009 23:33:15 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24543096-Video-Visibility-and-Your-Career-from-LaidOffCamp-LA Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. iPod Ready Video Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. iPod Ready Video Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. iPod Ready Video Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCamp LA No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-05-05,24543096 Tue, 05 May 2009 15:22:31 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, video, Show, speaking http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24538908-LaidOffCamp-LA-Visibility-and-Your-Career Live from LaidOffCamp LA - Visibility and Your Career By Douglas E. Welch Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. Listen Photo: Morgantis on Flickr.com More photos from LaidOffCamp LA Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com LaidOffCamp LA - Visibility and Your Career No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Live from LaidOffCamp LA - Visibility and Your Career By Douglas E. Welch Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. Listen Photo: Morgantis on Flickr.com More photos from LaidOffCamp LA Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com LaidOffCamp LA - Visibility and Your Career No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Live from LaidOffCamp LA - Visibility and Your Career By Douglas E. Welch Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. Listen Photo: Morgantis on Flickr.com More photos from LaidOffCamp LA Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com LaidOffCamp LA - Visibility and Your Career No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-05-04,24538908 Mon, 04 May 2009 22:51:16 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show, speaking http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24707525-LaidOffCamp-LA-%E2%80%93-Visibility-and-Your-Career Live from LaidOffCamp LA – Visibility and Your Career By Douglas E. Welch Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. Listen Photo: Morgantis on Flickr.com More photos from LaidOffCamp LA Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com LaidOffCamp LA – Visibility and Your Career Live from LaidOffCamp LA – Visibility and Your Career By Douglas E. Welch Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. Listen Photo: Morgantis on Flickr.com More photos from LaidOffCamp LA Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com LaidOffCamp LA – Visibility and Your Career Live from LaidOffCamp LA – Visibility and Your Career By Douglas E. Welch Douglas speaks to LaidOffCamp LA on May 1, 2009 on Visibility and Your Career. Listen Photo: Morgantis on Flickr.com More photos from LaidOffCamp LA Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com LaidOffCamp LA – Visibility and Your Career tag:odeo.com,2009-05-04,24707525 Mon, 04 May 2009 22:51:16 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show, speaking http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24520321-Archive-Get-it-done Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we can lose track of our goals in the midst of the chaos of daily life. We work and work on our projects without ever getting them done. No matter how much work you do, if you don’t complete your projects, what have you really accomplished? Your career depends on providing solutions. Don’t build a career that saddles you with never-ending project after never-ending project. Get on with it. Get over it. Get it done! A Good Experience The importance of being able to complete a project was brought home to me again this week, when I was working on a project with my podcasting group, Friends in Tech (http://friendsintech.com). We were producing a special production for only the second time in our short history and yet it was a great experience. Despite being scattered across the country, we wrote, edited, recorded and audio edit... Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we can lose track of our goals in the midst of the chaos of daily life. We work and work on our projects without ever getting them done. No matter how much work you do, if you don’t complete your projects, what have you really accomplished? Your career depends on providing solutions. Don’t build a career that saddles you with never-ending project after never-ending project. Get on with it. Get over it. Get it done! A Good Experience The importance of being able to complete a project was brought home to me again this week, when I was working on a project with my podcasting group, Friends in Tech (http://friendsintech.com). We were producing a special production for only the second time in our short history and yet it was a great experience. Despite being scattered across the country, we wrote, edited, recorded and audio edited a 40 minute show, using all our voices and those of our family and yet still completed it 2 days before our scheduled deadline. This was a major feat, but even with all the work, we still followed our #1 Charter Guideline, “Have Fun!” Why was this such a good experience? As you may have discovered in past or present jobs, completing projects makes everyone happy. The client is happy. Your company is happy and you are happy. Just when you start to get tired of the project, it’s over. Compare this to one of your previous projects that seemed to go on and on until everyone involved was sick of it. Never-ending projects make everyone unhappy and usually end with someone being fired. One of the biggest assets of our group, and any good project group, is the ability to complete projects and complete them on time. If you can do that, you can do almost anything. But how do you find or build a group that can make it happen? There are a couple of key elements that can show you whether your project group is on the right track. Get It Done Checklist First, and most importantly, do you and your fellow team members have clear goals and deadlines? Are you all in agreement on what needs to be done and when? If not, prepare for a long, long project. You can’t possibly know when a project is over, if you don’t have a clear and concise picture of the end result. Lack of goals, or poorly defined goals, lead you astray from the very start. Plans change, features change, jobs change and even the entire project can change. A perfect scenario for a never-ending story. In a project like this, you are destined for months of “just one more feature” or “just one more change.” Next, does everyone on the project team have multiple skills? Can they take on whatever role is required of them, even if it isn’t their primary talent? This is one of the great strengths of our group. Sure, we all have our specialties, but each of us can “jump in” when needed, to move the project forward. Even more, everyone is ready to jump in whenever they see an issue or need. No one waits for someone to cry for help. They are usually aware of the problem from the start and are already helping out even before their co-workers reach a breaking point. Finally, any issue that isn’t directly related to the project at hand is ignored. Bureaucracy, paper-shuffling, unnecessary meetings are forgotten, and, if everyone is thinking clearly, no one cares. Great projects take on their own momentum and can, for a time, shunt aside the typical office politics and constraints. Build the momentum of your project and fewer people can distract you from its completion. Any project that slows too much begins to be picked apart by turf wars, bureaucracy and critics who never wanted it to happen in the first place. You only need to experience one bad project before you see the wisdom of focusing on completion. Bad projects are like chains around your ankles. Everything is more difficult than it should be and you find yourself moving slower and slower with each passing day. In the worst cases, you might find yourself trapped within the project forever, toiling away on something that no one finds interesting or even useful, but which no one can seem to stop. Great careers are built on great projects, so do everything in your power to find or make projects that improve your high-tech career instead of trapping it in a never-ending cycle of going nowhere. Question of the Week: In what ways can you keep your projects on track and moving towards completion? Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: Get it done Related posts: Archive: Straight lines and circles - September 16, 2005 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Big ideas and small actions Complete larger projects one small step at a time Big... Archive: A tech in every meeting - Jan 20, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we can lose track of our goals in the midst of the chaos of daily life. We work and work on our projects without ever getting them done. No matter how much work you do, if you don’t complete your projects, what have you really accomplished? Your career depends on providing solutions. Don’t build a career that saddles you with never-ending project after never-ending project. Get on with it. Get over it. Get it done! A Good Experience The importance of being able to complete a project was brought home to me again this week, when I was working on a project with my podcasting group, Friends in Tech (http://friendsintech.com). We were producing a special production for only the second time in our short history and yet it was a great experience. Despite being scattered across the country, we wrote, edited, recorded and audio edited a 40 minute show, using all our voices and those of our family and yet still completed it 2 days before our scheduled deadline. This was a major feat, but even with all the work, we still followed our #1 Charter Guideline, “Have Fun!” Why was this such a good experience? As you may have discovered in past or present jobs, completing projects makes everyone happy. The client is happy. Your company is happy and you are happy. Just when you start to get tired of the project, it’s over. Compare this to one of your previous projects that seemed to go on and on until everyone involved was sick of it. Never-ending projects make everyone unhappy and usually end with someone being fired. One of the biggest assets of our group, and any good project group, is the ability to complete projects and complete them on time. If you can do that, you can do almost anything. But how do you find or build a group that can make it happen? There are a couple of key elements that can show you whether your project group is on the right track. Get It Done Checklist First, and most importantly, do you and your fellow team members have clear goals and deadlines? Are you all in agreement on what needs to be done and when? If not, prepare for a long, long project. You can’t possibly know when a project is over, if you don’t have a clear and concise picture of the end result. Lack of goals, or poorly defined goals, lead you astray from the very start. Plans change, features change, jobs change and even the entire project can change. A perfect scenario for a never-ending story. In a project like this, you are destined for months of “just one more feature” or “just one more change.” Next, does everyone on the project team have multiple skills? Can they take on whatever role is required of them, even if it isn’t their primary talent? This is one of the great strengths of our group. Sure, we all have our specialties, but each of us can “jump in” when needed, to move the project forward. Even more, everyone is ready to jump in whenever they see an issue or need. No one waits for someone to cry for help. They are usually aware of the problem from the start and are already helping out even before their co-workers reach a breaking point. Finally, any issue that isn’t directly related to the project at hand is ignored. Bureaucracy, paper-shuffling, unnecessary meetings are forgotten, and, if everyone is thinking clearly, no one cares. Great projects take on their own momentum and can, for a time, shunt aside the typical office politics and constraints. Build the momentum of your project and fewer people can distract you from its completion. Any project that slows too much begins to be picked apart by turf wars, bureaucracy and critics who never wanted it to happen in the first place. You only need to experience one bad project before you see the wisdom of focusing on completion. Bad projects are like chains around your ankles. Everything is more difficult than it should be and you find yourself moving slower and slower with each passing day. In the worst cases, you might find yourself trapped within the project forever, toiling away on something that no one finds interesting or even useful, but which no one can seem to stop. Great careers are built on great projects, so do everything in your power to find or make projects that improve your high-tech career instead of trapping it in a never-ending cycle of going nowhere. Question of the Week: In what ways can you keep your projects on track and moving towards completion? Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: Get it done Related posts: Archive: Straight lines and circles - September 16, 2005 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Big ideas and small actions Complete larger projects one small step at a time Big... Archive: A tech in every meeting - Jan 20, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-04-29,24520321 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:17:24 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24507526-Out-of-time Out of time By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site How does it happen? We look up from our work one day to notice that there simply isn’t enough time left to get everything done. This project has pushed out that project. Rehearsals went late and crept into the time we set aside for finishing that article. A family crisis erupted and took up whole swathes of our day. The stress level starts to rise and the walls seem like they are about tumble down. In case you haven’t guessed already, this has been my life over the last week or so. Too much to do in too short a time, but like most crises, I only have myself to blame. You might find the same thing happens to you on occasion. As they say, though, the only way out is through. The need to say “No!” Since my career goes in so many directions at once, I usually have more requests for my time than actual available hours. In any given week I could be involved in comp... Out of time By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site How does it happen? We look up from our work one day to notice that there simply isn’t enough time left to get everything done. This project has pushed out that project. Rehearsals went late and crept into the time we set aside for finishing that article. A family crisis erupted and took up whole swathes of our day. The stress level starts to rise and the walls seem like they are about tumble down. In case you haven’t guessed already, this has been my life over the last week or so. Too much to do in too short a time, but like most crises, I only have myself to blame. You might find the same thing happens to you on occasion. As they say, though, the only way out is through. The need to say “No!” Since my career goes in so many directions at once, I usually have more requests for my time than actual available hours. In any given week I could be involved in computer consulting, New Media speaking, teaching podcasting classes, performing for my son’s school fundraisers and much more. Like any good careerist, I want to take on as much of this work as possible, to move ahead each facet of my life. Of course, conflicts often arise. With such a variety of projects, they can often step on each other and even defy any logical scheduling. Still, I am loathe to say “No” to any of them, lest I miss some important opportunity. In many ways, this is exactly the wrong thing to do. All of us have to practice the fine art of saying “No”, even when we would love to do the thing we are being asked to do. We have to be honest with ourselves when certain projects simply don’t fit into our already crowded schedules. We may truly “want” to do something, but if it only adds stress to our lives we will not enjoy it and, even worse, not do our best. In these cases, saying “No” might be the best thing we can do. You might be thinking, “Well, unload some of your previous commitments so you can take on this one.” While that is an option, I am loathe to renege on a promise I have already made without a very good reason. Backing out of a commitment to others, even in favor of a better project, can be very damaging to your career. Trust is fragile and if those around you don’t think they can rely on you, you might find them unwilling to work with you in the future. Be very careful in renegotiating commitments. You might find that you hurt both yourself and those around you. We can only live life forward and accept commitments as we are offered them. It is important to remember that some opportunities must be missed if we have already committed to something else. Watch your calendar If you feel you are running out of time, it can often be because you are too focused on the short term. Many of us manage our lives on a daily or weekly schedule when a monthly or yearly focus would be more appropriate. I do everything I can to place items on my calendar as soon as they are known. For example, I already know of 2 large commitments in November of this year. By placing them in my calendar today, I will be less likely to let other projects encroach on that time. When I am presented with new commitments, I already know what time I have available and will be able to say, “No” with full knowledge of my schedule. The truth is, many projects “sneak up on us” even though we know about them months in advance. They are not really sneaking, of course, we have simply chosen to forget about them in lieu of other work. You can’t fool time, though, and those projects will quickly come galloping down upon you. Wouldn’t it be better to be secure in the knowledge of your complete schedule instead of living your life stress-filled day-to-stress-filled day? While running out of time can certainly happen, too often we are the creators of our own stress. We take on too many commitments in too short a time and then ignore future commitments until they force our attention. Learn to say “No” when needed and manage your calendar with a longer focus and much of your stress can be alleviated. This will then allow you to focus more on the task at hand, secure in the knowledge that you have your work, your life and your career under control. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Out of time Related posts: Upcoming Events View the compete calendar. You can also subscribe to... Archive: Get a plan - January 6, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Archive: Accountability - November 25, 2005 Accountability is important for everyone (This podcast is pulled “from... