So, you don't like your job, or you're laid off. Maybe you went to school once, and you don’t see the benefits of education. I was there once. Yet I went from burger flipping at 25 to being retired at 50. The truth is school ( college or a trade school) and a good attitude can remake your life.
And your attitude is important. Remember, your future boss is risking his or her money or career advancement to hire you. You must develop a good attitude, now, on your present job or in school because a bad attitude means no advancement, no matter what the training. So get that good attitude because your new life course is not just for a better job, but a real career.
As far as training, if you decide on college, pick a substantial major that you can do; or a major in something you love with a substantial minor. Something that coincides with work experience, if applicable. is good. If you pick a trade school, pick a trade that is needed and will be needed; one which matches your aptitude.
Jack chose college and majored in political science, which he loved. He also made sure to take accounting classes. I wondered, “ What can you with a political science degree. Not everyone gets hired to teach?” Well, I’ll tell you what; get accepted to a top notch school for a masters degree and get an MBA in International Finance. Jack went on to be happy and successful because he combined something he loved with something practical.
In Jack's case it also helped that Jack took a job in college which he advanced in because he was a hard worker. The graduate school was impressed by this. Again, attitude. You never know what will give you the cutting edge; so become sharp on all fronts
Now, if you are tied down by work or family obligations, consider an on-line school, at least in the beginning. You can take fully accredited classes on-line without the long drive to campus or the inflated cost of dorms and cafeteria food. And an on-line college or university, like a traditional school, has advisors to help you plan your courses and even has financial aid, which experts with few exceptions recommend taking, if needed, because school is an investment not a cost.
And please in all things remember, do extra research yourself and honestly access yourself. Like all professions, there are good school recruiters and bad ones. You know your needs and strengths and no one cares about you more than you.
After school's completed, get a good resume to tie your experiences together when you look for what is no longer a job, but a career. If you can’t do a resume yourself, get one professionally done. It is worth the investment. A resume should be both creative and truthful. For instance:
If a boss told you to show a new person how to sweep the floor, you've supervised something
If you have worked with cash, you've managed something.
To close, I took my own advice and retired after a successful career in manufacturing. People nowadays are afraid of manufacturing jobs because they believe the U.S. doesn't manufacture things anymore. Yet the United States is still the number one manufacturing power on earth. You need to hone yourself to the industries' needs though. Hey, the tailors hated the sewing machine because many tailors lost their jobs to those machine, yet the thousands of people who were needed to fix those sewing machines weren't worried about those tailors’ jobs.
by: Jeffrey Ruzicka
Jeffrey Ruzicka is retired executive of a small company. He lives with his wife in Western Pennsylvania.
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