Have you ever noticed that some of the big talk show hosts/opinionators have absolutely no authority in the field that they are talking about? What? A lot of news reporters/journalists simply are repeating stuff they hear from someone else, like the Associated Press. Did you know that there are millions of Americans who went to college and then later in life found themselves in a totally different occupation? Look at me, I have an MBA in HR and a bachelors in marketing and here I am a “writer”. Although technically I am writing about HR, so that counts. Did I go to school to be a writer? No. Why? Because my high school guidance counselor said being a writer was stupid and I would never be successful. So I said okay and went into marketing instead. Little did I know that later in life I would fulfill that dream that she stomped on, crushing what little bit of hope I had. My guidance counselor wasn’t successful. SHE never wrote a book. In fact, she hated her job and did a sucky job at it. If “I” was the career coach, working with high school students I would encourage them to pursue their dreams, as long as they have a financial plan to go along with it.
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Everyone should have a back up plan. Mentor someone who HAS that degree you want to pursue, and like in your information interviews, find out how they make a living, without asking how much they make. As I stated before, if you know your worth, what you should/could be paid by the hour, then you can determine if that career is good for you. So, if you are going into social work, a public teacher, then you can probably expect you won’t be paid a lot. Non-profit, charities, are also jobs that people accept knowing there is no money attached. Sometimes people use this as stepping stone, with the hopes of internal promotions.
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As a reminder, education is THE easiest thing to verify on a resume, and if you fudge any details you just got thrown to the NO pile. That information data sheet that you just added references should also have exact dates of enrollment, your GPA and also any groups you were a member/leadership. Sometimes, those little pesky details don’t get accomplished until you have actually started working, and then the HR department has to be the bad guy and terminate you. I’ve had to terminate employees for failing drug tests. Management has a problem when junkies are working in their company. Why do people lie? Because they are taking the risk/chance/hope that they won’t be verified and they can slip into the company. I personally know of an HR “guy” (not a friend) who was a compulsive liar, forged everything and somehow managed to get hired … in an HR job. I know, crazy. Because if he is going to lie before he even starts, what “else” is he going to do? The first thing that comes to mind is …embezzlement, theft, abuse of company assets.
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So I want you to think about WHO it is you are taking your advice and wisdom from daily. Who is teaching/preaching/guiding you on your right path? IDK, maybe it is me. Or your coworker, your neighbor, your church friend, the woman standing in line at Walmart. It might be CNN, Fox News, or the local television news station. My goal is simply helping people find a better tomorrow. What are your other sources intention? Are you on your right path to joy and happiness? You create your own reality.