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Out of time By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site How does it happen? We look up from our work one day to notice that there simply isn’t enough time left to get everything done. This project has pushed out that project. Rehearsals went late and crept into the time we set aside for finishing that article. A family crisis erupted and took up whole swathes of our day. The stress level starts to rise and the walls seem like they are about tumble down. In case you haven’t guessed already, this has been my life over the last week or so. Too much to do in too short a time, but like most crises, I only have myself to blame. You might find the same thing happens to you on occasion. As they say, though, the only way out is through. The need to say “No!” Since my career goes in so many directions at once, I usually have more requests for my time than actual available hours. In any given week I could be involved in computer consulting, New Media speaking, teaching podcasting classes, performing for my son’s school fundraisers and much more. Like any good careerist, I want to take on as much of this work as possible, to move ahead each facet of my life. Of course, conflicts often arise. With such a variety of projects, they can often step on each other and even defy any logical scheduling. Still, I am loathe to say “No” to any of them, lest I miss some important opportunity. In many ways, this is exactly the wrong thing to do. All of us have to practice the fine art of saying “No”, even when we would love to do the thing we are being asked to do. We have to be honest with ourselves when certain projects simply don’t fit into our already crowded schedules. We may truly “want” to do something, but if it only adds stress to our lives we will not enjoy it and, even worse, not do our best. In these cases, saying “No” might be the best thing we can do. You might be thinking, “Well, unload some of your previous commitments so you can take on this one.” While that is an option, I am loathe to renege on a promise I have already made without a very good reason. Backing out of a commitment to others, even in favor of a better project, can be very damaging to your career. Trust is fragile and if those around you don’t think they can rely on you, you might find them unwilling to work with you in the future. Be very careful in renegotiating commitments. You might find that you hurt both yourself and those around you. We can only live life forward and accept commitments as we are offered them. It is important to remember that some opportunities must be missed if we have already committed to something else. Watch your calendar If you feel you are running out of time, it can often be because you are too focused on the short term. Many of us manage our lives on a daily or weekly schedule when a monthly or yearly focus would be more appropriate. I do everything I can to place items on my calendar as soon as they are known. For example, I already know of 2 large commitments in November of this year. By placing them in my calendar today, I will be less likely to let other projects encroach on that time. When I am presented with new commitments, I already know what time I have available and will be able to say, “No” with full knowledge of my schedule. The truth is, many projects “sneak up on us” even though we know about them months in advance. They are not really sneaking, of course, we have simply chosen to forget about them in lieu of other work. You can’t fool time, though, and those projects will quickly come galloping down upon you. Wouldn’t it be better to be secure in the knowledge of your complete schedule instead of living your life stress-filled day-to-stress-filled day? While running out of time can certainly happen, too often we are the creators of our own stress. We take on too many commitments in too short a time and then ignore future commitments until they force our attention. Learn to say “No” when needed and manage your calendar with a longer focus and much of your stress can be alleviated. This will then allow you to focus more on the task at hand, secure in the knowledge that you have your work, your life and your career under control. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Out of time Related posts: Upcoming Events View the compete calendar. You can also subscribe to... Archive: Get a plan - January 6, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Archive: Accountability - November 25, 2005 Accountability is important for everyone (This podcast is pulled “from... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-04-26,24507526 Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:30:13 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24441551-We-must-stop-lying-to-ourselves We must stop lying to ourselves By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site During the toughest times in our history, there always seems to be a contingent of people who want to believe that nothing is changing — that everything is going to be just fine — that all this turmoil is just going to pass and life will continue just as it always has. They don’t want to hear what you have to say. They don’t want to see the facts and figures and charts and graphs. What they are often saying is, “Please, lie to me!” Too many people want to believe that this recent downturn is an oddity, an aberration, some short bit of madness that will quickly pass away. To believe that, though, they have to deny thousands of years of history — thousands of years of rise and fall — thousands of years of cyclical change ranging from one extreme to another. We have seen this all before, many times over, and denying it... We must stop lying to ourselves By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site During the toughest times in our history, there always seems to be a contingent of people who want to believe that nothing is changing — that everything is going to be just fine — that all this turmoil is just going to pass and life will continue just as it always has. They don’t want to hear what you have to say. They don’t want to see the facts and figures and charts and graphs. What they are often saying is, “Please, lie to me!” Too many people want to believe that this recent downturn is an oddity, an aberration, some short bit of madness that will quickly pass away. To believe that, though, they have to deny thousands of years of history — thousands of years of rise and fall — thousands of years of cyclical change ranging from one extreme to another. We have seen this all before, many times over, and denying it only makes it worse. It gives circumstance a power over us that it should never have. We are critically thinking animals with deep abilities to learn and reason. Surrendering ourselves to lies squanders our talents and makes us culpable in our failures. We have the intelligence to survive this downturn if we only remove the scales from our eyes and the fingers from our ears. I always endeavor to speak the truth from these pages, even when it is unpopular. I will guess that nearly everyone reading or listening will find something to dislike here. The truth is sometimes hard to hear, but it is all important that we hear it, and more importantly, act on it. Power comes from a clear understanding of our circumstances and denial causes the waste of our time and talents. Let’s seek to access the “better angels of our nature” and start our recovery today. First, it is almost certain that certain jobs, certain careers and certain industries will, and by all rights should, be discarded. As a child in the 70’s I witnessed the first death throes of the automotive industry where many family members, and families of my friends found work, careers and financial stability. For nearly 40 years we have propped up this ever weakening, ever stumbling, falling giant. Unable to see the future, we held on to the past until such a time when the future is being crammed down our throats. If you work in the automotive industry, or any manufacturing sector, you need to look elsewhere for succor. Like the last great herd of buffalo to roam the plains, the beasts of the automotive industry have fallen and will no longer provide us food, clothing and support. Will they return? One day. Maybe in time for our grandchildren or great grand-children to once again make manufacturing an important mainstay of America, but not in our lifetime. We must return to the days of the many and the small instead of the big and the few. Only then can we rebuild manufacturing in this country while, hopefully, remembering the lessons of this collapse. Second, for years we have stretched the American Dream to ever more absurd limits. What began as a quest for home, land and family has been warped into greed, avarice and excess in almost every way. As a people, we have lost any concept of the difference between enough and all. Where a soldier returning from World War II wanted mainly a home for his family and a good, decent job in a safe community, today many of us want a huge house, ludicrous pay and power of life and death over those around us. Our love of prosperity left us without any understanding of the many levels of success. You were either a superstar or nothing, with no grey areas in between. This has led to many of the abuses we are seeing today, from Enron to the real estate crisis to our seeming inability to govern ourselves politically. Today, I regularly talk with musicians and others in the entertainment industry who seem most infected by this superstar myth. Even they are beginning to see that being able to support your family, comfortably, while doing what you love is a far greater goal than any form of super stardom — and far more likely. While we may never stop reaching for the brass ring, we need to recognize the simple success of a life well lived and the benefits it brings to us as individuals and society as a whole. Third, we need to stop looking for some external force, some outside factor, some knight in shining armor to fix our problems. We are the source of our own solutions, our own changes, our own imaginative creations, not our government, our corporations, our political parties, our God. If change is to happen, it must happen down deep in the psychological soil of our own being. We have to decide to change. We have to recognize reality. We have to seek the truth even when it is difficult, despairing and ugly. We can no longer abdicate our lives to someone else or we risk the very basis of our humanness. We can no longer depend on government, corporations, and other entities to look out for our best interests. Current events should show us the fallacy of that. Large entities will do what is best for them, not what is best for the people. Sometimes our interests converge, but at others they diverge at the detriment to both. Despite what you may see and feel today, the future is bright. With the future comes hope, and time, to accomplish great things if we stop lying to ourselves and start doing the work that needs to be done. We have the power in our own hands to shape our future, even if we have denied, forsworn or simply forgotten it. The power does not reside in some mythical “out there.” It is held here, in our hands and only desires that we wield it. Like a new shovel in untouched soil, we simply need to take the tool, turn over the soil and create the future we desire. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com We must stop lying to ourselves Related posts: Shattered and Re-formed Some industries need to be shattered before they can be... Archive: Start and Stop - January 7, 2005 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Archive: No Simple Answers - January 13, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. We must stop lying to ourselves By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site During the toughest times in our history, there always seems to be a contingent of people who want to believe that nothing is changing — that everything is going to be just fine — that all this turmoil is just going to pass and life will continue just as it always has. They don’t want to hear what you have to say. They don’t want to see the facts and figures and charts and graphs. What they are often saying is, “Please, lie to me!” Too many people want to believe that this recent downturn is an oddity, an aberration, some short bit of madness that will quickly pass away. To believe that, though, they have to deny thousands of years of history — thousands of years of rise and fall — thousands of years of cyclical change ranging from one extreme to another. We have seen this all before, many times over, and denying it only makes it worse. It gives circumstance a power over us that it should never have. We are critically thinking animals with deep abilities to learn and reason. Surrendering ourselves to lies squanders our talents and makes us culpable in our failures. We have the intelligence to survive this downturn if we only remove the scales from our eyes and the fingers from our ears. I always endeavor to speak the truth from these pages, even when it is unpopular. I will guess that nearly everyone reading or listening will find something to dislike here. The truth is sometimes hard to hear, but it is all important that we hear it, and more importantly, act on it. Power comes from a clear understanding of our circumstances and denial causes the waste of our time and talents. Let’s seek to access the “better angels of our nature” and start our recovery today. First, it is almost certain that certain jobs, certain careers and certain industries will, and by all rights should, be discarded. As a child in the 70’s I witnessed the first death throes of the automotive industry where many family members, and families of my friends found work, careers and financial stability. For nearly 40 years we have propped up this ever weakening, ever stumbling, falling giant. Unable to see the future, we held on to the past until such a time when the future is being crammed down our throats. If you work in the automotive industry, or any manufacturing sector, you need to look elsewhere for succor. Like the last great herd of buffalo to roam the plains, the beasts of the automotive industry have fallen and will no longer provide us food, clothing and support. Will they return? One day. Maybe in time for our grandchildren or great grand-children to once again make manufacturing an important mainstay of America, but not in our lifetime. We must return to the days of the many and the small instead of the big and the few. Only then can we rebuild manufacturing in this country while, hopefully, remembering the lessons of this collapse. Second, for years we have stretched the American Dream to ever more absurd limits. What began as a quest for home, land and family has been warped into greed, avarice and excess in almost every way. As a people, we have lost any concept of the difference between enough and all. Where a soldier returning from World War II wanted mainly a home for his family and a good, decent job in a safe community, today many of us want a huge house, ludicrous pay and power of life and death over those around us. Our love of prosperity left us without any understanding of the many levels of success. You were either a superstar or nothing, with no grey areas in between. This has led to many of the abuses we are seeing today, from Enron to the real estate crisis to our seeming inability to govern ourselves politically. Today, I regularly talk with musicians and others in the entertainment industry who seem most infected by this superstar myth. Even they are beginning to see that being able to support your family, comfortably, while doing what you love is a far greater goal than any form of super stardom — and far more likely. While we may never stop reaching for the brass ring, we need to recognize the simple success of a life well lived and the benefits it brings to us as individuals and society as a whole. Third, we need to stop looking for some external force, some outside factor, some knight in shining armor to fix our problems. We are the source of our own solutions, our own changes, our own imaginative creations, not our government, our corporations, our political parties, our God. If change is to happen, it must happen down deep in the psychological soil of our own being. We have to decide to change. We have to recognize reality. We have to seek the truth even when it is difficult, despairing and ugly. We can no longer abdicate our lives to someone else or we risk the very basis of our humanness. We can no longer depend on government, corporations, and other entities to look out for our best interests. Current events should show us the fallacy of that. Large entities will do what is best for them, not what is best for the people. Sometimes our interests converge, but at others they diverge at the detriment to both. Despite what you may see and feel today, the future is bright. With the future comes hope, and time, to accomplish great things if we stop lying to ourselves and start doing the work that needs to be done. We have the power in our own hands to shape our future, even if we have denied, forsworn or simply forgotten it. The power does not reside in some mythical “out there.” It is held here, in our hands and only desires that we wield it. Like a new shovel in untouched soil, we simply need to take the tool, turn over the soil and create the future we desire. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com We must stop lying to ourselves Related posts: Shattered and Re-formed Some industries need to be shattered before they can be... Archive: Start and Stop - January 7, 2005 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Archive: No Simple Answers - January 13, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-04-12,24441551 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:56:19 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24429194-Archive-Thinning-the-Herd-January-27-2006 Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site No, I am not speaking of layoffs, plant closures and terminations, but rather thinning your “herd” of out-dated projects, failed initiatives, worthless bureaucracy and old hardware and software. The New Year is a great time for taking a hard look at your work and getting rid of everything that no longer fits with your current vision, workload or budget. Hangers-on Every company, every department and every high-tech worker has some project, some task, some system that needs to be put out of their (and your) misery. I can practically see you nodding your heads from here. There is the ancient mainframe that continues to run the one application that everyone depends on — the desktop PCs that can barely run the corporate email application – last year’s quality initiative that survives as nothing more than a binder on the shelf. All these items slow you down, ... Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site No, I am not speaking of layoffs, plant closures and terminations, but rather thinning your “herd” of out-dated projects, failed initiatives, worthless bureaucracy and old hardware and software. The New Year is a great time for taking a hard look at your work and getting rid of everything that no longer fits with your current vision, workload or budget. Hangers-on Every company, every department and every high-tech worker has some project, some task, some system that needs to be put out of their (and your) misery. I can practically see you nodding your heads from here. There is the ancient mainframe that continues to run the one application that everyone depends on — the desktop PCs that can barely run the corporate email application – last year’s quality initiative that survives as nothing more than a binder on the shelf. All these items slow you down, wear you out and otherwise hinder your ability to get on with other important work. Now is the time to thin the herd and get back to a more productive state of mind. First, you have to remember everything that is getting on your nerves. For the next 2 weeks you are going to make note of everything you encounter that needs to be replaced or retired. Take a notebook, maybe even one specifically for this task, with you wherever you go. Use it as your “outboard memory” capturing all those items that annoy you on a daily basis. If you work in an IT department, have everyone do this at the same time. Then, at the end of the week, gather all your notes into one central document that everyone can review and add to if necessary. Have one, 1 hour meeting and place some sort of priority on each item on the list. Keep the meeting as short as possible. Remember, this is designed to kill off time wasting problems, not waste more time. Now you have your game plan. Your task is to remove as many of these annoyances as possible. Easy and Hard Some of your annoyances will be easy to kill off. Move the data off that old server to a new one and then unplug the thing. Donate it to a worthy cause. Move some PCs around so that Mary in Accounting doesn’t feel she is working with a dinosaur of a computer, even if she doesn’t get a shiny new one. Stop using that 3 part form that requires the last, barely functioning, dot matrix printer in the company. Other problems will be more difficult to solve, but merely taking action on them is a step in the right direction. You aren’t going to replace 40,000 lines of COBOL code overnight, but maybe now is the time to put a project team together and start moving forward. You can’t stop tracking purchase orders, but you can start investigating the process and how it might be better automated. For these more intractable problems, making any progress, no matter how small, is the goal. In some cases, it is the extremely difficult problems that you want to attack first. Is there something that has been bothering you for months, or even years? Try to make some progress on it. You may not succeed this time, but you will feel better for trying and it is almost impossible to not have some small effect. Too often, these projects are considered so difficult that no one even tries to change them. Maybe your small push will create some momentum that might finally produce some change. Finally, once you have gone through this process once, continue doing it, at least once per quarter. Even better, make it a constant on-going practice. It usually requires moments of re-dedication over the years, but making it part of your daily work will ensure a constant reduction in your most annoying problems. You will never solve everything, but you will feel better, and be much more productive, than had you not tried at all. Every so often, you need to face those nagging, bothersome and, seemingly impossible problems in your work. You may be uncomfortable digging into old problems, but “thinning the herd” is the only way to insure the quality and productivity of your high-tech career. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: Thinning the Herd - January 27, 2006 Related posts: Archive: Get a plan - January 6, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Archive: Start and Stop - January 7, 2005 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Archive: No Simple Answers - January 13, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site No, I am not speaking of layoffs, plant closures and terminations, but rather thinning your “herd” of out-dated projects, failed initiatives, worthless bureaucracy and old hardware and software. The New Year is a great time for taking a hard look at your work and getting rid of everything that no longer fits with your current vision, workload or budget. Hangers-on Every company, every department and every high-tech worker has some project, some task, some system that needs to be put out of their (and your) misery. I can practically see you nodding your heads from here. There is the ancient mainframe that continues to run the one application that everyone depends on — the desktop PCs that can barely run the corporate email application – last year’s quality initiative that survives as nothing more than a binder on the shelf. All these items slow you down, wear you out and otherwise hinder your ability to get on with other important work. Now is the time to thin the herd and get back to a more productive state of mind. First, you have to remember everything that is getting on your nerves. For the next 2 weeks you are going to make note of everything you encounter that needs to be replaced or retired. Take a notebook, maybe even one specifically for this task, with you wherever you go. Use it as your “outboard memory” capturing all those items that annoy you on a daily basis. If you work in an IT department, have everyone do this at the same time. Then, at the end of the week, gather all your notes into one central document that everyone can review and add to if necessary. Have one, 1 hour meeting and place some sort of priority on each item on the list. Keep the meeting as short as possible. Remember, this is designed to kill off time wasting problems, not waste more time. Now you have your game plan. Your task is to remove as many of these annoyances as possible. Easy and Hard Some of your annoyances will be easy to kill off. Move the data off that old server to a new one and then unplug the thing. Donate it to a worthy cause. Move some PCs around so that Mary in Accounting doesn’t feel she is working with a dinosaur of a computer, even if she doesn’t get a shiny new one. Stop using that 3 part form that requires the last, barely functioning, dot matrix printer in the company. Other problems will be more difficult to solve, but merely taking action on them is a step in the right direction. You aren’t going to replace 40,000 lines of COBOL code overnight, but maybe now is the time to put a project team together and start moving forward. You can’t stop tracking purchase orders, but you can start investigating the process and how it might be better automated. For these more intractable problems, making any progress, no matter how small, is the goal. In some cases, it is the extremely difficult problems that you want to attack first. Is there something that has been bothering you for months, or even years? Try to make some progress on it. You may not succeed this time, but you will feel better for trying and it is almost impossible to not have some small effect. Too often, these projects are considered so difficult that no one even tries to change them. Maybe your small push will create some momentum that might finally produce some change. Finally, once you have gone through this process once, continue doing it, at least once per quarter. Even better, make it a constant on-going practice. It usually requires moments of re-dedication over the years, but making it part of your daily work will ensure a constant reduction in your most annoying problems. You will never solve everything, but you will feel better, and be much more productive, than had you not tried at all. Every so often, you need to face those nagging, bothersome and, seemingly impossible problems in your work. You may be uncomfortable digging into old problems, but “thinning the herd” is the only way to insure the quality and productivity of your high-tech career. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: Thinning the Herd - January 27, 2006 Related posts: Archive: Get a plan - January 6, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Archive: Start and Stop - January 7, 2005 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Archive: No Simple Answers - January 13, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-04-08,24429194 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:54:20 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24707526-Archive-Thinning-the-Herd-%E2%80%93-January-27-2006 Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site No, I am not speaking of layoffs, plant closures and terminations, but rather thinning your “herd” of out-dated projects, failed initiatives, worthless bureaucracy and old hardware and software. The New Year is a great time for taking a hard look at your work and getting rid of everything that no longer fits with your current vision, workload or budget. Hangers-on Every company, every department and every high-tech worker has some project, some task, some system that needs to be put out of their (and your) misery. I can practically see you nodding your heads from here. There is the ancient mainframe that continues to run the one application that everyone depends on — the desktop PCs that can barely run the corporate email application – last year’s quality initiative that survives as nothing more than a binder on the shelf. All these items slow you down, ... Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site No, I am not speaking of layoffs, plant closures and terminations, but rather thinning your “herd” of out-dated projects, failed initiatives, worthless bureaucracy and old hardware and software. The New Year is a great time for taking a hard look at your work and getting rid of everything that no longer fits with your current vision, workload or budget. Hangers-on Every company, every department and every high-tech worker has some project, some task, some system that needs to be put out of their (and your) misery. I can practically see you nodding your heads from here. There is the ancient mainframe that continues to run the one application that everyone depends on — the desktop PCs that can barely run the corporate email application – last year’s quality initiative that survives as nothing more than a binder on the shelf. All these items slow you down, wear you out and otherwise hinder your ability to get on with other important work. Now is the time to thin the herd and get back to a more productive state of mind. First, you have to remember everything that is getting on your nerves. For the next 2 weeks you are going to make note of everything you encounter that needs to be replaced or retired. Take a notebook, maybe even one specifically for this task, with you wherever you go. Use it as your “outboard memory” capturing all those items that annoy you on a daily basis. If you work in an IT department, have everyone do this at the same time. Then, at the end of the week, gather all your notes into one central document that everyone can review and add to if necessary. Have one, 1 hour meeting and place some sort of priority on each item on the list. Keep the meeting as short as possible. Remember, this is designed to kill off time wasting problems, not waste more time. Now you have your game plan. Your task is to remove as many of these annoyances as possible. Easy and Hard Some of your annoyances will be easy to kill off. Move the data off that old server to a new one and then unplug the thing. Donate it to a worthy cause. Move some PCs around so that Mary in Accounting doesn’t feel she is working with a dinosaur of a computer, even if she doesn’t get a shiny new one. Stop using that 3 part form that requires the last, barely functioning, dot matrix printer in the company. Other problems will be more difficult to solve, but merely taking action on them is a step in the right direction. You aren’t going to replace 40,000 lines of COBOL code overnight, but maybe now is the time to put a project team together and start moving forward. You can’t stop tracking purchase orders, but you can start investigating the process and how it might be better automated. For these more intractable problems, making any progress, no matter how small, is the goal. In some cases, it is the extremely difficult problems that you want to attack first. Is there something that has been bothering you for months, or even years? Try to make some progress on it. You may not succeed this time, but you will feel better for trying and it is almost impossible to not have some small effect. Too often, these projects are considered so difficult that no one even tries to change them. Maybe your small push will create some momentum that might finally produce some change. Finally, once you have gone through this process once, continue doing it, at least once per quarter. Even better, make it a constant on-going practice. It usually requires moments of re-dedication over the years, but making it part of your daily work will ensure a constant reduction in your most annoying problems. You will never solve everything, but you will feel better, and be much more productive, than had you not tried at all. Every so often, you need to face those nagging, bothersome and, seemingly impossible problems in your work. You may be uncomfortable digging into old problems, but “thinning the herd” is the only way to insure the quality and productivity of your high-tech career. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: Thinning the Herd – January 27, 2006 Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site No, I am not speaking of layoffs, plant closures and terminations, but rather thinning your “herd” of out-dated projects, failed initiatives, worthless bureaucracy and old hardware and software. The New Year is a great time for taking a hard look at your work and getting rid of everything that no longer fits with your current vision, workload or budget. Hangers-on Every company, every department and every high-tech worker has some project, some task, some system that needs to be put out of their (and your) misery. I can practically see you nodding your heads from here. There is the ancient mainframe that continues to run the one application that everyone depends on — the desktop PCs that can barely run the corporate email application – last year’s quality initiative that survives as nothing more than a binder on the shelf. All these items slow you down, wear you out and otherwise hinder your ability to get on with other important work. Now is the time to thin the herd and get back to a more productive state of mind. First, you have to remember everything that is getting on your nerves. For the next 2 weeks you are going to make note of everything you encounter that needs to be replaced or retired. Take a notebook, maybe even one specifically for this task, with you wherever you go. Use it as your “outboard memory” capturing all those items that annoy you on a daily basis. If you work in an IT department, have everyone do this at the same time. Then, at the end of the week, gather all your notes into one central document that everyone can review and add to if necessary. Have one, 1 hour meeting and place some sort of priority on each item on the list. Keep the meeting as short as possible. Remember, this is designed to kill off time wasting problems, not waste more time. Now you have your game plan. Your task is to remove as many of these annoyances as possible. Easy and Hard Some of your annoyances will be easy to kill off. Move the data off that old server to a new one and then unplug the thing. Donate it to a worthy cause. Move some PCs around so that Mary in Accounting doesn’t feel she is working with a dinosaur of a computer, even if she doesn’t get a shiny new one. Stop using that 3 part form that requires the last, barely functioning, dot matrix printer in the company. Other problems will be more difficult to solve, but merely taking action on them is a step in the right direction. You aren’t going to replace 40,000 lines of COBOL code overnight, but maybe now is the time to put a project team together and start moving forward. You can’t stop tracking purchase orders, but you can start investigating the process and how it might be better automated. For these more intractable problems, making any progress, no matter how small, is the goal. In some cases, it is the extremely difficult problems that you want to attack first. Is there something that has been bothering you for months, or even years? Try to make some progress on it. You may not succeed this time, but you will feel better for trying and it is almost impossible to not have some small effect. Too often, these projects are considered so difficult that no one even tries to change them. Maybe your small push will create some momentum that might finally produce some change. Finally, once you have gone through this process once, continue doing it, at least once per quarter. Even better, make it a constant on-going practice. It usually requires moments of re-dedication over the years, but making it part of your daily work will ensure a constant reduction in your most annoying problems. You will never solve everything, but you will feel better, and be much more productive, than had you not tried at all. Every so often, you need to face those nagging, bothersome and, seemingly impossible problems in your work. You may be uncomfortable digging into old problems, but “thinning the herd” is the only way to insure the quality and productivity of your high-tech career. Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: Thinning the Herd – January 27, 2006 tag:odeo.com,2009-04-08,24707526 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:54:20 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24412188-All-a-Twitter Do you Twitter? All a-Twitter By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site All the world seems to be a-twitter about Twitter these days. (http://twitter.com) The mainstream press has discovered Twitter and it is leading to an explosion of new users, and new uses. I had been mulling over a column on Twitter for a while, but a question from a Career Opportunities listener moved me to action, because Twitter can be one way to build your career, especially during this economic downturn. Twitter is a service which has been described as “micro-blogging” and a public form of instant messaging. Instead of speaking to just one other person, your messages go out to the world at large. Other Twitter users can then decide to “follow” you — meaning that they find what you say interesting and want to see each message you post. Twitter ties in perfectly with the concept of “visibility” that I have written and sp... Do you Twitter? All a-Twitter By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site All the world seems to be a-twitter about Twitter these days. (http://twitter.com) The mainstream press has discovered Twitter and it is leading to an explosion of new users, and new uses. I had been mulling over a column on Twitter for a while, but a question from a Career Opportunities listener moved me to action, because Twitter can be one way to build your career, especially during this economic downturn. Twitter is a service which has been described as “micro-blogging” and a public form of instant messaging. Instead of speaking to just one other person, your messages go out to the world at large. Other Twitter users can then decide to “follow” you — meaning that they find what you say interesting and want to see each message you post. Twitter ties in perfectly with the concept of “visibility” that I have written and spoken on in the past. (See A Year of Visibility - column - audio - video ) This important way of building your career is designed around letting others know what you do and how well you do it. Posting 140 character updates on Twitter might seem a difficult way of spreading the word, except for the fact that these updates are quickly absorbed by your followers and others that stumble across your “tweets.” These small messages aggregate to paint a more complete picture of who you are and what you do. One question I get almost every time I talk about Twitter is, “Is it useful?” In some ways, that is a very personal decision that each person needs to make for themselves. For me, though, I have booked billable hours based on Twitter conversations, so I definitely see value to be had there. There are other, less tangible benefits as well, such as raising your profile, engaging in enlightening and useful conversations, asking the advice and opinions of others and more. At its most extreme, your Twitter message might even end up getting you a job. Your tweet about working on your latest (insert your own type of work here - iPhone application, new program, whatever) could lead to a conversation with someone who is interested in your work and might even need to hire you for a project or full-time job. Of course, direct and immediate results like this don’t happen every day, but your regular updates still have the power to educate, enlighten and entertain readers. Those are worthy goals, too. The fact is, you have no idea who might be reading your tweets or what benefit you might bring to them. You have no idea who your audience is, so your job is to put your information out there and let people find you. I often tell my writer wife, “scripts, novels, articles don’t sell themselves in a drawer.” Your work has to be sent out to those that might purchase it. The same rule applies to Twitter and other forms of social networking. With each message, you are making your work visible to those who might be in a position to buy — or hire — you. Of course, the everyday benefits of Twitter can be even more subtle. Your tweets allow readers to build up a deeper understanding of who you are, what you do and what you find interesting. People only need to follow me for a few days before they learn that I LOVE coffee, geek out on wine and food and run several groups here in Los Angeles. This isn’t because I am shouting these messages out, but rather because I mention them in my daily tweeting. We are in a world of global opportunities today and Twitter provides one method of cultivating these opportunities no matter where you — or your followers — are geographically located. I have Twitter conversations with people all over the globe and I find that simply amazing. It brings me a better understanding of the world. Twitter, and other social networking services, provide many important functions. It raises your visibility in the world. It allows you to present a well-rounded picture of yourself, showing all facets and not just one specialty. This helps to keep you from being pigeonholed as one thing or another. It introduces you to new people, new ideas and new worlds. While face-to-face meetings are both fun and useful, the ability to create long distance, loose connections with people all over the world is a wonderful new tool in building your career and your life. Once you engage in this activity, whether via Twitter or other service, I think you will find new doors opening up to new worlds you might never have imagined. