EPIC Career - Career Guidance, Consulting, Coach
  • Home
    • Contact Us
  • Who We Are
    • San Antonio Career Guidance
    • Why Career Consulting?
    • The EPIC Career Difference
  • Get Started
    • Adults
    • Students & Families
    • Teams
  • Testimonials
  • Blog

Gap Year Hazards

5/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Brought to national attention in recent days by President Obama’s daughter's decision to delay Harvard admission by one year, arguments for high school graduates pursuing a Gap Year before college are quite compelling including developing greater understanding of career interests before settling on a college major. Having passed from the inherent pressure of compulsory education, exploring new or long stifled interests through travel, volunteer experience or generally non-academic pursuits seems like a logical step toward clarifying career goals, and generally healing oneself before embarking toward the college and career pursuit climb into adulthood. While all of this may be true, there are some definite potential hazards to consider before pursuing such a period of hopeful enlightenment.

1. Gap Programs Costs
If your going to do it, do it right - sign up for a Gap Year program. Often spanning a typical academic year and including international travel, these programs offer a wide array of opportunities for personal enrichment, new skill development and volunteering experience. While this arguably seems idyllic, be aware that although many offer possible financial assistance, these programs are typically quite expensive - some in the 10K - 20K range.

2. Missing a Year
While a Gap Year may be invigorating, you could earn a year of college credits while at the same time potentially discovering the same or more about yourself through the college experience. You could have even prepared yourself for a far less expensive upcoming study-abroad experience from which you could further earn college credit.

3. A Simpler Alternative
Perhaps not seemingly as exciting, a simple career assessment and a few hours of consultation would likely offer you as much or more self insight to help you shape your career interests into confidently-made decisions. Fulfilling as world travel may be, career assessment and consultation can help you simply see how everything you enjoy relates to the career world so that you can begin constructing a unique strategy for your long- term career success.

Don't get me wrong, everything about a Gap Year sounds wonderful. How could anyone argue with the advantages of exploring the world, helping others, and developing diverse friendships from such an experience. My argument is simply that for those for whom such an experience is financially impractical, great benefit can be gained from a far less costly and timely career assessment and consultation experience. If you are ready to extinguish the anxiety of your career indecision and begin creating a plan with the highest likelihood of long-term career success, EPIC Career is here to help.

0 Comments

Rejuvenating Your Career Without Quitting Your Job

12/31/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
As the holidays end and a new year begins, are you bummed about going back to work! After the joy and excitement that the holidays bring, does it seem like kind of a drag to go back to your weekly routine? I think many have the impression that you would only want to seek career consultation when you have just lost your job or are fed up with your current one. While my clients are usually ready for a change from their current career situation, the consultation helps them see their work lives in new ways that enhances their current job role.

What often surprises them is how unique their talents are from those of others. My clients tell me all the time that they are annoyed with particular job tasks or co-workers usually because they assume that everyone sees those work situations in the same way as themselves. The key is to remember that your approach is truly, entirely distinct from that of others. "Why does everyone always expect me to do that?" I often hear. "Why can't they just do it?" my clients will say. While it may be true that others are not responsibly fulfilling work tasks, very often my clients learn that their approach to those same tasks makes them the preferred person to complete certain job tasks in the best possible way over others, which helps them view these situations differently.

At EPIC Career, we help you single out those talents. Those are the bits that must be brought out in job interviews, Summary sections of resumes and the like. Employers want to know this about applicants, but job applicants often do not understand or know how to articulate these qualities. As we launch into a new year and back into familiar and perhaps draining work routines, remember that your talents are unique. Career assessment and consultation can help you understand how you are different from others and how you can optimally express your unique potential contributions to supervisors and potential employers to win coveted opportunities. Whether you are ready to make a major career change or simply expand your understanding of your talents, EPIC Career is hear to help!
2 Comments

First Semester Bust!

12/31/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Did your first college semester not go so well? Were you surprised to learn that the major that you long planned to pursue really wasn't your fit when you began taking related courses? The key now is to find your fit as soon as possible to save you time and tuition costs and so that you don't earn unneeded coursework by graduation. Many believe that internship, volunteer and other short-term job opportunities are the main answers to this conundrum, but the reality is that you do not even know in what professional field to focus these efforts. This is where career assessment and consultation comes in.

