In this week’s Tip, we begin a look at resources to help folks who are considering making a career switch.
According to a study commissioned by the AARP Public Policy Institute, older employees who changed career paths were happy with their choice. Of the 1,705 workers AARP tracked for more than a decade to study how they coped with career change, 91 percent said they were happy with their new jobs, compared to 79 percent who said they were happy in their old jobs. Reduced stress and flexible work schedules were among the reasons older workers handled career changes well.
As you think about a new career, there are a number of ways you can approach it. Whether you are currently employed, retired, or recently laid off, you can:
• look for a similar job in a new organization.
• look for a different job that uses similar skill sets.
• look for a completely different new job.
• gain experience in a new career through internships or volunteer work.
• go the educational route.
• start your own business.
In addition to the very effective approach of networking with family, friends, professional organizations, and on-line social media, there are many on-line resources to assist you in each of these endeavors.
If you don’t know what you want to do when you grow up:
• http://www.2young2retire.com is a site for when you want to figure out what to do with the rest of your life.
• http://www.careervoyages.gov
provides information for transitioning workers who wish to explore career prospects. This site explains the educational preparation requirements for several careers, including public safety, marketing, transportation, construction, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. You can also find information on apprenticeship opportunities and community colleges. The Career Compass helps you find careers that match your interests and personality.
• http://acinet.org/acinet
provides direct links to a Career Resource Library with career exploration and job search tools. It also provides a Skills Profiler that allows individuals to assess their skills. You can identify occupations that use your current skills and find gaps that need to be filled.
• http://www.profiler.com offers the reputable Campbell Interest and Skill Survey.
• http://www.quintcareers.com is an award winning site that includes advice to career switchers.
• http://www.bls.gov/OCO is an on-line resource from the Bureau of Labor Statistics with insights on hundreds of jobs and their earning potential. The site has summaries of what tasks workers perform in different occupations and their working conditions, along with descriptions of the training and education needed to fill these jobs.
• http://www.careeronestop.org/reemployment allows you to research opportunities for transferring your skills between related occupations. Users may enter an occupational term in the search box to get information about occupation information, occupation licenses, and certifications.
Next week, we will continue our look at resources to help folks who are considering making a career switch and know the job they want.
May your learning be sweet.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tip #290: Wonderful Websites #2
With thanks to reader submissions to SpeakerNet News, here are four more useful websites:
4. <http://www.mylivesignature.com> to create a digital signature
It is not a good idea to use your "real" signature as an image online because that makes it easy for someone to copy and paste it into any document and potentially make you liable for things without your knowledge. According to Donna Gunter, you can create an attractive font signature with My Live Signature. You can choose to set up a no-cost account where you can store your signature images, or just create an image on the fly. You also have the option of an animated (for a fee) or a static (no charge) signature.
5. <http://www.tripsketch.com> for a no-cost online trip planner
This site is perfect if you want to take advantage of local cultural activities or find restaurants while you are in a city for a short period of time. It also lists airport services for times when you have a short layover. According to Tresa Eyres, you can plan whole vacations covering one or multiple destinations. The site information includes attractions by interest, location, opening hours, costs, "green" pass times, and more. In addition, there is a travel calculator and the capability to share your itinerary with others.
6. <http://www.regus.com> for big business services on a budget
If you would like a high-end location to hold a workshop and want to avoid using a hotel, this site is very useful. They offer boardrooms and meeting rooms for 8-100 participants by the hour through a full-day in high-end business buildings across the globe that are very affordable. You can also establish a "virtual" business identity in these buildings for safety/security/image. They have packages ranging from mail forwarding through answering inbound calls with your company name. According to Sam Palazzolo, if you call and tell them your offer code is "satellite," they'll give you $500 worth of credit towards their services. Some packages include use of an actual office as well as discounts on board/meeting rooms.
7. <http://www.speakernetnews.com> for useful ideas.