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com All a-Twitter Related posts: Manager Tools: Twitter, I don’t like it Mark Horstman over at Manager Tools posted this audio blog... Career Tips via Twitter Today I started a new daily Career Tips message using... Visibility in a down economy Raise your visibility to protect and enhance your career Visibility... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Do you Twitter? All a-Twitter By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site All the world seems to be a-twitter about Twitter these days. (http://twitter.com) The mainstream press has discovered Twitter and it is leading to an explosion of new users, and new uses. I had been mulling over a column on Twitter for a while, but a question from a Career Opportunities listener moved me to action, because Twitter can be one way to build your career, especially during this economic downturn. Twitter is a service which has been described as “micro-blogging” and a public form of instant messaging. Instead of speaking to just one other person, your messages go out to the world at large. Other Twitter users can then decide to “follow” you — meaning that they find what you say interesting and want to see each message you post. Twitter ties in perfectly with the concept of “visibility” that I have written and spoken on in the past. (See A Year of Visibility - column - audio - video ) This important way of building your career is designed around letting others know what you do and how well you do it. Posting 140 character updates on Twitter might seem a difficult way of spreading the word, except for the fact that these updates are quickly absorbed by your followers and others that stumble across your “tweets.” These small messages aggregate to paint a more complete picture of who you are and what you do. One question I get almost every time I talk about Twitter is, “Is it useful?” In some ways, that is a very personal decision that each person needs to make for themselves. For me, though, I have booked billable hours based on Twitter conversations, so I definitely see value to be had there. There are other, less tangible benefits as well, such as raising your profile, engaging in enlightening and useful conversations, asking the advice and opinions of others and more. At its most extreme, your Twitter message might even end up getting you a job. Your tweet about working on your latest (insert your own type of work here - iPhone application, new program, whatever) could lead to a conversation with someone who is interested in your work and might even need to hire you for a project or full-time job. Of course, direct and immediate results like this don’t happen every day, but your regular updates still have the power to educate, enlighten and entertain readers. Those are worthy goals, too. The fact is, you have no idea who might be reading your tweets or what benefit you might bring to them. You have no idea who your audience is, so your job is to put your information out there and let people find you. I often tell my writer wife, “scripts, novels, articles don’t sell themselves in a drawer.” Your work has to be sent out to those that might purchase it. The same rule applies to Twitter and other forms of social networking. With each message, you are making your work visible to those who might be in a position to buy — or hire — you. Of course, the everyday benefits of Twitter can be even more subtle. Your tweets allow readers to build up a deeper understanding of who you are, what you do and what you find interesting. People only need to follow me for a few days before they learn that I LOVE coffee, geek out on wine and food and run several groups here in Los Angeles. This isn’t because I am shouting these messages out, but rather because I mention them in my daily tweeting. We are in a world of global opportunities today and Twitter provides one method of cultivating these opportunities no matter where you — or your followers — are geographically located. I have Twitter conversations with people all over the globe and I find that simply amazing. It brings me a better understanding of the world. Twitter, and other social networking services, provide many important functions. It raises your visibility in the world. It allows you to present a well-rounded picture of yourself, showing all facets and not just one specialty. This helps to keep you from being pigeonholed as one thing or another. It introduces you to new people, new ideas and new worlds. While face-to-face meetings are both fun and useful, the ability to create long distance, loose connections with people all over the world is a wonderful new tool in building your career and your life. Once you engage in this activity, whether via Twitter or other service, I think you will find new doors opening up to new worlds you might never have imagined. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com All a-Twitter Related posts: Manager Tools: Twitter, I don’t like it Mark Horstman over at Manager Tools posted this audio blog... Career Tips via Twitter Today I started a new daily Career Tips message using... Visibility in a down economy Raise your visibility to protect and enhance your career Visibility... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-04-05,24412188 Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:47:33 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24382300-Time-to-take-action It’s time to take some career action Time to take action By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Over the last months I have been concentrating on what you need to be thinking about during the economic downturn. Today, though, I want to talk about what you should also be doing. Sometimes fear can cause us to seize up, like a deer in the headlights, instead of focusing on action. It is time to take action for the sake of you and your career. Whether you are recently laid off or still at work, here are some action items to focus on. First, just because others are being laid off doesn’t mean that opportunities don’t exist for you. With less staff and cost-cutting, some companies may be looking to hire more freelancers to fill the holes in their organization. Freelancers carry less of a burden in benefits and bonuses, even though they might require slightly higher salaries. If you have been thinking of striking out on your own, thi... It’s time to take some career action Time to take action By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Over the last months I have been concentrating on what you need to be thinking about during the economic downturn. Today, though, I want to talk about what you should also be doing. Sometimes fear can cause us to seize up, like a deer in the headlights, instead of focusing on action. It is time to take action for the sake of you and your career. Whether you are recently laid off or still at work, here are some action items to focus on. First, just because others are being laid off doesn’t mean that opportunities don’t exist for you. With less staff and cost-cutting, some companies may be looking to hire more freelancers to fill the holes in their organization. Freelancers carry less of a burden in benefits and bonuses, even though they might require slightly higher salaries. If you have been thinking of striking out on your own, this could be the time to do it. Sure, it might be a bit more frightening to try freelancing now, but if you can find a diverse collection of clients, it is certainly a possibility. Freelancing in a down period also puts you in place to be offered a full time position once the economy recovers, should you wish. Despite all the layoffs, certain skills are still in great demand. Almost all the job listings that cross my desk go wanting. There is a great demand for programming talent, especially web-based programming. Project management skills also seem to be important in today’s market. You may find that this downturn has made your skills more valuable and you, more in demand at another company. Don’t think you are stuck with your current employer. You might have more opportunities than you think. One good aspect of this current downturn is that there are more job search resources than ever before. When I was looking for a job 25 years ago, the Sunday edition of the classified ads was my only resource. I would scour through them, pen in hand, circling companies where I might apply. Then I would have to wait until next week to do it all again. Now, the job search world comes right to your computer and provides you easy ability to search, slice and dice job listings. Even more, these tools can be working for you 24/7 using automated and customized search tools, RSS feeds, email subscriptions and more. This is one area in which a job search is light years ahead of what it once was. Take advantage of it. There are many more opportunities to network and socialize among your fellow job seekers and hiring businesses today, too. These groups, both online and face-to-face allow everyone to share information and advice and help each other find a job. That said, beware socializing only with other job seekers. This might sound harsh, but you want to avoid falling into the “unemployed” or “victim” mindset. There is always the possibility of this environment turning to complaining, anger and depression. If the mood of a particular group starts to turn dark, you need to remove yourself to avoid damaging your own attitude. Remember, when you are unemployed, it is a perfect time to mix things up a bit. Change your schedule around. Attend evening events you might have avoided in the past due to an early commute. Work your job search when you are at your highest level of productivity. If you are most awake from 3-5 in the afternoon, focus your energy there. Use your mornings to get some exercise or answer email and phone calls. Schedule lunch meetings with friends who are still working so you have an excuse to clean up and get out during the day. Even follow your normal work schedule, if that is what works best for you. You’ll find that nearly everyone, including me, say to treat your job search as if it is a job in itself. While your search is certainly important, you should also remember to enjoy the fact that, for this short period of time, you have greater control over your time. You are free from silly bureaucratic busy work. You don’t have to punch in/punch out. You don’t have to do things you don’t want to do. In some ways, this time and the control over it could be the most important resources in finding your next job. You have a chance to explore what you want out of a job and a career. You have a chance to think “what if” and put it into practice. Your future is in your hands, for better or worse. Now is the time to explore it. Finally, remember that you are not looking for “the next job.” You are looking for the next, BEST job possible. Good career builders don’t just take what is given them. They evaluate what is best for them and their careers at each step. Careers do not happen, they are built. From this succession of BEST careers, comes the career you deserve. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Time to take action Related posts: The gift of unemployment is time Use the time your are given The gift of unemployment... Time to turn off the news Maybe it is time for a media diet Time to... Join the Career Opportunities Community and Win! As of January 1, 2009, we have a new community... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. It’s time to take some career action Time to take action By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site Over the last months I have been concentrating on what you need to be thinking about during the economic downturn. Today, though, I want to talk about what you should also be doing. Sometimes fear can cause us to seize up, like a deer in the headlights, instead of focusing on action. It is time to take action for the sake of you and your career. Whether you are recently laid off or still at work, here are some action items to focus on. First, just because others are being laid off doesn’t mean that opportunities don’t exist for you. With less staff and cost-cutting, some companies may be looking to hire more freelancers to fill the holes in their organization. Freelancers carry less of a burden in benefits and bonuses, even though they might require slightly higher salaries. If you have been thinking of striking out on your own, this could be the time to do it. Sure, it might be a bit more frightening to try freelancing now, but if you can find a diverse collection of clients, it is certainly a possibility. Freelancing in a down period also puts you in place to be offered a full time position once the economy recovers, should you wish. Despite all the layoffs, certain skills are still in great demand. Almost all the job listings that cross my desk go wanting. There is a great demand for programming talent, especially web-based programming. Project management skills also seem to be important in today’s market. You may find that this downturn has made your skills more valuable and you, more in demand at another company. Don’t think you are stuck with your current employer. You might have more opportunities than you think. One good aspect of this current downturn is that there are more job search resources than ever before. When I was looking for a job 25 years ago, the Sunday edition of the classified ads was my only resource. I would scour through them, pen in hand, circling companies where I might apply. Then I would have to wait until next week to do it all again. Now, the job search world comes right to your computer and provides you easy ability to search, slice and dice job listings. Even more, these tools can be working for you 24/7 using automated and customized search tools, RSS feeds, email subscriptions and more. This is one area in which a job search is light years ahead of what it once was. Take advantage of it. There are many more opportunities to network and socialize among your fellow job seekers and hiring businesses today, too. These groups, both online and face-to-face allow everyone to share information and advice and help each other find a job. That said, beware socializing only with other job seekers. This might sound harsh, but you want to avoid falling into the “unemployed” or “victim” mindset. There is always the possibility of this environment turning to complaining, anger and depression. If the mood of a particular group starts to turn dark, you need to remove yourself to avoid damaging your own attitude. Remember, when you are unemployed, it is a perfect time to mix things up a bit. Change your schedule around. Attend evening events you might have avoided in the past due to an early commute. Work your job search when you are at your highest level of productivity. If you are most awake from 3-5 in the afternoon, focus your energy there. Use your mornings to get some exercise or answer email and phone calls. Schedule lunch meetings with friends who are still working so you have an excuse to clean up and get out during the day. Even follow your normal work schedule, if that is what works best for you. You’ll find that nearly everyone, including me, say to treat your job search as if it is a job in itself. While your search is certainly important, you should also remember to enjoy the fact that, for this short period of time, you have greater control over your time. You are free from silly bureaucratic busy work. You don’t have to punch in/punch out. You don’t have to do things you don’t want to do. In some ways, this time and the control over it could be the most important resources in finding your next job. You have a chance to explore what you want out of a job and a career. You have a chance to think “what if” and put it into practice. Your future is in your hands, for better or worse. Now is the time to explore it. Finally, remember that you are not looking for “the next job.” You are looking for the next, BEST job possible. Good career builders don’t just take what is given them. They evaluate what is best for them and their careers at each step. Careers do not happen, they are built. From this succession of BEST careers, comes the career you deserve. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Time to take action Related posts: The gift of unemployment is time Use the time your are given The gift of unemployment... Time to turn off the news Maybe it is time for a media diet Time to... Join the Career Opportunities Community and Win! As of January 1, 2009, we have a new community... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-29,24382300 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:13:31 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24362569-Noted-TedTalk-Richard-St-John-Secrets-of-success-in-8-words-3-minutes I found this short (3 min) Ted Talk to be a nice reminder of what important items can lead to success — however you define it. About this talk Why do people succeed? Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success. About Richard St. John A self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved, Richard St. John spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success — and distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Noted: TedTalk: Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes Related posts: Elsewhere Online: Six Words You Should Drop from Your Resume This item came from my daily RSS feed reading and... Douglas Interviewed on The Bigg Success Show - Part 2... I found this short (3 min) Ted Talk to be a nice reminder of what important items can lead to success — however you define it. About this talk Why do people succeed? Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success. About Richard St. John A self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved, Richard St. John spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success — and distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Noted: TedTalk: Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes Related posts: Elsewhere Online: Six Words You Should Drop from Your Resume This item came from my daily RSS feed reading and... Douglas Interviewed on The Bigg Success Show - Part 2 Here is part 2 of my interview with George Krueger... Douglas Interviewed on The Bigg Success Show - Part 1 Last week I was interviewed by George and Mary-Lynn over... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. I found this short (3 min) Ted Talk to be a nice reminder of what important items can lead to success — however you define it. About this talk Why do people succeed? Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success. About Richard St. John A self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved, Richard St. John spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success — and distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Noted: TedTalk: Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes Related posts: Elsewhere Online: Six Words You Should Drop from Your Resume This item came from my daily RSS feed reading and... Douglas Interviewed on The Bigg Success Show - Part 2 Here is part 2 of my interview with George Krueger... Douglas Interviewed on The Bigg Success Show - Part 1 Last week I was interviewed by George and Mary-Lynn over... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-25,24362569 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:26:23 -0700 no Career Opportunities video, Special, Elsewhere http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24337403-The-gift-of-unemployment-is-time Use the time your are given The gift of unemployment is time By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site As you might tell from recent columns, I am doing everything I can to keep our career conversation on an optimistic level. You can’t ignore the problems in today’s economy and workplace, but you can focus your attention where it does the most good. That said, it can be hard to be optimistic from day to day as you face the realities around you. If you aren’t out of work yourself, chances are you know someone who is. The media keep hammering us left and right with this statistic and that report. Instead of focusing on these external issues, though, I find that focusing on the internals — who we are and what we do — seems to generate the biggest results. We can effect our daily lives and our individual selves, even if we can’t fix the bigger problems. Family One of the first areas you should focus on i... Use the time your are given The gift of unemployment is time By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site As you might tell from recent columns, I am doing everything I can to keep our career conversation on an optimistic level. You can’t ignore the problems in today’s economy and workplace, but you can focus your attention where it does the most good. That said, it can be hard to be optimistic from day to day as you face the realities around you. If you aren’t out of work yourself, chances are you know someone who is. The media keep hammering us left and right with this statistic and that report. Instead of focusing on these external issues, though, I find that focusing on the internals — who we are and what we do — seems to generate the biggest results. We can effect our daily lives and our individual selves, even if we can’t fix the bigger problems. Family One of the first areas you should focus on is your family. Everyone is probably nervous and out of sorts. Expenditures are being delayed and life is a bit on hold until you get your work situation settled. You may not notice it, but this type of stress gnaws at everyone invisibly until some large blow up occurs. Everyone is trying to put on a brave face and “be strong” but cracks can start to appear. Now, more than ever, you need to do something fun with your family or everyone is likely to break under the strain. After you spend hours every day looking for a new or better job, turn off the lights, shut the door to your office and do some living. Make meals together. Eat together with your family. Spend time curled up on the couch together watching some fun movie. These types of activities cost you little, but help to remind you that life is not all doom and gloom. You still have a family that supports you and you can still support them in these important ways. The odd part is that although many of us have more time than ever before to spend with our families, we don’t do it. We find a hundred different activities, job search related and not, to hide among. These are often the same people who professed a desire to spend more time with their families when they were working. Take this one big advantage in being out of work — time — and spend it in the most important way possible. Be productive in your job search, yes, but take solace in your family and your home life. Do something you have been meaning to do for months or years. Make the most of the time that is given you. You will be back in the daily grind before you know it. This time will disappear and you will regret it. Skills Another important use of your time is gaining new skills. Once again, you have the time to engage in these pursuits and you need to take advantage of it. Start you own self-study course in a new programming language, project management training, engineering or architecture, whatever you think will be useful, but also interesting to you. Take some college courses, if you can, to expand your skills and knowledge. This isn’t a time to be standing still. If you are not learning new skills, you are falling behind. Where your work was often the challenge that drove you to learn new skills, now you must be self-directed. You must seek out new challenges and new opportunities to learn. Each new skill you acquire is one more positive item you can note on resumes, highlight in interviews and take pride in for yourself. Thinking Finally, spend more time thinking…about everything…work, life, hopes, goals, dreams. Day-to-day work often drives out any time to think about such things. Don’t dwell on the bad things, though. Think about what you want, what you need, what you want to accomplish and perhaps even new directions you can pursue. Too many of us are so intent on watching the road ahead of us that we can sometimes forget to ask if that is where we really want to go. Use this time as an opportunity to re-evaluate your work and your life. You many find that you were on the right track all along, but you could also find that you need to take a hard turn at the next crossroads and go a different direction. Unemployment gives us a great gift — time. Don’t squander it. It will be gone far too quickly. Take the time to enjoy the small joys in life that can get ignored when we are on the career fast track. Use this time to build the career you deserve. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com The gift of unemployment is time Related posts: The Greatest Gift Listen to this episode Read the entire article It... Put yourself at the crossroads What to do when you’re laid off Put yourself at... Join the Career Opportunities Community and Win! As of January 1, 2009, we have a new community... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Use the time your are given The gift of unemployment is time By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site As you might tell from recent columns, I am doing everything I can to keep our career conversation on an optimistic level. You can’t ignore the problems in today’s economy and workplace, but you can focus your attention where it does the most good. That said, it can be hard to be optimistic from day to day as you face the realities around you. If you aren’t out of work yourself, chances are you know someone who is. The media keep hammering us left and right with this statistic and that report. Instead of focusing on these external issues, though, I find that focusing on the internals — who we are and what we do — seems to generate the biggest results. We can effect our daily lives and our individual selves, even if we can’t fix the bigger problems. Family One of the first areas you should focus on is your family. Everyone is probably nervous and out of sorts. Expenditures are being delayed and life is a bit on hold until you get your work situation settled. You may not notice it, but this type of stress gnaws at everyone invisibly until some large blow up occurs. Everyone is trying to put on a brave face and “be strong” but cracks can start to appear. Now, more than ever, you need to do something fun with your family or everyone is likely to break under the strain. After you spend hours every day looking for a new or better job, turn off the lights, shut the door to your office and do some living. Make meals together. Eat together with your family. Spend time curled up on the couch together watching some fun movie. These types of activities cost you little, but help to remind you that life is not all doom and gloom. You still have a family that supports you and you can still support them in these important ways. The odd part is that although many of us have more time than ever before to spend with our families, we don’t do it. We find a hundred different activities, job search related and not, to hide among. These are often the same people who professed a desire to spend more time with their families when they were working. Take this one big advantage in being out of work — time — and spend it in the most important way possible. Be productive in your job search, yes, but take solace in your family and your home life. Do something you have been meaning to do for months or years. Make the most of the time that is given you. You will be back in the daily grind before you know it. This time will disappear and you will regret it. Skills Another important use of your time is gaining new skills. Once again, you have the time to engage in these pursuits and you need to take advantage of it. Start you own self-study course in a new programming language, project management training, engineering or architecture, whatever you think will be useful, but also interesting to you. Take some college courses, if you can, to expand your skills and knowledge. This isn’t a time to be standing still. If you are not learning new skills, you are falling behind. Where your work was often the challenge that drove you to learn new skills, now you must be self-directed. You must seek out new challenges and new opportunities to learn. Each new skill you acquire is one more positive item you can note on resumes, highlight in interviews and take pride in for yourself. Thinking Finally, spend more time thinking…about everything…work, life, hopes, goals, dreams. Day-to-day work often drives out any time to think about such things. Don’t dwell on the bad things, though. Think about what you want, what you need, what you want to accomplish and perhaps even new directions you can pursue. Too many of us are so intent on watching the road ahead of us that we can sometimes forget to ask if that is where we really want to go. Use this time as an opportunity to re-evaluate your work and your life. You many find that you were on the right track all along, but you could also find that you need to take a hard turn at the next crossroads and go a different direction. Unemployment gives us a great gift — time. Don’t squander it. It will be gone far too quickly. Take the time to enjoy the small joys in life that can get ignored when we are on the career fast track. Use this time to build the career you deserve. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com The gift of unemployment is time Related posts: The Greatest Gift Listen to this episode Read the entire article It... Put yourself at the crossroads What to do when you’re laid off Put yourself at... Join the Career Opportunities Community and Win! As of January 1, 2009, we have a new community... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-20,24337403 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:07:35 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24324289-Archive-A-tech-in-every-meeting-Jan-20-2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here as a service to more recent listeners — Douglas) Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site I am sure you have all experienced it. Some department comes up with a great project and now, only when they are ready to implement it, they come to you to figure out how to make it work. The want to know what computers to use, what software and, by the way, this has to have some custom software written that has never before been created. Once again, you as an IT worker find yourself in the unenviable position of giving these people 100 different reasons why the project is infeasible, exorbitantly expensive and perhaps even counter productive to the goals of the company. In many cases, they will accuse of you of being an obstructionist, a technology dictator and sometimes, even worse. You must be lacking in vision to not see the ele... (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here as a service to more recent listeners — Douglas) Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site I am sure you have all experienced it. Some department comes up with a great project and now, only when they are ready to implement it, they come to you to figure out how to make it work. The want to know what computers to use, what software and, by the way, this has to have some custom software written that has never before been created. Once again, you as an IT worker find yourself in the unenviable position of giving these people 100 different reasons why the project is infeasible, exorbitantly expensive and perhaps even counter productive to the goals of the company. In many cases, they will accuse of you of being an obstructionist, a technology dictator and sometimes, even worse. You must be lacking in vision to not see the elegance of their plan. In reality, though, much of this conflict and strife could have been avoided, if the department had included a high-tech worker at the very beginning. A dividing line When I worked in the corporate world, I often noticed how high-tech workers were sequestered away from the “creative folks.” Like some form of high-tech janitor, they were expected to be somewhat invisible until called in to clean up some technology mess. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often what yields the big technology mess in the first place. Instead, high-tech workers need to be integrated into the flow of every project, much like you would with engineers, artists, architects, project managers, etc. Every project these days, from a new high-rise building to a new consumer product to a new fashion line, has a technological component. There is no escaping this fact. Computers and other technology are an integral part of life unless you are living in the wilderness and even then, you might still be using a computer. Computers control the heating and cooling of buildings, they make your new Tickle Me Herbert doll laugh at your stupid jokes and they control the equipment that manufactures your new dress before it ever shows up on a rack at Target. You ignore technology at your own risk and yet, thousands of projects do just that every day. There are many reasons for this. Often creative workers believe that including high-tech workers at the start of the project will limit their vision and prevent them from creating something entirely new and different. Others see high-tech workers as “worker bees” who are only there to implement their ideas, not comment on them. Some people put no thought to technology at all, considering something unworthy of thought, as it has nothing to do with the “Art” they are creating. It must be done If your company isn’t integrating high-tech workers into their projects today, I can assure you they are suffering many, if not all of the headaches mentioned above. Projects that are rolling along with the creative speed of a freight train suddenly come to a crawl as they hit technological walls that were never imagined. Products that require new manufacturing processes have to wait until tech workers can be brought up to speed on the project and begin to develop solutions to their unique technology problems. The lack of high-tech worker integration takes an essentially parallel project process and suddenly reduces it to a serial process. Had high-tech workers been involved from the start, they could have been developing the necessary technology as the project grew, instead of being seen as a choke point that brings the project to an utter standstill just at the time when everyone else wants to see it become reality. Organizing projects in this outdated fashion puts unfair pressure on high-tech workers and exposes them to anger and disdain when in reality the process is at fault and not their technological skills. They are simply suffering from an outdated process that ignores the last 20 years of technological advancements. If you want to make your high-tech department shine, you must find ways to integrate high-tech workers into every project at the earliest possible moment. It is only by providing your insight and knowledge at this point that you can ever hope to provide the best technology solutions for your company. Doing so will raise your profile in your company, expand your influence, challenge your skills and build a better high-tech career. Question of the week: In what ways can you offer guidance and information to the project groups in your company today? Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: A tech in every meeting - Jan 20, 2006 Related posts: Archive: Get a plan - January 6, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Archive: Straight lines and circles - September 16, 2005 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Archive: Accountability - November 25, 2005 Accountability is important for everyone (This podcast is pulled “from... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here as a service to more recent listeners — Douglas) Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site I am sure you have all experienced it. Some department comes up with a great project and now, only when they are ready to implement it, they come to you to figure out how to make it work. The want to know what computers to use, what software and, by the way, this has to have some custom software written that has never before been created. Once again, you as an IT worker find yourself in the unenviable position of giving these people 100 different reasons why the project is infeasible, exorbitantly expensive and perhaps even counter productive to the goals of the company. In many cases, they will accuse of you of being an obstructionist, a technology dictator and sometimes, even worse. You must be lacking in vision to not see the elegance of their plan. In reality, though, much of this conflict and strife could have been avoided, if the department had included a high-tech worker at the very beginning. A dividing line When I worked in the corporate world, I often noticed how high-tech workers were sequestered away from the “creative folks.” Like some form of high-tech janitor, they were expected to be somewhat invisible until called in to clean up some technology mess. