Resume Tips For Military Spouses

My friends came over for the weekend and brought two small gifts for my kids. One gift was a small stuffed animal and a book, the other a small puzzle; but what stood out was the presentation! Clear cellophane wrap around the book and beautifully tied rawhide ribbons tied in a bow that was so beautiful I didn't even want to open it, or at least I wanted to somehow save it for re-gifting purposes. Presentation does make a difference! So I keep this in mind when I am looking at clients resumes. I like a resume printed on a good quality printer with no smudging, thick ecru paper, and if you are delivering it via email no italics and I like a little white space. If you are delivering the resume in person to a company or passing it along at a networking event, make sure you have a fresh manicure and a good haircut to boot. Clients often want to know a savvy way of combining their chaotic work history and how to package the gifts they have obtained throughout their military lifestyle. Should they go for "spouse-friendly employers" or hide the fact that they are a spouse on the run; they remember the hiring managers making comments on why they should or should not hire a candidate. Consider these tips as you go after the job of your dreams and remember that the law of attraction also applies to resumes, so regardless of my tips, if you love your resume others may love it as well!

1. Looks matter.

First impressions count so make your resume pretty! Consider limiting any bold or italic font as it often looks messy if the resume is scanned; better yet, try creating a clean PDF version of your resume as well so that it can be submitted to jobs electronically and not lose its professional appearance. Hiring managers are turned off by hard to pronounce names so if you have a difficult name put a nickname in parenthesis next to it for the job hunt-they can learn how to pronounce Vandana after you are hired. If you have an equally exquisite email address, consider changing that too. While friends may enjoying sending email to lovemymilitaryman@aol.com consider revamping the email listed on your resume to your initials or your first and last name and the internet provider; it will appear much more professional. You never know if a hiring manager is spying on MySpace or judging your personal address. In addition, make sure your home and cell phone voice mails are short, professional, and clear while you are job hunting.

2. Don't play hard to get:

You don't want a potential employer to call your house and be scared off by your sarcastic recording. Bottom line, make sure that you include a correct name, email, and mobile phone number that you can access at all times. Try to send resumes when you will have time to interview as well. If you are working full time, taking night classes, and about to have a baby you may not be free for potential interviews, and if a company calls you to come in and you postpone the date, another candidate may be hired on the spot just because they show up first. Perhaps postponing sending the resume until your summer holiday or three months postpartum will up your chances of being picked.

3. Making up for lost time:

Spouses often struggle with the proverbial gaps in their resume. Stop worrying about it so much and just think of what you did during that time that would still be worth listing. When you have a career gap it is ok to include those part-time extra jobs you took just to earn some money, and remember to word them as professionally as you can and include transferable skills such as customer relations or multitasking so your future employer sees some benefit to the work. You can also fill a gap with any volunteer work or schooling that may have been completed, especially if it is relevant to the job you are after. If you do have a lengthy gap in your resume try filling the gap with a few bullets rather than a lengthy explanation in a cover letter that should be focused solely on your strengths. If the gap is so big that you can't even fill half a page, then go take an intro to computer class and volunteer at organizations associated with the type of work you want to do, join some professional organizations or attend a conference so you have something current to brag about.

4. Boldly define benefits:

Job selection experts are not mind readers so don't assume they will understand military-spouse jargon; make sure your resume is clear and to the point. Write the resume with the company's needs in the forefront of your mind rather than highlighting what you are seeking. Resumes are not job descriptions of what you did, but rather a personal press release that displays accomplishments in clear succinct bullets highlighting your strengths, your transferable skills, and past contributions that will cause you to stand out and pique their interest rather than a recap your entire employment history. Companies should be able to quickly see your credentials and spot highlights that make you a good match for their company.

