Career Advice For The 21St Century

Most of us had been brought up to study challenging, get great grades, pick a “practical” college main, and strive for a “great job.”

Talk to a stranded midlife career-changer and you understand the game has changed. Yesterday’s rules ready us to be passengers on a huge ocean liner that promised a smooth voyage. These days we realize that ocean liner turned out to be the Titanic and we need to keep ourselves afloat on a modest life raft if we want to survive.

Here are some tips to assist your child find out not only to survive, but to thrive and grow in a chaotic world.

1. From the initial day of kindergarten, encourage your child to develop on strengths rather than focus on limitations.

Does she spend hours studying models of cars for the last twenty years? Maybe she’ll become an auto mechanic — or perhaps she’ll parlay her capability to classify detailed data into a career as a biologist or pharmacist.

2. Encourage your child to decide on a field of study based on his or her natural abilities and passions, not “what will get me a job.”

Claudia Kennedy, the Army’s very first female 3-star General, majored in philosophy. In her book Normally Speaking, she claims philosophy ready her to turn out to be a top-level intelligence officer. Carly Fiorino, famed CEO of Hewlett-Packard, studied medieval history. And Michael Lewis, financial writer and very best-selling author of Liars Poker, was an art history major.

3. Assure your youngsters that couple of errors are fatal.

Did your child fail a course? Face rejection from a first-choice college? Most of us can’t stay away from an occasional failure, but we can learn bounce-back attitudes as soon as we can talk.

Yolanda Griffith, WNBA basketball star, dropped out of a premier program due to pregnancy. She returned to a lower-ranked college program, baby in tow, and now plays for the Sacramento Monarchs.

I as soon as taught a student who had flunked out of junior college following a close call with the legal program. After a four-year stint in the US Navy, she returned to college, maintained a dean’s list grade point average, and went on to a top law school.

4. Encourage your child to encounter success in any area of her life.

Did she make the honor roll? Get selected for a play, a club, or athletic team? Win an election for competitive office? Survive a strenuous application process for a summer job? Once your child has tasted success, he will know how it feels and will act like a winner when he enters the job market.

Cecilia, a shy twelve-year-old, blossomed when she won the lead in a school play. “We want you to enhance your grades, not invest time in rehearsal!” fumed her worried mother.

To everyone’s surprise, Cecilia’s grades improved and she made new buddies with the “excellent kids” who had been also achievers. Most critical, no matter what occurs, Cecilia can return to that feeling of success whenever she gets discouraged.

five. Acquiring into a leading university — or any university — will not guarantee success.

I’ve met Ivy Leaguers who have experienced unemployment, bankruptcy and even homelessness. I’ve met high school drop outs who flourished on their own initiative.

In my own tiny town, a couple with graduate degrees dropped out to pursue artistic careers — and they clean houses to pay the bills. Lately a minimum wage job was posted by a nonprofit — and many unemployed lawyers applied.

Career-changers who face the future with an attitude of “I can deal with anything” are the ones who win nowadays. Tossed into the ocean, they’ll improvise a set of oars and maintain up their spirits till they figure out what to do next. Those who feel betrayed (“I thought I was set for life”) flounder around for weeks, months, even years.

Entitlement is over Those who have a positive outlook, who can seize the unexpected chance, can count on reaching the shore. And they recognize that only they can transform a resting location into a secure harbor.