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often what yields the big technology mess in the first place. Instead, high-tech workers need to be integrated into the flow of every project, much like you would with engineers, artists, architects, project managers, etc. Every project these days, from a new high-rise building to a new consumer product to a new fashion line, has a technological component. There is no escaping this fact. Computers and other technology are an integral part of life unless you are living in the wilderness and even then, you might still be using a computer. Computers control the heating and cooling of buildings, they make your new Tickle Me Herbert doll laugh at your stupid jokes and they control the equipment that manufactures your new dress before it ever shows up on a rack at Target. You ignore technology at your own risk and yet, thousands of projects do just that every day. There are many reasons for this. Often creative workers believe that including high-tech workers at the start of the project will limit their vision and prevent them from creating something entirely new and different. Others see high-tech workers as “worker bees” who are only there to implement their ideas, not comment on them. Some people put no thought to technology at all, considering something unworthy of thought, as it has nothing to do with the “Art” they are creating. It must be done If your company isn’t integrating high-tech workers into their projects today, I can assure you they are suffering many, if not all of the headaches mentioned above. Projects that are rolling along with the creative speed of a freight train suddenly come to a crawl as they hit technological walls that were never imagined. Products that require new manufacturing processes have to wait until tech workers can be brought up to speed on the project and begin to develop solutions to their unique technology problems. The lack of high-tech worker integration takes an essentially parallel project process and suddenly reduces it to a serial process. Had high-tech workers been involved from the start, they could have been developing the necessary technology as the project grew, instead of being seen as a choke point that brings the project to an utter standstill just at the time when everyone else wants to see it become reality. Organizing projects in this outdated fashion puts unfair pressure on high-tech workers and exposes them to anger and disdain when in reality the process is at fault and not their technological skills. They are simply suffering from an outdated process that ignores the last 20 years of technological advancements. If you want to make your high-tech department shine, you must find ways to integrate high-tech workers into every project at the earliest possible moment. It is only by providing your insight and knowledge at this point that you can ever hope to provide the best technology solutions for your company. Doing so will raise your profile in your company, expand your influence, challenge your skills and build a better high-tech career. Question of the week: In what ways can you offer guidance and information to the project groups in your company today? Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: A tech in every meeting - Jan 20, 2006 Related posts: Archive: Get a plan - January 6, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented... Archive: Straight lines and circles - September 16, 2005 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here... Archive: Accountability - November 25, 2005 Accountability is important for everyone (This podcast is pulled “from... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-18,24324289 Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:48:24 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24707527-Archive-A-tech-in-every-meeting-%E2%80%93-Jan-20-2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here as a service to more recent listeners — Douglas) Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site I am sure you have all experienced it. Some department comes up with a great project and now, only when they are ready to implement it, they come to you to figure out how to make it work. The want to know what computers to use, what software and, by the way, this has to have some custom software written that has never before been created. Once again, you as an IT worker find yourself in the unenviable position of giving these people 100 different reasons why the project is infeasible, exorbitantly expensive and perhaps even counter productive to the goals of the company. In many cases, they will accuse of you of being an obstructionist, a technology dictator and sometimes, even worse. You must be lacking in vision to not see the ele... (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here as a service to more recent listeners — Douglas) Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site I am sure you have all experienced it. Some department comes up with a great project and now, only when they are ready to implement it, they come to you to figure out how to make it work. The want to know what computers to use, what software and, by the way, this has to have some custom software written that has never before been created. Once again, you as an IT worker find yourself in the unenviable position of giving these people 100 different reasons why the project is infeasible, exorbitantly expensive and perhaps even counter productive to the goals of the company. In many cases, they will accuse of you of being an obstructionist, a technology dictator and sometimes, even worse. You must be lacking in vision to not see the elegance of their plan. In reality, though, much of this conflict and strife could have been avoided, if the department had included a high-tech worker at the very beginning. A dividing line When I worked in the corporate world, I often noticed how high-tech workers were sequestered away from the “creative folks.” Like some form of high-tech janitor, they were expected to be somewhat invisible until called in to clean up some technology mess. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often what yields the big technology mess in the first place. Instead, high-tech workers need to be integrated into the flow of every project, much like you would with engineers, artists, architects, project managers, etc. Every project these days, from a new high-rise building to a new consumer product to a new fashion line, has a technological component. There is no escaping this fact. Computers and other technology are an integral part of life unless you are living in the wilderness and even then, you might still be using a computer. Computers control the heating and cooling of buildings, they make your new Tickle Me Herbert doll laugh at your stupid jokes and they control the equipment that manufactures your new dress before it ever shows up on a rack at Target. You ignore technology at your own risk and yet, thousands of projects do just that every day. There are many reasons for this. Often creative workers believe that including high-tech workers at the start of the project will limit their vision and prevent them from creating something entirely new and different. Others see high-tech workers as “worker bees” who are only there to implement their ideas, not comment on them. Some people put no thought to technology at all, considering something unworthy of thought, as it has nothing to do with the “Art” they are creating. It must be done If your company isn’t integrating high-tech workers into their projects today, I can assure you they are suffering many, if not all of the headaches mentioned above. Projects that are rolling along with the creative speed of a freight train suddenly come to a crawl as they hit technological walls that were never imagined. Products that require new manufacturing processes have to wait until tech workers can be brought up to speed on the project and begin to develop solutions to their unique technology problems. The lack of high-tech worker integration takes an essentially parallel project process and suddenly reduces it to a serial process. Had high-tech workers been involved from the start, they could have been developing the necessary technology as the project grew, instead of being seen as a choke point that brings the project to an utter standstill just at the time when everyone else wants to see it become reality. Organizing projects in this outdated fashion puts unfair pressure on high-tech workers and exposes them to anger and disdain when in reality the process is at fault and not their technological skills. They are simply suffering from an outdated process that ignores the last 20 years of technological advancements. If you want to make your high-tech department shine, you must find ways to integrate high-tech workers into every project at the earliest possible moment. It is only by providing your insight and knowledge at this point that you can ever hope to provide the best technology solutions for your company. Doing so will raise your profile in your company, expand your influence, challenge your skills and build a better high-tech career. Question of the week: In what ways can you offer guidance and information to the project groups in your company today? Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: A tech in every meeting – Jan 20, 2006 (This podcast is pulled “from the archives” and presented here as a service to more recent listeners — Douglas) Listen to this episode Read the entire article Discuss this column and podcast Visit the Career Opportunities Community Site I am sure you have all experienced it. Some department comes up with a great project and now, only when they are ready to implement it, they come to you to figure out how to make it work. The want to know what computers to use, what software and, by the way, this has to have some custom software written that has never before been created. Once again, you as an IT worker find yourself in the unenviable position of giving these people 100 different reasons why the project is infeasible, exorbitantly expensive and perhaps even counter productive to the goals of the company. In many cases, they will accuse of you of being an obstructionist, a technology dictator and sometimes, even worse. You must be lacking in vision to not see the elegance of their plan. In reality, though, much of this conflict and strife could have been avoided, if the department had included a high-tech worker at the very beginning. A dividing line When I worked in the corporate world, I often noticed how high-tech workers were sequestered away from the “creative folks.” Like some form of high-tech janitor, they were expected to be somewhat invisible until called in to clean up some technology mess. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often what yields the big technology mess in the first place. Instead, high-tech workers need to be integrated into the flow of every project, much like you would with engineers, artists, architects, project managers, etc. Every project these days, from a new high-rise building to a new consumer product to a new fashion line, has a technological component. There is no escaping this fact. Computers and other technology are an integral part of life unless you are living in the wilderness and even then, you might still be using a computer. Computers control the heating and cooling of buildings, they make your new Tickle Me Herbert doll laugh at your stupid jokes and they control the equipment that manufactures your new dress before it ever shows up on a rack at Target. You ignore technology at your own risk and yet, thousands of projects do just that every day. There are many reasons for this. Often creative workers believe that including high-tech workers at the start of the project will limit their vision and prevent them from creating something entirely new and different. Others see high-tech workers as “worker bees” who are only there to implement their ideas, not comment on them. Some people put no thought to technology at all, considering something unworthy of thought, as it has nothing to do with the “Art” they are creating. It must be done If your company isn’t integrating high-tech workers into their projects today, I can assure you they are suffering many, if not all of the headaches mentioned above. Projects that are rolling along with the creative speed of a freight train suddenly come to a crawl as they hit technological walls that were never imagined. Products that require new manufacturing processes have to wait until tech workers can be brought up to speed on the project and begin to develop solutions to their unique technology problems. The lack of high-tech worker integration takes an essentially parallel project process and suddenly reduces it to a serial process. Had high-tech workers been involved from the start, they could have been developing the necessary technology as the project grew, instead of being seen as a choke point that brings the project to an utter standstill just at the time when everyone else wants to see it become reality. Organizing projects in this outdated fashion puts unfair pressure on high-tech workers and exposes them to anger and disdain when in reality the process is at fault and not their technological skills. They are simply suffering from an outdated process that ignores the last 20 years of technological advancements. If you want to make your high-tech department shine, you must find ways to integrate high-tech workers into every project at the earliest possible moment. It is only by providing your insight and knowledge at this point that you can ever hope to provide the best technology solutions for your company. Doing so will raise your profile in your company, expand your influence, challenge your skills and build a better high-tech career. Question of the week: In what ways can you offer guidance and information to the project groups in your company today? Join me on these networks Douglas on FriendFeed | Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Support Career Opportunities iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Archive: A tech in every meeting – Jan 20, 2006 tag:odeo.com,2009-03-18,24707527 Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:48:24 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24306178-Put-yourself-at-the-crossroads What to do when you’re laid off Put yourself at the crossroads By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site When you are laid off from a long-term position, the most natural thing in the world is to want to withdraw. You want to hide away, nurse your wounds and sometimes, curse those you blame for your situation. While this may be a natural response, it is also a dangerous one. At this time, most of all, you can’t crawl into a cave and disappear. In fact, just the opposite is required. You need to go out, see and be seen, and re-engage with a world you might have been avoiding lately. If you want to find a new or better job you need to put yourself at the crossroads and make sure you talk to everyone who passes by. When you are in any job for a long period of time, it is easy to disengage with the outside world. You spend your time working and often playing with your co-workers. You might stop going to local meetups, user group meet... What to do when you’re laid off Put yourself at the crossroads By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site When you are laid off from a long-term position, the most natural thing in the world is to want to withdraw. You want to hide away, nurse your wounds and sometimes, curse those you blame for your situation. While this may be a natural response, it is also a dangerous one. At this time, most of all, you can’t crawl into a cave and disappear. In fact, just the opposite is required. You need to go out, see and be seen, and re-engage with a world you might have been avoiding lately. If you want to find a new or better job you need to put yourself at the crossroads and make sure you talk to everyone who passes by. When you are in any job for a long period of time, it is easy to disengage with the outside world. You spend your time working and often playing with your co-workers. You might stop going to local meetups, user group meetings, seminars. After all, you are getting all the interaction you need. Why go anywhere else? As you can see, though, when you are laid off, you are going to be wishing you had kept up with all those activities. Instead, you find yourself without any support structure. You have no one to call on for advice or commiseration. When left adrift like this, no wonder you just want to be alone. Of course, being alone does nothing to find you a new job. What should you do when you are laid off? Do what people did in the 1920’s and 30’s when they needed a ride somewhere – they found the busiest crossroads around and stuck out their thumb. You wouldn’t look for a ride on some back country road and you don’t look for a new job sitting alone in your room. While you should be spending a certain amount of time developing your resume, searching the help wanted pages (both offline and online) and looking for all the traditional opportunities, you also need to be engaging with your community. You need to get out to meetups, user group meetings, lectures, conferences and anywhere else you might meet someone who needs your skills in their business – which could even be a kid’s birthday party. You have more time to attend these events during a layoff then when you were working and you certainly have more of a need. Don’t see these events as frivolous. They are necessary and I believe you are more likely to gain a new job using these connections than by any other method. Let’s address another issue of a layoff – embarrassment. All of us feel some level of embarrassment at being out of work, even when it was through no fault of our own. Being out in public means having to admit you are out of work. Don’t mumble. Don’t shuffle your feet. If someone asks what you do, say “I’m looking for a new position doing x, y and z for such and such a company.” There are lots of people out of work these days and your sense of embarrassment is misplaced. Being out of work is a natural part of any career. When someone asks you what you do, it is your opportunity to step up and make sure they know who you are and what you are seeking. Prepare this. Practice this. Use it at each interaction. Yes, you are at an event to hang out, to learn, to talk, but also meet people who might be able to provide you the next stepping stone in your career. Remember, just like looking for a job on web sites and in the newspaper, there is a purpose to being here. If you are unemployed, or even more likely these days underemployed, get yourself to the nearest crossroads and stick out your thumb. Get involved in your community, both the community where you live and the community made up of your peers, friends and family. Your next job is out there, but if you hide away from the world, it won’t come looking for you. You have to go out and find it. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Put yourself at the crossroads Related posts: Join the Career Opportunities Community and Win! As of January 1, 2009, we have a new community... Why create a Career Opportunities Community site? On his blog, Mike Mcbride, links to the new Career... Elsewhere Online: What to do if you’re laid off in 2008 recession Some good career advice from blogger, Robert Scoble. What to... