How to be happy at work a practical guide to career satisfication (2003)

[...]... what career consultant Bernard Haldane called “motivated skills.” A motivated skill is something that you like to do, and do well That’s how an insurance claims manager who likes project management and writing became a technical writer, a CPA with a passion for New Age health care became a spa manager, and a systems engineer with an innate talent for foreign languages positioned herself as an international... become a doctor Her father, who was a health-care administrator, always wanted to be a doctor But, as a (pre–civil rights) AfricanAmerican male, he encountered too much racial discrimination to pursue his dream He was determined that his children would have the advantages and rights that he had never had By her own admission, Claudia never had the courage to defy her father; but she never wanted to be a. .. success and call it reality Lauren was a 28-year-old accountant who came to see me because she was bored to tears by her career and wanted to do something more creative A closer examination of her career history revealed that she had chosen accounting because her accountant-father told her it was a “good profession.” She trusted his wisdom and followed his advice, only to discover that it was all wrong... his father’s recommendation that he “stop trying to choose for life and start thinking in five-year increments.” From that day forward, the younger Mackey felt free to pursue careers on the stock exchange, in business management, and in real estate Many baby-boomer parents have been reluctant to make the same mistakes that their parents did When it comes to offering career advice and guidance, they are... outside gazing upward at the stars, pondering the day’s events As his father searches the sky for Polaris, Kevin realizes that he, too, has lost something His father doesn’t scare him anymore I wish that my client “Claudia” had learned that same lesson before she relinquished her childhood dream of becoming a “singer, actress, or teacher” to follow her father’s dictate that she go to medical school and become... loans to repay, she feels increasingly trapped by her financial responsibilities, even though she makes a good living as a physician What many people (of all ages) fail to realize is how important it is to like and care about the work you do to do work you love and love the work you do Tom Peters, a noted author and management consultant, has said that when it comes to career choices, it’s inconceivable... field She was facing a tough choice Broadcast journalism is one of the most intensely competitive career choices On the other hand, she had an undergraduate degree in journalism from a prestigious college She was willing and able to go to graduate school in broadcast journalism to secure an educational base for her career dream Because she was still in law school, she had not yet acquired a lavish lifestyle... have to search hard for her next career direction Essentially, it came to her in the form of other attorneys who had heard about her career change and wanted to ask her advice on how they could change careers, too When she discovered how much demand there was for such information and how much she enjoyed counseling other lawyers, she founded Lawternatives, a career- consulting firm that counsels lawyers... You are not what you do You are what you are Your identity is comprised of your character, your values, your personality, and the many roles you play in life You are not only a doctor or a lawyer You are also a husband or a wife, a son or a daughter, a parent, a friend, a colleague This is an important message to keep in mind when you want to choose or change careers Choosing a career often involves a. .. that it made them unhappy Much of the time, the parents assumed that a well-paying job would make their kids happy What their offspring are discovering is that “making money” is a necessary condition for career success and satisfaction; but it is not sufficient You need to make money at work that is meaningful to you When I was growing up, my parents shared a dream for my brother to become either an . She was willing and able to go to graduate school in broadcast journalism to secure an educational base for her career dream. Because she was still in law school, she had not yet acquired a lavish. parental narcissism than any objective standard of correctness. Too many par- ents push their own personal dream of success and call it reality. Lauren was a 28-year-old accountant who came to see me because. psychological challenges that are important to address and resolve on the road to career satis- faction, including the all-important need to create a personal life agenda and timetable. In part