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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Technology |
I would like some feedback on my career situation.? |
I am a 57 year old white male. I have worked in IT and my skills are Access, Excel and Visual Basic. I have some significant gaps in my work history where. I worked as a substitute teacher in school year 2005/2006 and but did not feel that going into teaching was right for me. 1. My skills are not that advanced with respect to current technologies. 2. I do not have good references for IT work. Some are too old. 3. I had several temp jobs in the last year where I was told that I was not strong enough technically with respect to employer's current expectations. 4. My history of temp jobs and gaps in employment has resulted in negative comments from many employers during recent interviews. 5. I have worked for H & R Block the last four tax seasons. full or part time. I have receive positive reviews every year and this is my best recent work reference. 7. I just got a job at a local Walmart and working 30 hours a week at $10 an hour in electronic sales. Career choices are always 3 pronged in nature: 1. What are you good at? 2. What can you make a living at? 3. What are you interested in? We often flounder in our careers because we don't pay enough attention to these three questions. The result is that we often wind up just getting by in something that we can make a living at, not necessarily having any interest in it, which tends to keep us from getting any better at it! FORGET the gaps in employment! If you are confident in the interview, if you've turned the corner on your career, if you KNOW that this next job that you're applying for is THE ONE that you were meant to do, those gaps will seem unimportant. The trouble is that you don't mention likes and dislikes, levels of skill, or any interests drawing you in this direction over that. Look at this summary of your work history. I could make equally strong cases that you should: A) Go back to the IT field, maybe shore up some weaknesses with a little course work, and pursue that B) That you should stay with WalMart, trying to work your way into management C) Pursue the tax preparation thing, maybe starting your own tax preparation business, financial consulting, etc. The point is that NO ONE can do more than give you very high-level talk-is-cheap type advice. Are you a man of faith? If so or even if not, I would strongly recommend that you read the former New York Times bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life. This book speaks to God's purpose for you that in general has to do with love, respect, adoration, obedience, and servitude toward Him, but ... certainly a part of your purpose in life is to do God's work too. Read the book as an aside to your search for a career path. Pray on it. Maybe seek some career counselling. If you can stop fretting some much about what YOU want to do, what YOU can make a living at, and truly and humbly submit to God's will, you'll be shocked at the doors that fling wide open to you! Maybe a 2 year degree would bolster your chances. It's a shame that employers would hold the fact that you tried teaching against you. If you know these are your weaknesses then work hard to change this in the future. How about picking up an associates in accounting and maybe working in the real estate as a bookkeeper... Subbing is tough work, and even though I'm a teacher, I hated it because of the inconsistancies!! Maybe you could try re-writing your resume to reflect other strengths you have, or try another career field. Make an appointment with a career counciler at your local community employment center. They could help with rewriting your resume, career direction, or a few extra courses you could take to update your skills. Sometimes you can find paid training or grants from the government to cover these costs. I think you should try an employment agency that specializes in placing technical people in large corporations or else take the government service exam and try to get a position with the IRS or some other type of similar work in the government b/c they are not allowed to age discriminate. I also think that you should get professional help updating your resume to "hide" the gaps better. Perhaps all your temp jobs could be, in a sense, "blended" into one package of working out of an agency on a contract basis, on a job-by-job, as-needed basis, so it doesn't look so inconsistent. Good luck to you. I know it is hard at your (our) age, but keep a positive attitude b/c employers are like dogs, they can smell your fear. A job hunt is just a job hunt until we come to that point in our lives where we want to set our feet upon a new path. When the traditional job hunt doesn't work very well at all. A life changing job hunt requires a different approach. You are contemplating a radical shift in direction. A career change can be costly and damage your self-esteem and self-worth if not done properly. It involves a deliberate process, which will take you to a career choice(s). Here are some sites that can help you plan a career change. Job Hunters Bible - My favorite. I have taught their system to hundreds of people with great results. Richard N. Bolles, America's dean of Career Consultants, heads the company and is also the author of the book, 'What Color Is Your Parachute.' This book should be available in your public library. http://www.JobHuntersBible.com U. S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/oco/ CareerBuilder.Com http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/j... The Princeton Review Career Quiz - Free. A brief 24-part questionnaire related to the Birkman Method, with intriguing career suggestions. http://www.review.com/career/careerquizh... The RHETI Test - Free. Related to the Enneagram http:/www.9types.com/ I changed my career when I was 52. It is not too late to change careers at your age. Or maybe you just need additonal training to be marketable in your field. They call it "retooling" ourselves so we can be more competitive and land the better jobs. Peace and blessings! |
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