​At EPIC Career, our assessments compare your responses to those of thousands of men and women who have indicated preferences for particular career fields and college majors from more than 50 years of solid research. Even if you are comfortable in your career focus, wouldn't you like to know what all these individuals just like you have for so long indicated to be their preferred career fields? From this knowledge, we help you make sense of your past and present interests to make a college major and career plan that offers the highest possible likelihood for a lifetime of career success. Sign up now, and you can move into next semester with confidence in a new long-term college major and career plan that will work, lose the anxiety of uncertainty, and have fun in college. This will help you not just in immediate course planning, but also in internship and volunteer pursuits and networking preparation for the big job when you graduate or graduate school. When you are ready to build this kind of solid confidence in your career direction, EPIC Career is ready to help!
0 Comments

Born To Run

8/29/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Somehow every time I hear Bruce Springsteen's waling about running away to pursue his dreams with the love of his life securely holding on on the back of his bike, I get a little emotional? Don't we all want to create a life that is entirely fulfilling? Don't we all want to passionately, entirely pursue our passions in ways that will bring us total fulfillment? 

While we can emotionally well-up with about life choices, the reality of work life for most of us often regularly feels far more mundane.
People ask me questions all the time like, how can you know what career I should pursue? How can I rely on a psychological instrument to help me find something so personal as the passion and central pursuit of my life? More than how we will earn money for many years, if we believe psychologists who argue that we are shaped by our environment, our career choices help shape the people we become.

The truth is, these career and life choices are entirely personal and reflect our essence. Despite their centrality to our being, they can be so difficult to understand and navigate. I respond to the above questions by saying that while they don't offer all the answers, career assessments clearly offer a starting point. Not only do they help you more fully understand how your strengths and weaknesses relate to professions that are highly likely to be a fit based on decades of research, they help you understand yourself relative to others. Many career counselors use assessments that may offer insight about one's abilities, but they lack insight about you relative to everyone else. Our assessments help you build a long-term working knowledge of you and every other personality style, the percentage of folks who are also like you, and the opportunities and challenges that you are highly likely to face throughout your career. 

At EPIC Career, our career assessments offer you the strategic advantage over other job applicants by helping you fully understand how your passions relate to the real world of work. Yes, we are born to run. Are you ready to run toward your career passions armed with how you can fully realize your career dreams? At EPIC Career, we are ready to help!
1 Comment

Career Assessment Q&A: Do I Have to be a Social Worker?

5/4/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
This week, I start a new series based on cases and common questions (names and exact details are changed for client privacy). 

The assessment results show Social Worker as my best-fit career, but I have no interest in that field. Does this mean that I won't be successful in my career unless I pursue Social Work? No

But That Career Isn't on the Assessment Results?

Client: I want to be an engineer.
Me: It's great that you have an idea. Why do you want to be an engineer?
Client: My father is an engineer, I have learned a lot about what it takes to be an engineer from his experience, and I think this field will work for me.
Me: Many naturally consider career choices of family members with which they are familiar when beginning evaluating options. The top careers listed on your assessment are Pastor, Teacher, Social Worker and other helping professions. Have you ever considered any of these.
Client: No, I don't like any of those professions? Why does engineer not show as a strong fit (client becoming frustrated). These assessments are worthless - why did I even do this?

Interpretation = Fit

Our experiences with tests and exams have typically involved reading results as absolute truths. The beauty of assessment results lies in the wide range of information revealed, all of which may be appropriately used employing a great deal of interpretation. First, the assessments are meant to show you what thousands of others over decades who responded just like you indicated that they preferred in terms of professions, work-related values, tasks, etc. Additionally, the results also present one's learning style, preferences about interacting with and leading others and much more. With interpretation, assessments provide insight for career decision-making rather commandments to rigidly follow.

How Can You Find Your Fit?

For the engineering student, the results showed his preference for practical learning gaining skills that can be immediately used. They also revealed his preference for understanding and listening to the needs and feelings of others, enjoying group work and feeling quite comfortable taking charge and leading others. In my experience, results of those who enjoy Engineering are usually different. While engineers design things that we use everyday (implying a desire for practical learning), their reports typically show a preference for understanding concepts theoretically leaning on their talents in science or math. While engineers work with others, their results don't usually show a preference for taking great time to understand and listen to the feelings of others, as one might expect from a Pastor, Teacher, Social Worker, or similar professional.

What Should This Client Do?