If you are a professional speaker, a consultant, a trainer, or an author, I strongly recommend that you check out this site and subscribe to the free weekly newsletter. The newsletter is brief and packed with miscellaneous, travel and technology tips submitted by their over 9,000 readers. There is also a Topic of the Week section that enables readers to pose professional questions for reader response.
Thank you, Donna, Tresa, Sam, and SpeakerNet News.
This concludes our discussion of wonderful websites. However, if you know of other sites that might be useful, please let us know and we'll publish them in the next Tip.
Next week, we will begin a look at resources to help folks who are considering making a career switch.
May your learning be sweet.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Laurel Tip #289: Wonderful Websites #1
In this week’s Tip, we start a discussion of some wonderfully useful websites.
Tip #289: Wonderful Websites #1
Thanks to friends, colleagues, and various newsletters that I receive, there are a number of very useful websites that have come to my attention. Here are three of them:
1. <http://www.whitepages.com> find people for free
This is a terrific resource if you need to find a person, a business, or know the phone number and need to do a reverse look up. You can also sign up on the site so that it is easier for people to find you. This site recommendation comes from Patrick Lee and was published in SpeakerNet News. He was able to find the address for an author when all he initially knew was the author’s name and state. He also used it to find an address for someone whose website only listed the phone number, not an address.
2. <http://www.wordle.net> for word clouds
Have you ever seen a word cloud? I didn’t even know what it was until Mary Hoddy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote to tell me about it: “You can go to <http:/www.wordle.net>, copy in a bunch of words, and it makes a word cloud for you. The words that you've repeated the most will come out the biggest. It will tell you in an instant what you said that was most important.“
You can have the site reformat the words you have entered, using different fonts, color schemes, and perspectives. You can also have it focus in on a certain number of words. First of all, it can be very useful if you need to focus in on a title (for a book, for example). Second, it is a lot of fun. Third, it is very visually appealing!
3. <http://www.teainc.org/glossary_a.html> for a glossary of terms
Actually, this website will give you a glossary of terms used in the energy industry, which may or may not be of interest to you. However, it wasn’t until Jeff Anthony of Commonwealth Metrics sent me this site that I realized that there are all sorts of glossary sites dedicated to different industries! So, if you want to make sure that you are using terminology that is familiar and appropriate to your specific audience, just Google a glossary for that industry!
Thank you, Patrick, Mary and Jeff!
Next week, we will continue our discussion of some wonderful sites. If you know of other sites that might be useful, please let us know!
We welcome your feedback on any aspect of this blog.
We also welcome your questions and topic suggestions, which will help to ensure that our Learning Tips are relevant to your needs.
May your learning be sweet.
Tip #289: Wonderful Websites #1
Thanks to friends, colleagues, and various newsletters that I receive, there are a number of very useful websites that have come to my attention. Here are three of them:
1. <http://www.whitepages.com> find people for free
This is a terrific resource if you need to find a person, a business, or know the phone number and need to do a reverse look up. You can also sign up on the site so that it is easier for people to find you. This site recommendation comes from Patrick Lee and was published in SpeakerNet News. He was able to find the address for an author when all he initially knew was the author’s name and state. He also used it to find an address for someone whose website only listed the phone number, not an address.
2. <http://www.wordle.net> for word clouds
Have you ever seen a word cloud? I didn’t even know what it was until Mary Hoddy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote to tell me about it: “You can go to <http:/www.wordle.net>, copy in a bunch of words, and it makes a word cloud for you. The words that you've repeated the most will come out the biggest. It will tell you in an instant what you said that was most important.“
You can have the site reformat the words you have entered, using different fonts, color schemes, and perspectives. You can also have it focus in on a certain number of words. First of all, it can be very useful if you need to focus in on a title (for a book, for example). Second, it is a lot of fun. Third, it is very visually appealing!
3. <http://www.teainc.org/glossary_a.html> for a glossary of terms
Actually, this website will give you a glossary of terms used in the energy industry, which may or may not be of interest to you. However, it wasn’t until Jeff Anthony of Commonwealth Metrics sent me this site that I realized that there are all sorts of glossary sites dedicated to different industries! So, if you want to make sure that you are using terminology that is familiar and appropriate to your specific audience, just Google a glossary for that industry!
