December 2005:
Number 500
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A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.758.3849. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: Dec. 2 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, photographer; Layout by Publications
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Re-careering: Crisis or opportunity?
By Larry Maughan, Co-op Coordinator Career Services & Cooperative Work Experience
“Re-tooling, re-focusing, revitalizing” careers are words we have invented to talk about developing a new career, or “re-careering.”
You might experience this in several ways. One example is when you are ready for a change. You spent time preparing for your career and believed this is what you were meant to do when you realize this job does not provide the interest and passion it once did. What do you do? You have invested money, time, educational training and now you are not happy with your choices. Is it too late to start over?
A second example is when a change is decided for you. You are working hard, doing your job when out of nowhere you learn management has changed the company’s direction and your position is being eliminated. You are left in shock wondering what you will do next for a job. Or, maybe you accepted your current position knowing there would be a few difficulties only to realize, after a short time, you can not stand going to work and having to face certain people in your department.
When the interest or need to find a new job or explore a new career comes -- and it probably will -- what do you do? Many books and articles have been published on the topic of re-careering. The average adult will change careers from four to seven times, not counting multiple jobs within each career field during a working lifetime.
Changing careers may challenge you to overcome several obstacles. Some of these include training and skills, academic and experience qualifications, the “desired age” for a particular position, or an apparent overload of other people looking for the same type of job. But there is good news for those wanting to see what exciting career options might be available.
What are some factors to consider when making career change decisions? Start at Collin by investing some time into the resources within the Career Services and Co-op department.
First, you can obtain new tools such as:
• Self and personality assessments
• Career Counseling
• Locating resources
• Understanding how your current skills transfer to new employment
Second, you can:
• Identify possible areas of interest
• Conduct informational interviews in the business community
• Meet with faculty in the areas of your interests
• Develop a new resume targeting your skills and abilities
Keep in mind, your next career may be emerging in today’s workplace.
Many careers did not even exist a few years ago. Become aware of trends in the marketplace and begin now to prepare yourself. The process of re-careering can be a worthwhile journey for you. Career Services and Co-op can provide valuable keys to navigate this adventure.
To get started, visit a career center at one of our campuses or call: 972.881.5781 (Spring Creek Campus), 972.548.6747 (Central Park Campus), or 972.377.1781 (Preston Ridge Campus).
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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