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THE TIP SHEET
We welcome contributions from I Can Still do That Advisors about key issues and events in their professional and personal lives.
This Week:
- Dr. Maria Nemeth’s weekly “Coach’s Corner.”
- Lee Gerber introduces RxCut’s free prescription drug card program.
- Lee Miller, Esq. posts his recent article from The Ladders discussing job retraining and whether heading back to school in a down economy is beneficial or not.
Coach’s Corner
A New Definition of Success
Dr. Maria Nemeth, PhD, MCC
Conventional wisdom tells us that success is about accomplishing more and more. This may be true, but at times trying to accomplish more leaves us too tired at the end of the day to appreciate what we have done. Try the following definition of success on for three days and see what happens. Success is doing what you said you’d do, with clarity, focus, ease and grace. Sometimes simply taking one action that’s important to you– and that you thought you’d never be able to do– is more reflective of success than a flurry of activity. Small steps allow you to focus on what’s in front of you. What small step are you willing to accomplish today? Regarding grace: what are you grateful for today? Whatever you are grateful for will grow and prosper.
FREE
PRESCRIPTION DRUG CARD
Lee Gerber
All of us are affected by the economic challenges of today’s world and, as a business owner, we realize that continued patronage has been made more difficult than ever by these events.. With this in mind, we would like to take this opportunity to provide you and your clients with a prescription card that is both free and anonymous. We have decided to become a sponsor of this national
effort to begin to get health care costs under control and give people some financial “breathing room” We are excited to be able to give back something to our loyal customers while saying “thank you”.
Simply download
your FREE Prescription Drug
Card and receive savings of up to 75% at more than 54,000 national, regional,
and local pharmacies. Start Saving
Today!
More info is available at www.rxcut.com/healthylife
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Do You Need Job Retraining?
Considering going back for more education? Make sure the scope of the program is right for your goals.
Lee Miller
The current unemployment figures may mask opportunities: Even while employers are laying off employees at a furious rate, those same companies are seeking to hire in other areas of the company.
They often have to look outside the company, not transfer employees internally, because current workers lack the skills required for those jobs. For example, although the Boeing Co. plans to layoff about 10,000 employees this year, it also has 1,500 open positions.
More than 4 million jobs were filled during April 2009, based on figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Some fields like bio technology, alternative energy, health care and education are expected to experience explosive job growth in the coming years . This expansion will create a need for chemists, engineers, programmers, nurses and
those who manage teams of these professionals .
In light of that, does it make sense to go back to school to acquire the skills needed to fill the types of jobs that are in demand?
Going back to school full- time to change careers or to take your current career to the next level is a major decision involving a significant commitment of time and money.
Example:
John Mone, a management consultant in Randolph, N.J., held a senior operations position for a large trading company when he decided to pursue an executive MBA at Wharton. For him, this turned out to be a good decision, leading him into a successful career as a management
consultant.
However, returning to school full time is not for everyone. Mone suggests that you should have “a specific purpose and ‘destination’ in mind before making what can be a substantial investment in time and money pursuing additional study.” If
you have a passion for what you want to study, returning to school may be exactly what you need to take your career in the right direction. That passion will enable you to find a way to use what you learn to build a career in your field of interest.
Dr. Karen Boroff,
dean of the Seton Hall Stillman School of Business in South Orange, N.J, points out that, depending on your employment situation there are many different educational options available.
- Part time. If an individual is employed, taking courses on a part – time or ad-hoc basis may be a good option.
- Continuing education.
Enrolling in courses offered through a continuing- education or
certificate program is an excellent way to develop or enhance specific
skills that will keep you marketable.
- Full time. If an individual is unemployed, studying on a full-time basis becomes a more attractive option.
According to Dr. Boroff: “When an individual is pursuing an advanced degree in order to transition back into the work force, a part-time graduate program is an option worth considering because it allows the student to network with working professionals.”
Career Advice from TheLadders
A competitive edge
Success
in today’s rapidly changing world requires continuous learning. If you
do not stay current with what is happening in your field, sooner or
later, you are likely to find yourself unemployed and unmarketable.
Everyone
can benefit from updating their skills, and learning new ones, by
taking courses at a local college or online, or by attending seminars. Understanding the latest technology and its potential uses in your job will help you stand out from a crowded field of candidates. Most potential employers will view your efforts to stay abreast of developments in your field as a major plus when they are making hiring decisions.
You need to be strategic in pursuing job retraining
and educational opportunities. If you go back to school simply because you don’t know what else to do, you are likely to be disappointed in the results. Caroline Ceniza-Levine of Little Silver, co-founder of the SixFigureStart, a career -coaching firm, summed it up well when she stated: “ Many students mistakenly use a return to graduate school as a way to escape a bad job market, not realizing that they will likely graduate into just as weak a market, and this time with a big debt load.” |