I would suggest that the client research and review many of the professions on the results, including many he had never before considered. If this client chose one of the helping professions discussed, he would likely work with many colleagues with personality preferences and interests that are very similar to his. Because of this, he would likely understand others and be understood reasonably well most of the time by professionals in his field. The drawback is that he may have a hard time standing out to employers and showing how his talents are unique relative to other job candidates. 

If he chose Engineering, he would likely find that most of his colleagues would like him to be the member of the firm who develops and maintains relationships with clients. Having been trained in engineering by that point, he would likely enjoy coupling his talent of listening to client needs and working closely with his fellow engineer colleagues to meet those needs. To be clear, I am not saying that engineers do not enjoy working with their clients or other people! I am, however, saying that in my experience, I have found that they typically exhibit primary satisfaction at using their scientific and mathematical skills toward solving practical problems over striving to understand and manage the challenges inherent in interacting with others as a central work task.

Are you unsure about a career or college major choice and would like decades of research to affirm your career-related decisions? At EPIC Career, we are here to help.
1 Comment

Career Talents - Same As Always

12/1/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
Clients come to me all the time asking what I think they should do with their lives, professionally. What I always find most interesting is what about their past lives they have not considered to be part of that choice. From infants and throughout our lives, our personalities form based on innate characteristics, and developed skills and interests. In my experience dealing with these issues with teens through adults, it is striking to often find that my clients just haven't changed as much throughout their lives as they think they have. When we really examine the elements of activities that we most enjoyed when we were younger with the present, we find the same activities continue to excite us, invigorate us, and compel us to situate our lives so that we can continue to pursue those activities. I am not exclusively talking about leisure activities. Yes, we all enjoy vacations and escape from the basic responsibilities of life, but certain activities continue to drive us. The key, of course, is to learn how we can capture these enjoyed activities in a career from which we can find a lifetime of satisfaction. At EPIC Career, our 37 pages of report about your personality and consultation can help you see exactly this: how what you have always enjoyed can translate into a satisfying career pursuit. When you are ready for this kind of examination of self to inform your career-related decisions, we at EPIC Career are here to help.
2 Comments

Thankful For Our Talents

11/27/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
This holiday when you are reminded of all of the many aspects of life for which you can be thankful, why not add talents to the list? Sure we are thankful for family and friends, the opportunity to be together, our health and so many other things, but what about the aspects of ourselves in which we have developed talents? Our talents help us excel in school at work and to maintain our homes and other aspects of our lives.

Crazy Family Members

At the holiday gathering, consider the talents that differentiate you from others at the party. Some plan the meals well with complex recipes, while others ensure that they are served on time. Still others clean and ensure that the gathering place is comfortable for everyone. In contrast, some will arrive late bringing spontaneity to well-laid plans. Some will offend you or offer the opportunity to spar about social issues while others will give you the opportunity to reminisce happily about past gatherings.

As some family members annoy you or you wish you could be better at something, be reminded that our strengths and weaknesses are what make each of us unique - why not celebrate them?
1 Comment

Optimal Career Choices - Personality is Everything

11/26/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
How many times have you heard someone talk about how well someone else performs at a particular task using words such as highly intelligent, very smart, or bright? You may have also heard folks talk about differing Learning Styles, Interests, Strengths, etc. If you think about the many words people use when making these statements it can get rather baffling. You may ask, "how are these concepts related?" or "what does that person really mean in describing the other person in that way?" People use these words so freely they seem quite confident that the descriptors they are using are definitely different from any of the other possible words that they could have used. 

I likewise experience this all the time. I have studied human personality theories for years. In my many years of helping individuals make sense of their individual talents, interests, and skills in application to the work world, I have concluded exactly as stated in the title of this blog entry: Personality is Everything. In using two of the most highly respected of career assessments, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (deals with personality) and the Strong Interest Inventory (deals with human interests), I am amazed at how consistently descriptors about human behaviors are easily attributable to personality differences. While we develop interests and skills from life experience, these experiences form our personality.

In my consulting, I draw on 37 pages of description of the client's personality to discuss many aspects of how they understand the world, make decisions, structure their world and relate to others to solidify a grounded career choice. Because personality is everything, the myriad elements of the client's personality is revealed from the reports. Much more than a list of best fit professions, client meetings become a discussion of essential motivators of the client: reasons why they did this, enjoy this, prefer that, etc. and how all of this coincides with particular professions, work settings, work roles, etc. If you are ready for this kind of in-depth analysis of yourself toward creating an overall focused life, we at EPIC Career are ready to help.
1 Comment

career assessments myth #1: i know what i am doing so i have no need for career assessment

7/29/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
Myth 1: I know what I am doing, so I have no need for career assessment.

