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Escape The Stress!
In the western world, there is one thing common to many work places. Stress. There are many causes and all of us could spend a lot of time and dollars analyzing our life and situations to eliminate stress. What may be far more useful however, is...
Finding A New Job Quickly
Finding A New Job Quickly. by Arthur Cooper (c) Copyright 2005 http://www.arthurcooper.com Today’s working environment is unpredictable. Economic downturns can arrive at any moment. Redundancy can swiftly follow. No-one is fully immune, and...
Interview Questions: How To Stump The Interviewer
In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to know you and assess your worth, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission. Since interviews are...
Knowing Your Unique Gifts
When Bill became my client he had a very successful recruiting business but he could see the business environment was changing. He felt that he was not using his natural gifts effectively in his business and he wanted some help in identifying what...
SHOULD I START MY OWN COLLECTION AGENCY?
If you are wondering if you should or can open your own collection agency, the answer is yes, you can! There are some things you should do before opening your own agency. You should have experience in the collection industry. You must know what type...
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Career Path Divergence - Navigating The Ten-Year Fork In The Road
After working with engineers and IT professionals for over ten
years, I have noticed a consistent pattern in career paths of
these types of professionals. The career paths are generally
similar in that the first three years are spent breaking into
their career fields, learning skills, gaining additional
training, and establishing their professional reputations.
Between three and seven years, they begin taking on supervisory
roles such as team lead, group leader, or functional supervisor.
From seven years to around ten years (often as late as twelve
years) into one specific career path, engineering/IT
professionals have established their skills, and are honing
their leadership skills.
Somewhere around the ten-year mark, however, they face a choice
that seems to be consistent across industries. These
professionals often face a choice between the skills-based side
of their professions or taking the management track. This time
of choice can be a very difficult period for professionals since
the decision they make will directly impact the rest of their
careers.
Each track offers different benefits and opportunities. The
professional who chooses to take the skills-based career path
would expect to advance his/her skills to the specialist/expert
level. Engineers or IT professionals who take this path might
eventually gain patents in their work, earn a reputation as a
national expert in a particular skill or hone in on a special
direction of their skills that requires advanced education. Many
times, professionals who choose this track become consultants
who provide special knowledge in specific skill areas.
Benefits of selecting the skills-based career path are more
inwardly focused than the management track. Rewards for choosing
this path include opportunities to work on the cutting edge of
technology and emerging trends; opportunities to delve deeply
into development of new technology; and study/research
opportunities that are available only to high experts in a
specific niche. Many return to academia to gain a PhD in their
particular area of interest. Monetary rewards vary but are
greatest in the consulting arena where specialist command very
high rates for their expertise.
A good example of an engineer who chose the skills-based track
is a former client of mine who designed elevators. He was an
expert in elevator design, held several patents and was known
well throughout the small industry of elevator companies. One of
his early accomplishments included design work on the visitor
center elevators of the Hoover Dam. When he came to me for
services, he was transitioning from design leader to consultant
in order to maximize his earning potential. He was also ready to
start thinking of partial retirement
and wanted to work less
while still pulling in equal income.
This particular client had faced the decision around the
twelve-year mark in his career to continue on the skills-based
track or go toward management with one of the large elevator
manufacturers. His true love was design and not managing people,
so he selected the skills-based track.
The management-based career track offers different rewards and a
more traditional career path. Professionals who select the
management track find they move away from the day-to-day use of
development skills and spend more of their time managing tasks,
teams, and business operations. They lose touch with the
particular skills of their industry and concentrate on bigger
picture tasks. Professionals who choose this career direction
often decide to obtain an MBA around the ten-year mark in order
to boost their travel up the management ladder, a ladder that
ends at the top of the corporate structure as CEO, CIO, or
President.
The rewards of the management track are more capitalistic in
that the salaries are progressively larger, the benefit packages
riper, and the obtuse status positions are more obvious on the
management track. Individuals who select this track tend to be
less interested in "how things work" than in "winning". The
management track is the most traditional and well-known, thus
often is what is selected by professionals regardless of whether
they have the abilities or desire to be managers.
Professionals facing this fork in the career path often
experience feelings of confusion and anxiety without really
knowing why. Career coaching can be very valuable at this point
to professionals who are facing a change in direction and are
not sure which path to select. Professionals who work with a
career coach will come away with a clear view of their personal
career style, their goals, and can be confident in any decision
made concerning the direction of their career.
Life is full of decisions. Many have to be made on the fly, by
the seat of the pants, and with fingers crossed. Career choices
generally carry the luxury of advance timing and the opportunity
to consider all options completely. Are you facing a fork in
your career road? Take your time and consider all your options.
Make your decision based on what is best for your career, your
personality, and your life.
About the author:
Published in 25 career books, Alesia has been cited by Jist
Publications as one of the "best resume writers in North
America" and quoted as a Career Expert in the Wall Street
Journal. Serving as the Resume Expert for over 50+
organizations, she has numerous media appearances to her credit
and is a frequent keynote speaker. http://www.rezamaze.com
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