5. Size doesn't matter:

While one really good page is better than two so-so pages, don't cut back or start shrinking text to comply. Remember that short and sweet is all you need; and I say go for the trendier "profile" instead of a generic objective (description of the job you are after). The company knows the objective if you are applying for a job and a profile summarizes your selling points. One page resumes are back in style so consider moving some of those accomplishments to the cover letter and pairing down the resume content to look more like a sales brochure than a dissertation. In addition to choosing a clean simple typeface, have your resume professionally edited, and avoid any jargon. Keep in mind that a positive tone and active first-person tense reads more attractively.

6. Don't fake it:

Some spouses hire a fancy resume writer that rewords what they have done in old jobs to percentages and dollar signs of what they have accomplished, but then get stumped during interviews when they are quizzed on their own resume. Don't list that you are an expert at databases if you have never worked with one. And instead of scattering resume buzz words and clichés throughout, make the resume authentic. First think of your top strengths and then use a strong verb that describes where you really excel rather than what looks good on paper. Not only will your confidence shine through, but once you are hired for the job it will end up being a much better match than if you exaggerate in your resume and end up being placed in a job that requires the "attention to detail" work you abhor.

7. Peeking isn't cheating:

Go have a coffee at the library or local bookstore and peek at the resume book section. Do an online search, or better yet ask friends who are in good jobs if you can use their resume as an idea template. I am not saying to plagiarize a resume manual word for word, but as you read others' resumes it may "remind you" that you also were awarded something that slipped your mind. It can even be useful to go back to your old employee handbook that describes your past job description to help jog your memory about your skills and successes. As long as your ideas come from enough different sources and really resonate with who you are, it isn't cheating.

8. Tell your friends to brag:

As with everything else in military life, it never hurts to be over prepared. When you go to an interview bring a few extra copies of your resume in case you need to pass it along for a second interview-you never know. If you wrote "references available upon request" make sure that you actually have references and have a pre-typed one pager of these references and their contact information ready and on hand. Don't forget to let folks know you have used them as a reference so they don't blow your cover and say "Sara who" when a future employer actually calls.

9. Don't assume:

Don't assume the hiring manager knows how you are connected. If you know someone in the organization well, include your "contact" in the cover letter's first paragraph. Some spouses assume that an employer knows they are proficient at the computer or that they have references available upon request. It never hurts to include all relevant job skills. Another assumption people make is that the human resource professional reviewing your resume knows all the jargon associated with each job. You want to stay away from abbreviations and jargon no matter how common you think the word is.

10. Show off your stuff:

A beautiful resume that stays on your computer isn't going to get you that job. Contact all the military-spouse job resources and post your polished resume. In addition, print some extra copies and bring them with you so as you network you can pass them out. Try traditional job-search sites as well and don't be afraid to put yourself out there. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, and the same goes for job hunting. Buy some nice folders and place a few resumes in them to drop off at your idea organizations. If an organization isn't hiring, ask them if they can keep your resume on file just in case something opens up.

Now let's get started!

o Write down everything you have done in the past about your work history from your first job until now. Include relevant volunteer work, seminars, and training you have received, and next to each item list the skills you acquired, such as answered a 5-line phone, presented to a group of 50, brought in X number of dollars in revenue, etc.

o Create a skeleton resume with the main content you want to share with potential employers, and then save this as "resume skeleton" on your computer; and then you may want to create two different resumes for the two directions you are headed. For example, one resume may include all your military volunteer work and be terrific for applying for that perfect position with a spouse-friendly employer, and the other resume may look more corporate and include only your work history, a P.O. box, and that "great" corporate contact in the cover letter.

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Tips To Start Your Accounting Career

What are the best ways for you to get your accounting career started? When I started my career, I know I was a little intimidated by the process. However, once you know what you are doing and how to go about lining everything up, you can actually you're your accounting career up and running in no time.

The first step to getting your accounting career up and running is to make sure you have the proper education. In order to have an accounting career you will want to make sure you have some sort of accounting education. Check on line and you may be able to find a school or program that can help you with getting your degree. If, though, you already have your accounting degree, you are one step closer to getting your accounting career off the ground.