Thank you, Patrick, Mary and Jeff!
Next week, we will continue our discussion of some wonderful sites. If you know of other sites that might be useful, please let us know!
We welcome your feedback on any aspect of this blog.
We also welcome your questions and topic suggestions, which will help to ensure that our Learning Tips are relevant to your needs.
May your learning be sweet.
Friday, September 4, 2009
September 7, 2009
Tip #288: Preparing to Conduct Workshops in Hotels #5
In these last tips to prepare to conduct workshops in hotels, we focus on the hotel experience itself.
18. Internet access
We are all tethered to our world by our email. You will want to determine if internet access is available- and if so, if it is wireless and if it is free.
Today, many hotels offer free internet service in the rooms. If it isn’t available in the rooms, it is often available in the lobby.
When you check in, make sure to ask about it and get any password you may need.
However, be aware that many high end hotels charge by the day for internet access. It depends on the hotel chain and the location.
I use Entourage for Mac for my email application, and I often find that I am unable to directly access my email. However, I have discovered that I can go online to my two servers to read and respond to my email there. Find out what works for you, so you have a back up plan if you need to stay in touch with clients online.
19. Keep expenses down
I am always concerned about keeping my expenses to a minimum. Therefore, I avoid the exorbitant prices charged for mini bar items and vending machines in the hotel. Usually, I can find a local grocery store or drug store that sells the soda, water, yogurt, fruit or snack items I want. Anything that requires refrigeration goes into the mini bar.
20. LCD projector
Every now and then, my lap top computer and the hotel’s LCD projector are incompatible for some reason. After many highly stressful moments, I have learned that I should always have my PowerPoint program available on a thumb drive. This way, an alternate laptop can be used. I may only rely on PowerPoint for audiovisual emphasis: mostly bullet points and cartoons, but I’d still rather have it available to use.
Most hotel conference staff are savvy to the need to tape down electrical cords. However, if they haven’t done so already, make sure that they do so you don’t trip over the cords.
This concludes our checklist for preparing to conduct workshops in hotels. Next week, we will start a discussion of some wonderful sites.
May your learning be sweet.
Tip #288: Preparing to Conduct Workshops in Hotels #5
In these last tips to prepare to conduct workshops in hotels, we focus on the hotel experience itself.
18. Internet access
We are all tethered to our world by our email. You will want to determine if internet access is available- and if so, if it is wireless and if it is free.
Today, many hotels offer free internet service in the rooms. If it isn’t available in the rooms, it is often available in the lobby.
When you check in, make sure to ask about it and get any password you may need.
However, be aware that many high end hotels charge by the day for internet access. It depends on the hotel chain and the location.
I use Entourage for Mac for my email application, and I often find that I am unable to directly access my email. However, I have discovered that I can go online to my two servers to read and respond to my email there. Find out what works for you, so you have a back up plan if you need to stay in touch with clients online.
19. Keep expenses down
I am always concerned about keeping my expenses to a minimum. Therefore, I avoid the exorbitant prices charged for mini bar items and vending machines in the hotel. Usually, I can find a local grocery store or drug store that sells the soda, water, yogurt, fruit or snack items I want. Anything that requires refrigeration goes into the mini bar.
20. LCD projector
Every now and then, my lap top computer and the hotel’s LCD projector are incompatible for some reason. After many highly stressful moments, I have learned that I should always have my PowerPoint program available on a thumb drive. This way, an alternate laptop can be used. I may only rely on PowerPoint for audiovisual emphasis: mostly bullet points and cartoons, but I’d still rather have it available to use.
Most hotel conference staff are savvy to the need to tape down electrical cords. However, if they haven’t done so already, make sure that they do so you don’t trip over the cords.
This concludes our checklist for preparing to conduct workshops in hotels. Next week, we will start a discussion of some wonderful sites.
May your learning be sweet.
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