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. What to do when you’re laid off Put yourself at the crossroads By Douglas E. Welch Listen Discuss this column and podcaston the Career-Op Community Site When you are laid off from a long-term position, the most natural thing in the world is to want to withdraw. You want to hide away, nurse your wounds and sometimes, curse those you blame for your situation. While this may be a natural response, it is also a dangerous one. At this time, most of all, you can’t crawl into a cave and disappear. In fact, just the opposite is required. You need to go out, see and be seen, and re-engage with a world you might have been avoiding lately. If you want to find a new or better job you need to put yourself at the crossroads and make sure you talk to everyone who passes by. When you are in any job for a long period of time, it is easy to disengage with the outside world. You spend your time working and often playing with your co-workers. You might stop going to local meetups, user group meetings, seminars. After all, you are getting all the interaction you need. Why go anywhere else? As you can see, though, when you are laid off, you are going to be wishing you had kept up with all those activities. Instead, you find yourself without any support structure. You have no one to call on for advice or commiseration. When left adrift like this, no wonder you just want to be alone. Of course, being alone does nothing to find you a new job. What should you do when you are laid off? Do what people did in the 1920’s and 30’s when they needed a ride somewhere – they found the busiest crossroads around and stuck out their thumb. You wouldn’t look for a ride on some back country road and you don’t look for a new job sitting alone in your room. While you should be spending a certain amount of time developing your resume, searching the help wanted pages (both offline and online) and looking for all the traditional opportunities, you also need to be engaging with your community. You need to get out to meetups, user group meetings, lectures, conferences and anywhere else you might meet someone who needs your skills in their business – which could even be a kid’s birthday party. You have more time to attend these events during a layoff then when you were working and you certainly have more of a need. Don’t see these events as frivolous. They are necessary and I believe you are more likely to gain a new job using these connections than by any other method. Let’s address another issue of a layoff – embarrassment. All of us feel some level of embarrassment at being out of work, even when it was through no fault of our own. Being out in public means having to admit you are out of work. Don’t mumble. Don’t shuffle your feet. If someone asks what you do, say “I’m looking for a new position doing x, y and z for such and such a company.” There are lots of people out of work these days and your sense of embarrassment is misplaced. Being out of work is a natural part of any career. When someone asks you what you do, it is your opportunity to step up and make sure they know who you are and what you are seeking. Prepare this. Practice this. Use it at each interaction. Yes, you are at an event to hang out, to learn, to talk, but also meet people who might be able to provide you the next stepping stone in your career. Remember, just like looking for a job on web sites and in the newspaper, there is a purpose to being here. If you are unemployed, or even more likely these days underemployed, get yourself to the nearest crossroads and stick out your thumb. Get involved in your community, both the community where you live and the community made up of your peers, friends and family. Your next job is out there, but if you hide away from the world, it won’t come looking for you. You have to go out and find it. Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Community Site | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Put yourself at the crossroads Related posts: Join the Career Opportunities Community and Win! As of January 1, 2009, we have a new community... Why create a Career Opportunities Community site? On his blog, Mike Mcbride, links to the new Career... Elsewhere Online: What to do if you’re laid off in 2008 recession Some good career advice from blogger, Robert Scoble. What to... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-14,24306178 Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:17:15 -0700 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24264577-Time-to-turn-off-the-news-and-get-something-done Time to turn off the news and get something done By Douglas E. Welch Listen: Time to turn off the news and get something done Discuss this column and podcast We all know its bad out there right now. We already know this. Yet, every day we are beaten over the head with story after story about how everything is “going to hell in a handbasket.” It seems the media, in all its forms, is doing its best to drive us mad with worry. To what end? Ratings? Public Service? Money? For me, the time has come to turn the damn thing off. Constant reiteration of our troubles only deepens our anxiety and drives us closer to the point where we can no longer function for all the doom heaped upon our shoulders. So, turn off the television (or watch something fun), stop reading the daily newspaper and trim your Internet reading of anyone who seems determined to turn this downturn into the end of the world. Am I telling you to bury your head in the sand? Of course not. What I am telling you to ... Time to turn off the news and get something done By Douglas E. Welch Listen: Time to turn off the news and get something done Discuss this column and podcast We all know its bad out there right now. We already know this. Yet, every day we are beaten over the head with story after story about how everything is “going to hell in a handbasket.” It seems the media, in all its forms, is doing its best to drive us mad with worry. To what end? Ratings? Public Service? Money? For me, the time has come to turn the damn thing off. Constant reiteration of our troubles only deepens our anxiety and drives us closer to the point where we can no longer function for all the doom heaped upon our shoulders. So, turn off the television (or watch something fun), stop reading the daily newspaper and trim your Internet reading of anyone who seems determined to turn this downturn into the end of the world. Am I telling you to bury your head in the sand? Of course not. What I am telling you to do is to stop dwelling on these problems, many of which are out of our direct control. Instead take all the time spent on the angst, the worry, the panic, the obsessive checking of the Dow Jones and do something productive with it. Do some hard thinking, as I am always asking of you. Take concrete actions towards your goals. Make connections. Talk with your friends. Start a business. Write a book. DO SOMETHING…ELSE! Much of my current problems with the press and the government come from the fact that they don’t seem to understand one great lesson of the Great Depression. They trot out the Depression for comparison to today’s trials. They make nice charts and graphs showing this correlation or that, but they never say the most important thing about it…we recovered. We made it through the Great Depression. We have made it through countless smaller challenges over the years. Today, though, we are infected with an overwhelming sense of apocalypse. I refuse to buy it and anyone who tries to sell you that message should be looked at for ulterior motives. Growing up in a small town in the 1970’s you wouldn’t think that I worried much about the economy, but the 1970’s was one of the low points of my life. We had an energy crisis with gas lines, odd/even gas station fill-up schedules, furnaces turned low, even during the most bitterly cold months. I know what it is like to have a parent lose their job as the sole breadwinner in the family with no hope for full time employment for years. I know what it is like to drop from a nice middle class existence into poverty. I know what it is like to look into the cupboards and find nothing there, even though you are still hungry. I know what it is like to realize that you suffered form malnutrition, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. Yet, after living through that, I am still optimistic. Why? Because just like its big cousin, the Great Depression, we came out of that 70s economic downturn. Was it fun? Was it easy? Will we bounce right back in a few months this time? Of course not. It is going to be hard. There will be pain and suffering. Some of us will have our lives damaged more than we might like, but most of us, many of us will come through this a bit older and (hopefully) a bit wiser, but relatively unscathed. We must remind ourselves constantly of the words of an ancient tale about King Solomon, “This too shall pass.” 1 So, today…right now…turn off the news — set aside the newspaper — and take some action to move forward with your life. We all have much more life left to live and this economic downturn is not going to stop the days from passing. Life goes on and it is truly what you make of it. The power to move forward and to thrive comes not from Wall Street, Silicon Valley or Washington DC. It comes from action. It comes from taking one step after another after another. It is time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. Time to stop bemoaning our bad luck. Time to stop fearing each new day. It is time to get something done! 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_too_shall_pass Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Forums | Digg.com | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Time to turn off the news and get something done Related posts: Time to turn off the news Maybe it is time for a media diet Time to... News: SBA Upgrades Podcasting for Small Business Owners In the CareerCamp Online talk with Andrea McClain, she mentioned... Lean and mean in good times and bad Think hard about the difference between “wants” and “needs” to... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Time to turn off the news and get something done By Douglas E. Welch Listen: Time to turn off the news and get something done Discuss this column and podcast We all know its bad out there right now. We already know this. Yet, every day we are beaten over the head with story after story about how everything is “going to hell in a handbasket.” It seems the media, in all its forms, is doing its best to drive us mad with worry. To what end? Ratings? Public Service? Money? For me, the time has come to turn the damn thing off. Constant reiteration of our troubles only deepens our anxiety and drives us closer to the point where we can no longer function for all the doom heaped upon our shoulders. So, turn off the television (or watch something fun), stop reading the daily newspaper and trim your Internet reading of anyone who seems determined to turn this downturn into the end of the world. Am I telling you to bury your head in the sand? Of course not. What I am telling you to do is to stop dwelling on these problems, many of which are out of our direct control. Instead take all the time spent on the angst, the worry, the panic, the obsessive checking of the Dow Jones and do something productive with it. Do some hard thinking, as I am always asking of you. Take concrete actions towards your goals. Make connections. Talk with your friends. Start a business. Write a book. DO SOMETHING…ELSE! Much of my current problems with the press and the government come from the fact that they don’t seem to understand one great lesson of the Great Depression. They trot out the Depression for comparison to today’s trials. They make nice charts and graphs showing this correlation or that, but they never say the most important thing about it…we recovered. We made it through the Great Depression. We have made it through countless smaller challenges over the years. Today, though, we are infected with an overwhelming sense of apocalypse. I refuse to buy it and anyone who tries to sell you that message should be looked at for ulterior motives. Growing up in a small town in the 1970’s you wouldn’t think that I worried much about the economy, but the 1970’s was one of the low points of my life. We had an energy crisis with gas lines, odd/even gas station fill-up schedules, furnaces turned low, even during the most bitterly cold months. I know what it is like to have a parent lose their job as the sole breadwinner in the family with no hope for full time employment for years. I know what it is like to drop from a nice middle class existence into poverty. I know what it is like to look into the cupboards and find nothing there, even though you are still hungry. I know what it is like to realize that you suffered form malnutrition, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. Yet, after living through that, I am still optimistic. Why? Because just like its big cousin, the Great Depression, we came out of that 70s economic downturn. Was it fun? Was it easy? Will we bounce right back in a few months this time? Of course not. It is going to be hard. There will be pain and suffering. Some of us will have our lives damaged more than we might like, but most of us, many of us will come through this a bit older and (hopefully) a bit wiser, but relatively unscathed. We must remind ourselves constantly of the words of an ancient tale about King Solomon, “This too shall pass.” 1 So, today…right now…turn off the news — set aside the newspaper — and take some action to move forward with your life. We all have much more life left to live and this economic downturn is not going to stop the days from passing. Life goes on and it is truly what you make of it. The power to move forward and to thrive comes not from Wall Street, Silicon Valley or Washington DC. It comes from action. It comes from taking one step after another after another. It is time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. Time to stop bemoaning our bad luck. Time to stop fearing each new day. It is time to get something done! 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_too_shall_pass Join me on these networks Join the new Career Opportunities Community site! Follow Douglas on FriendFeed | Follow Douglas on Twitter | Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn Become a Facebook Fan of Career Opportunities Support Career Opportunities: iTunes Review | Career-Op Forums | Digg.com | Podcast Alley Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049 From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Time to turn off the news and get something done Related posts: Time to turn off the news Maybe it is time for a media diet Time to... News: SBA Upgrades Podcasting for Small Business Owners In the CareerCamp Online talk with Andrea McClain, she mentioned... Lean and mean in good times and bad Think hard about the difference between “wants” and “needs” to... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-06,24264577 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:11:19 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24241361-Video-CareerCamp-Closing-Session Douglas E. Welch presents a closing session to CareerCamp Online 2009 iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: CareerCamp Closing Session Related posts: Video: Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 - Feb 21 -... CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... CareerCamp: JoAnn Braheny on Creativity and Your Career Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 - Feb 21- Mar... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Douglas E. Welch presents a closing session to CareerCamp Online 2009 iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: CareerCamp Closing Session Related posts: Video: Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 - Feb 21 -... CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... CareerCamp: JoAnn Braheny on Creativity and Your Career Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 - Feb 21- Mar... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Douglas E. Welch presents a closing session to CareerCamp Online 2009 iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com Video: CareerCamp Closing Session Related posts: Video: Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 - Feb 21 -... CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... CareerCamp: JoAnn Braheny on Creativity and Your Career Join us for CareerCamp Online 2009 - Feb 21- Mar... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-01,24241361 Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:13:29 -0800 no Career Opportunities video, Community http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24221249-CareerCamp-Presenting-yourself-well-on-paper-Rosanne-Welch Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting yourself well on paper for CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Related posts: CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... Extra: Paper resumes are dead, dead, dead…or ought to be This guest post appeared today in the blog, The Graduate... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting yourself well on paper for CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Related posts: CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... Extra: Paper resumes are dead, dead, dead…or ought to be This guest post appeared today in the blog, The Graduate... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting yourself well on paper for CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Related posts: CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... Extra: Paper resumes are dead, dead, dead…or ought to be This guest post appeared today in the blog, The Graduate... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-26,24221249 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:44:39 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, video, Special, Show, Community http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24219095-CareerCamp-Presenting-yourself-well-on-paper-Rosanne-Welch Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting yourself well on paper for CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Related posts: CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... Extra: Paper resumes are dead, dead, dead…or ought to be This guest post appeared today in the blog, The Graduate... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting yourself well on paper for CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Related posts: CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... Extra: Paper resumes are dead, dead, dead…or ought to be This guest post appeared today in the blog, The Graduate... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting yourself well on paper for CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Related posts: CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to... Extra: Paper resumes are dead, dead, dead…or ought to be This guest post appeared today in the blog, The Graduate... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-26,24219095 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:44:39 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, video, Special, Show, Community http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24221250-CareerCamp-Podcasting-for-Business-Dean-Jensen SOHO Tech Podcast’s Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business Introduction Member of  the Blubrry Network - http://www.blubrry.com Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business This class was held on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at  Chisago Lakes Regional Library Outline What is a Podcast? Podcasts made simple What kinds of topics? Distributing Your Podcasts? Examples How do I create a Podcast Process for Podcast Production Where to find more information http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.podcastfaq.com http://www.podcast411.com Link to the Power Point Presentation from this class Presentation: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.ppt PowerPoint Show: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pps PDF: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pdf Contact Dean Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206 Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com Voice Mail: (651) 20... SOHO Tech Podcast’s Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business Introduction Member of  the Blubrry Network - http://www.blubrry.com Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business This class was held on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at  Chisago Lakes Regional Library Outline What is a Podcast? Podcasts made simple What kinds of topics? Distributing Your Podcasts? Examples How do I create a Podcast Process for Podcast Production Where to find more information http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.podcastfaq.com http://www.podcast411.com Link to the Power Point Presentation from this class Presentation: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.ppt PowerPoint Show: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pps PDF: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pdf Contact Dean Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206 Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com Voice Mail: (651) 204-6612 Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/SOHOTechPodcast Listen to Podcasting for Business From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Podcasting for Business - Dean Jensen Related posts: News: SBA Upgrades Podcasting for Small Business Owners In the CareerCamp Online talk with Andrea McClain, she mentioned... CareerCamp Online 2009 - How to attend and present Since the CareerCamp Online idea is a bit of a... Career Opportunities starts its 5th year of podcasting I guess I have been podcasting so long that anniversaries... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. SOHO Tech Podcast’s Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business Introduction Member of  the Blubrry Network - http://www.blubrry.com Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business This class was held on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at  Chisago Lakes Regional Library Outline What is a Podcast? Podcasts made simple What kinds of topics? Distributing Your Podcasts? Examples How do I create a Podcast Process for Podcast Production Where to find more information http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.podcastfaq.com http://www.podcast411.com Link to the Power Point Presentation from this class Presentation: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.ppt PowerPoint Show: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pps PDF: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pdf Contact Dean Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206 Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com Voice Mail: (651) 204-6612 Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/SOHOTechPodcast Listen to Podcasting for Business From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Podcasting for Business - Dean Jensen Related posts: News: SBA Upgrades Podcasting for Small Business Owners In the CareerCamp Online talk with Andrea McClain, she mentioned... CareerCamp Online 2009 - How to attend and present Since the CareerCamp Online idea is a bit of a... Career Opportunities starts its 5th year of podcasting I guess I have been podcasting so long that anniversaries... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-26,24221250 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:43:43 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Special, Show, Community http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24216729-CareerCamp-Podcasting-for-Business-Dean-Jensen SOHO Tech Podcast’s Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business Introduction Member of  the Blubrry Network - http://www.blubrry.com Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business This class was held on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at  Chisago Lakes Regional Library Outline What is a Podcast? Podcasts made simple What kinds of topics? Distributing Your Podcasts? Examples How do I create a Podcast Process for Podcast Production Where to find more information http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.podcastfaq.com http://www.podcast411.com Link to the Power Point Presentation from this class Presentation: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.ppt PowerPoint Show: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pps PDF: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pdf Contact Dean Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206 Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com Voice Mail: (651) 20... SOHO Tech Podcast’s Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business Introduction Member of  the Blubrry Network - http://www.blubrry.com Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business This class was held on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at  Chisago Lakes Regional Library Outline What is a Podcast? Podcasts made simple What kinds of topics? Distributing Your Podcasts? Examples How do I create a Podcast Process for Podcast Production Where to find more information http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.podcastfaq.com http://www.podcast411.com Link to the Power Point Presentation from this class Presentation: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.ppt PowerPoint Show: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pps PDF: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pdf Contact Dean Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206 Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com Voice Mail: (651) 204-6612 Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/SOHOTechPodcast Listen to Podcasting for Business From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Podcasting for Business - Dean Jensen Related posts: News: SBA Upgrades Podcasting for Small Business Owners In the CareerCamp Online talk with Andrea McClain, she mentioned... CareerCamp Online 2009 - How to attend and present Since the CareerCamp Online idea is a bit of a... Career Opportunities starts its 5th year of podcasting I guess I have been podcasting so long that anniversaries... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. SOHO Tech Podcast’s Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business Introduction Member of  the Blubrry Network - http://www.blubrry.com Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business This class was held on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at  Chisago Lakes Regional Library Outline What is a Podcast? Podcasts made simple What kinds of topics? Distributing Your Podcasts? Examples How do I create a Podcast Process for Podcast Production Where to find more information http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.podcastfaq.com http://www.podcast411.com Link to the Power Point Presentation from this class Presentation: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.ppt PowerPoint Show: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pps PDF: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pdf Contact Dean Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206 Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com Voice Mail: (651) 204-6612 Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/SOHOTechPodcast Listen to Podcasting for Business From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Podcasting for Business - Dean Jensen Related posts: News: SBA Upgrades Podcasting for Small Business Owners In the CareerCamp Online talk with Andrea McClain, she mentioned... CareerCamp Online 2009 - How to attend and present Since the CareerCamp Online idea is a bit of a... Career Opportunities starts its 5th year of podcasting I guess I have been podcasting so long that anniversaries... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-26,24216729 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:43:43 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Special, Show, Community http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24221251-CareerCamp-Al-Isago-Parvez-Leo-Garramone-A-Career-You-Can-Believe-In Al Isago Parvez and Leo Garramone of Advance Inc., Tokyo, Japan present A Career You Can Believe In Listen to A Career You Can Believe In Al Isago Parvez CEO & Representative Director of Advance Inc. www.advance-tokyo.com Native New Yorker and Executive Recruiter in Tokyo, Japan focusing on sourcing business professionals in the IT, Consumer Goods / Luxury Brand and Pharmaceutical industries for positions in Japan and Asia since 1995. Specializing in recruiting for C-level positions and mid-career hiring at multi-national corporations and startups. 17 years of living experience in Japan. 14 years of experience in executive search. 11 years of management experience at Advance Inc. Leo Garramone Consultant at Advance Inc. Native New Yorker with corporate experience with emphasis in the following: Due Diligence, Crisis and Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning, Event Security, Fire and Safety, Vendor Reviews, Security Assessments, Project Management, Information Security an... Al Isago Parvez and Leo Garramone of Advance Inc., Tokyo, Japan present A Career You Can Believe In Listen to A Career You Can Believe In Al Isago Parvez CEO & Representative Director of Advance Inc. www.advance-tokyo.com Native New Yorker and Executive Recruiter in Tokyo, Japan focusing on sourcing business professionals in the IT, Consumer Goods / Luxury Brand and Pharmaceutical industries for positions in Japan and Asia since 1995. Specializing in recruiting for C-level positions and mid-career hiring at multi-national corporations and startups. 17 years of living experience in Japan. 14 years of experience in executive search. 11 years of management experience at Advance Inc. Leo Garramone Consultant at Advance Inc. Native New Yorker with corporate experience with emphasis in the following: Due Diligence, Crisis and Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning, Event Security, Fire and Safety, Vendor Reviews, Security Assessments, Project Management, Information Security and Investigations. Specializing in recruiting for C-level, IT security specialists, accounting and HR professionals. • 5 years experience in Law Enforcement with emphasis in General Crimes, Frauds, Computer Crimes and Protective Service. • 10 years of regional experience within Asia. • 12 years of leadership experience in training and mentoring subordinates. • 13 years of operations experience. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Al Isago Parvez/Leo Garramone - A Career You Can Believe In Related posts: Interview: Al Isago Parvez of Advance, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan Listen: An interview with Al Isago Parvez, a recruiter... Most popular Career Opportunities posts for 2008 The Right Way to Resign Elsewhere Online: 100+ Ways to... Moving into Management Listen: Moving Into Management Whether you work in a... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Al Isago Parvez and Leo Garramone of Advance Inc., Tokyo, Japan present A Career You Can Believe In Listen to A Career You Can Believe In Al Isago Parvez CEO & Representative Director of Advance Inc. www.advance-tokyo.com Native New Yorker and Executive Recruiter in Tokyo, Japan focusing on sourcing business professionals in the IT, Consumer Goods / Luxury Brand and Pharmaceutical industries for positions in Japan and Asia since 1995. Specializing in recruiting for C-level positions and mid-career hiring at multi-national corporations and startups. 17 years of living experience in Japan. 14 years of experience in executive search. 11 years of management experience at Advance Inc. Leo Garramone Consultant at Advance Inc. Native New Yorker with corporate experience with emphasis in the following: Due Diligence, Crisis and Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning, Event Security, Fire and Safety, Vendor Reviews, Security Assessments, Project Management, Information Security and Investigations. Specializing in recruiting for C-level, IT security specialists, accounting and HR professionals. • 5 years experience in Law Enforcement with emphasis in General Crimes, Frauds, Computer Crimes and Protective Service. • 10 years of regional experience within Asia. • 12 years of leadership experience in training and mentoring subordinates. • 13 years of operations experience. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Al Isago Parvez/Leo Garramone - A Career You Can Believe In Related posts: Interview: Al Isago Parvez of Advance, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan Listen: An interview with Al Isago Parvez, a recruiter... Most popular Career Opportunities posts for 2008 The Right Way to Resign Elsewhere Online: 100+ Ways to... Moving into Management Listen: Moving Into Management Whether you work in a... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-25,24221251 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:14:06 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Special, Show, Community http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24213424-CareerCamp-Al-Isago-Parvez-Leo-Garramone-A-Career-You-Can-Believe-In Al Isago Parvez and Leo Garramone of Advance Inc., Tokyo, Japan present A Career You Can Believe In Listen to A Career You Can Believe In Al Isago Parvez CEO & Representative Director of Advance Inc. www.advance-tokyo.com Native New Yorker and Executive Recruiter in Tokyo, Japan focusing on sourcing business professionals in the IT, Consumer Goods / Luxury Brand and Pharmaceutical industries for positions in Japan and Asia since 1995. Specializing in recruiting for C-level positions and mid-career hiring at multi-national corporations and startups. 17 years of living experience in Japan. 14 years of experience in executive search. 11 years of management experience at Advance Inc. Leo Garramone Consultant at Advance Inc. Native New Yorker with corporate experience with emphasis in the following: Due Diligence, Crisis and Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning, Event Security, Fire and Safety, Vendor Reviews, Security Assessments, Project Management, Information Security an... Al Isago Parvez and Leo Garramone of Advance Inc., Tokyo, Japan present A Career You Can Believe In Listen to A Career You Can Believe In Al Isago Parvez CEO & Representative Director of Advance Inc. www.advance-tokyo.com Native New Yorker and Executive Recruiter in Tokyo, Japan focusing on sourcing business professionals in the IT, Consumer Goods / Luxury Brand and Pharmaceutical industries for positions in Japan and Asia since 1995. Specializing in recruiting for C-level positions and mid-career hiring at multi-national corporations and startups. 17 years of living experience in Japan. 14 years of experience in executive search. 11 years of management experience at Advance Inc. Leo Garramone Consultant at Advance Inc. Native New Yorker with corporate experience with emphasis in the following: Due Diligence, Crisis and Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning, Event Security, Fire and Safety, Vendor Reviews, Security Assessments, Project Management, Information Security and Investigations. Specializing in recruiting for C-level, IT security specialists, accounting and HR professionals. • 5 years experience in Law Enforcement with emphasis in General Crimes, Frauds, Computer Crimes and Protective Service. • 10 years of regional experience within Asia. • 12 years of leadership experience in training and mentoring subordinates. • 13 years of operations experience. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Al Isago Parvez/Leo Garramone - A Career You Can Believe In Related posts: Interview: Al Isago Parvez of Advance, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan Listen: An interview with Al Isago Parvez, a recruiter... Most popular Career Opportunities posts for 2008 The Right Way to Resign Elsewhere Online: 100+ Ways to... Moving into Management Listen: Moving Into Management Whether you work in a... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Al Isago Parvez and Leo Garramone of Advance Inc., Tokyo, Japan present A Career You Can Believe In Listen to A Career You Can Believe In Al Isago Parvez CEO & Representative Director of Advance Inc. www.advance-tokyo.com Native New Yorker and Executive Recruiter in Tokyo, Japan focusing on sourcing business professionals in the IT, Consumer Goods / Luxury Brand and Pharmaceutical industries for positions in Japan and Asia since 1995. Specializing in recruiting for C-level positions and mid-career hiring at multi-national corporations and startups. 17 years of living experience in Japan. 14 years of experience in executive search. 11 years of management experience at Advance Inc. Leo Garramone Consultant at Advance Inc. Native New Yorker with corporate experience with emphasis in the following: Due Diligence, Crisis and Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning, Event Security, Fire and Safety, Vendor Reviews, Security Assessments, Project Management, Information Security and Investigations. Specializing in recruiting for C-level, IT security specialists, accounting and HR professionals. • 5 years experience in Law Enforcement with emphasis in General Crimes, Frauds, Computer Crimes and Protective Service. • 10 years of regional experience within Asia. • 12 years of leadership experience in training and mentoring subordinates. • 13 years of operations experience. From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Al Isago Parvez/Leo Garramone - A Career You Can Believe In Related posts: Interview: Al Isago Parvez of Advance, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan Listen: An interview with Al Isago Parvez, a recruiter... Most popular Career Opportunities posts for 2008 The Right Way to Resign Elsewhere Online: 100+ Ways to... Moving into Management Listen: Moving Into Management Whether you work in a... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-25,24213424 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:14:06 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, audio, Special, Show, Community http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24221252-CareerCamp-Douglas-E-Welch-on-A-Year-of-Leadership Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Related posts: CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting... A Year of Leadership It’s time to lead again! A Year of Leadership By... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Related posts: CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting... A Year of Leadership It’s time to lead again! A Year of Leadership By... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Douglas E. Welch presents on A Year of Leadership to CareerCamp Online 2009. iPod Ready Video From Career Opportunities with Douglas E. Welch Get more great content on Podcasting, New Media, Gardening, Los Angeles Events and Technology at WelchWrite.com CareerCamp: Douglas E. Welch on A Year of Leadership Related posts: CareerCamp: Presenting yourself well on paper - Rosanne Welch Television writer and college professor, Rosanne Welch, speaks on Presenting... A Year of Leadership It’s time to lead again! A Year of Leadership By... Douglas E. Welch on “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Frank Castaneda had me on his show, The Struggling Entrepreneur,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-23,24221252 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:31:38 -0800 no Career Opportunities podcast, video, News/Opinion, Special, Show, Community, Elsewhere