Career Achievement

Career is everything!

Especially in our society. It affects all areas of life, because it has to do with the world of work – something which touches us ALL.

Think of how long a typical work-life is for most people. It’s not just years, it’s decades! If you start work in your 20s and retire around 70, that’s almost half a century! That’s a long time to do something you don’t like.

And yet, how much time do most people spend in planning their careers?? An appointment with a college advisor that has no special training? Going to college just to be with friends and with no goals or plan? Pursuing a particular career path just because you, or someone else, thinks it pays well? These are not good reasons. There should be much more attention given to considering career options – personal goals, skills and strengths,workforce projections, necessary education, and then, how to make it grow and develop for a lifetime of gainful employment. That means staying employed and secure all the years of your work-life!

Career planning includes a plethora of skill building, personal awareness, understanding of job market/trends, how to apply education, learning specialized skills, advancing to new levels, finding fulfillment and meeting personal goals. Your career is about who you are as much as about what you do. It’s more than just getting a paycheck.

Although sadly, that’s the strategy of too many people. Living paycheck to paycheck. Don't let this be you. You can do better.

Consider this - according to stats, over 70% of American workers are unhappy with their jobs, and a whopping 83% are un-engaged at work. Even though these stats seem a little on the high side, job dissatisfaction and disengagement affect all of us – as employees, as customers, and certainly as bosses. We can do better.

This can be fixed, but has to start with you.

If you are unhappy with your work, you will not be as productive or creative. You will have more stress, and may affect your personal life too.

The same goes for your employees - - which can affect your customers - - which in turn, can affect your profitability and bottom line.

Sounds like we need to fix this.

Sidebar – just so you know, stress is a BIG issue. Stress at work can affect physical health, create anxiety, strain emotions, drain your energy, impact self-esteem, cause discouragement and even depression, reduce work productivity, put pressure on our relationships, and detract from the important things in our lives.

How does stress affect businesses?? Poor motivation, low productivity, lack of creative problem solving, wasted time, absenteeism, retention, poor loyalty, etc. All of which can impact the bottom line – the success and sustainability of a business. And if businesses are not successful or sustainable, there are no jobs. Unemployment affects everyone and weakens our economy. We know what that’s like, so let’s keep our businesses strong and folks working.

And here’s one more thing to consider – our young people. Not only does work stress take away time from our families and our kids, we are operating on some very outdated ideas for our kids’ futures. Things have changed a LOT in the past few years in career planning, education, opportunities, job search, and work life balance. Unfortunately, our kids are not getting educated on these changes so they are not being adequately prepared for success in a fast-changing competitive world. We DO NOT want our kids to become part of the statistics above. They deserve better!

Yep, we need to fix this. I’ll get off the soap box, for now.