The Tommy Gun and your career

Daniel Pink wrote a wonderful book called

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need

It has six insightful and empowering lessons. The last one is entitled

Leave an imprint

“Recognize that your life isn’t infinite and that you should use your limited time here to do something that matters.”

In a different book, I read about  John T. Thompson and his invention, the Thompson submachine gun (or the Tommy Gun). He has an interesting story because his invention was used in several capacities.  When the gun came to market there weren’t any major wars to use it in. WWI had just ended and John Thompson died before the gun was used to “clear trenches” in WWII. Law enforcement agencies and gangsters used the gun. The infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre utilized Tommy guns.

Did John Thompson feel like he made a positive imprint? Was he disappointed knowing that gangsters like Al Capone used his invention for crime? Thompson never truly got to see the good his gun did in WWII as a “trench sweeper” that helped defeat the Axis. Would that have made a difference?

Career and the Unexpected

 Krumboltz writes that, "The counselor's job is to facilitate the learning of skills, interests, beliefs, values, work habits and personal qualities that enable each client to create a satisfying life in a constantly changing work environment."

 Economic situations, unexpected personal events, unexpected information throw everyone for a curve, right?

How do you look at that curve? Is it a normal aspect of career choice or something that results in a strikeout? 

By viewing unplanned events as opportunities for learning, you are changing the game.

 Not only do you wait for the curve, but perhaps you should take action to generate and find those "curveball" opportunities.

The other day I saw a bank manager in a public forum trying to drum up business. I initiated a conversation about the future of retail banking. His response surprised me and I gained a perspective I did not have before. I also gained his email to follow up with for a couple of my projects. Who knows, right?

9 Ways You Can Create Positive Chance Events For Your Career

1. Take a risk(sometimes)

2. Accept  that no one can predict the future with accuracy

3. Reflect on how unpredictable events have shaped your career in the past

4. Think about how job descriptions are changing, some occupations are becoming obsolete, and unforeseen                          occupations are being created

5. Don’t use magical thinking or reliance on fate

6.Re-frame indecision as open-mindedness

7.Develop an exploratory attitude

8. Develop your skill of asking questions just to know

9. Avoid foreclosing  possibilities with job titles

(Based on the writings of Dr. John Krumboltz and his Planned Happenstance Theory)

Some ways to prepare yourself for a career intervention

Some ways to prepare yourself for a career intervention

•  Seek role models,
•  Expand your knowledge of self

•  Become open to reflecting on your life experience
•  Halt negative thoughts
•  Seek support from family members
•  Formulate realistic expectations

Five Reasons Why Doing An Internship Is Valuable

1. Helps focus your career interests, abilities, values, etc.

2. Gives you a dry-run with the job search process (resumes, networking, interviewing, etc.)

3. Gives you real-life experience that employers value

4. Helps you learn about a company you might be interested in working for in the future

5. Develops your professional network

Do you know what a Informatics Nurse Specialist does?

O*NET just comprehensively updated 105 occupations on their website. Here is a link in case you want to check it out. http://www.onetcenter.org/listings/18.0/updated.html

Having a strong interest in What Do People Do All Day? http://amzn.to/ammpVg, I could spend all day exploring all these different jobs. Some occupations stuck out as jobs that were relatively new. Do you or your parents, teachers, etc. know much about the following jobs?

Chief Sustainability Officers

Distance Learning Coordinators

Informatics Nurse Specialists

Wind Turbine Service Technicians

Because all of these occupations are relatively new, they might not have been on your radar in your career exploration.  The world changes and so should your knowledge of what people could do to make a living. You might find a great occupational fit...

The Last Samurai or why professional development is important

I watched The Last Samurai last week. You know that movie with Tom Cruise where he plays a civil war-era American soldier and winds up in Japan fighting with/against the samurai?

I thought it was a great movie and piqued my curiosity. I looked at the wikipedia page for Samurai and read up a little. At the end of the article there was this link (http://bit.ly/1574yW3) for a list of obselete occupations.

The risk of your profession becoming obsolete is low, but not keeping up with professional trends is much higher.

Do you know the latest technology? The newest theories? Best practices?

Professional Development is important for many reasons including making sure you are relevant in the world of work. Becoming the next alchemist is an extreme example, but it is a good point. By not keeping up with the trends in your field, you risk becoming less of an attractive worker.