False!

Are you sure about jumping into that career field? From my experience working with clients about career and college major choice issues, I can often fairly quickly see how a career choice might or might not be a long-term career fit. Actually, sometimes it is a great fit and I breathe a huge sigh of relief. But far too often, I know that the choice is a terrible mistake. 

Why does it bother me to learn that someone is about to embark upon a career from which they are not likely to find long-term satisfaction? First, I think about their future disenchantment with the choice and what a blow to their future self-confidence it will be. Secondly, I think of all of the resources (time, energy, tuition and certification expenses) the individual will personally invest. Finally, I hate to think that the American taxpayers are about to potentially loan that student tens of thousands of dollars to pursue a program that might only lead to disappointment.

So when I hear "This program has great job prospects" or "I have a friend who did that program and everything turned out great for them," my response is "Are you sure that you are completely confident about spending or borrowing all those many thousands of dollars on this program that you are not quite entirely sure will work for you?" Are you sure you don't want to know what more than 60 years of solid research suggests would be highly likely to be an ideal fit for you?" 

Before spending all those thousands, wouldn't it be wise to explore a wider set of options that will offer you understanding of clear pathways for your future career success? Whatever your college major or career decisions, wouldn't this knowledge help you breathe easier as you make them? At EPIC Career, we are here to help.
2 Comments

Career Assessments Myth #2: Happy In My Career So Don't Need It

7/21/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Myth 2: Because I am happy in my career, career assessments could in no way help me advance in my career.

False!

Making the Case

Career success is wonderful! It is great when you enjoy your career and earn a salary that meets your needs. It's even better to feel you have earned appropriate credentials for your profession and strong references that will support many years of career advancement. My question is: do you know how to articulate your strengths? Yes, past achievements, educational attainment, and references speak for themselves, but is that your whole story? 

If you have ever been a hiring manager you know the conundrum. You have gone through all the appropriate interviews, checked all the references (which were all satisfactory), and involved all the appropriate people with whom the new hire might regularly work. But ultimately, the final decision still lies solely with you. How do you make the decision? What is the ultimate rationale that will help you decide that one applicant will truly be a better fit than any other candidate. The answer is "fit." You know that one candidate just fits in better with yourself or others and you think (often with no rational explanation) that that one is better than every other candidate. As candidates, how can we be the fit?

Being the "Fit"

How do we stack the odds in our favor for the greatest chance of showing that we are the best fit? Personality! We must understand how our natural personality strengths make us the optimal fit for the job. When I have hired, I have always known that all applicants that I have invited to interview have a strong shot at the job. What I ultimately want to hear, however, is what makes the candidates tick. What excites them at work? What successes have they enjoyed enacting that they describe as satisfying? I also want to hear about what is not so fun or not so interesting and how that applicant manages those tasks. These details are what make the applicant a human. After all, if I am hiring them, I want to know that I want to hang out with them in the workplace for a significant amount of time over many years. Personally, I do not want to hear about how they like to go fishing, skiing, shopping or anything else personal about their lives. I want to know about what they enjoy about work. Unfortunately, too often candidates do not convey this side of themselves, leaving the interviewer to only speculate about job fit as the candidate made no compelling case.

The Power of Self-Description

How does a successful professional understand these kinds of intangible, difficult to measure qualities about themselves and most importantly, how does one articulate these qualities to an employer? Career assessment is the key. At EPIC Career, we help you understand how you have always been and will always be. Yes, we all change and improve in many ways throughout our lives, but there are many aspects of ourselves that are quite stable. You need to be able to describe in what ways you are uniquely gifted at particular work-related tasks - how you have been in the past and will always be. You can then use examples from your work experience to verify that success. This information is so much more than saying am a "I good team player". It's better than using generic terms like "focused", "punctual", or "dependable".  (Shouldn't all workers be those things?!) 

Are you ready to stand out from the crowd by describing yourself to employers in ways that most applicants cannot even conceptualize about themselves? At EPIC Career, we are here to help.


0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    May 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    July 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    Career And Family
    Career Assessment
    Career Choice
    Career Development
    Career Fit
    Career Guidance
    Career Help
    College Loans
    College Major Choice
    Women's Career Development

    RSS Feed

Phone:  832-265-8060
Email:  [email protected]
San Antonio, Texas 78209