Once you have your education completed, the next step in getting an accounting career going is to figure out what you want to do, exactly. For instance, you can choose a corporate accounting career, you can work for individuals, or you could even work for a non-profit organization of some kind. In other words, before you get your accounting rolling you will need to figure out what exactly your accounting career is going to be.

Once you figure out what type of accounting career you want to get started, you can begin your search for a job. There are three good places to look for jobs that can get your accounting career off the ground: the internet, newspaper, and through a headhunter. Check online job sites to see what types of accounting jobs are available in your area. Finding an entry-level job can be just the boost you need to get your accounting career going.

Another way to find that local job is through one of the local newspapers. Check the classifieds in the paper under accounting. There you can find accounting career entry level jobs that may help you. You can also contact a headhunter in the area. A headhunter specializes in placing people in jobs for their clients. If you have the education required to get into an accounting career, a headhunter may be able to place you with one of his or her clients.

Getting any career off the ground is a little bit of a challenge for most anyone. You want to get your accounting career going, and that is something that can be done as long as you know how to go about it. First, make sure you have the education required of someone with an accounting career. Next, figure out exactly what type of accounting career you would like to have, whether it be corporate, private, or non-profit. Finally, it is time for you to get a job and get your accounting career rolling. If you want to build a career, get yourself started by following these simple tips and you will be going before you know it.

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Diet Technician Career Tips

What we eat plays a major part in our overall quality of life. Never has this been more true than in the present time we live in. With numerous reports of children suffering from obesity and an adult population increasingly prone to weight related illnesses such as diabetes and cardiac diseases, the need to proactively manage our diet is no longer something that can be taken lightly.

A dietetic technician is trained to assess a person's diet and current health condition and make recommendations on the changes the person needs to make to their eating habits if they want to live longer and healthier. As one would expect, diet technicians work very closely with dietitians.

Diet tech jobs can be found in hospitals, schools, weight management clinics, prisons, government agencies and day care where the holder of the position would be tasked with formulating the most appropriate diet whether general diets for overall healthy living or diets specifically tailored for persons with special needs.

These diet technicians are not only responsible for structuring proper diets - they can also be involved in training on best dietary practice. The audience of such training can range from new mothers, children, invalids and the old. A good number of diet technicians work on a part time basis and will usually either be contracted by more than one institution or will be trained in another profession.

Dietetic technicians also work in the food industry where they participate in the preparation process to ascertain that the food prepared or packed is beneficial for human consumption and the packet labels clearly and accurately indicate the nutrient content, calorie content, or any other information that the consumer would expect to see or that is required to be shown by law.

Even though diet technicians are expected to focus on developing diets that foster good health, they must always be alive to the needs of their audience or client in order to ensure that a healthy meal is also an enjoyable one to eat. Doing this calls for creativity as well as an understanding of a wide range of healthy recipes.

If you would like to be a dietetic technician, you will first need to enroll for at the minimum a two year science associate degree covering food science, nutrition and food service system management. Once you are through with the associate degree, you must then enroll for a specialized dietetic technician training program endorsed by the Commission on Accreditation for Diabetics Education (CADE).

The CADE-approved specialized training program covers the entire spectrum of the dietetic technician's typical responsibilities. You will be trained on the patient management process - that is, the different approaches to use when talking to patients and trying to understand what their nutritional objectives are.

The program also tackles the fundamental principles of proper diets including best practice on portion control, steps to follow in developing a menu plan, safety and hygiene in food preparation and food storage, and the economic considerations in food preparation.

It is difficult to cover everything about the diet technician in this short article. I encourage you to do more research if you are interested. Visiting more websites covering the career in more detail should help.

Note: You are free to reprint or republish this article. The only condition is that the links should be clickable.

Copyright Kenneth Echie. 

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Top 5 Career Networking Tips For Job Seekers

There's no denying the fact that professional networking is one of the most effective parts of a job search strategy. Those who know the true value of networking are already benefiting from their contacts. Well, there is no doubt either that you would agree to the fact the around 70%-80% of job positions are filled through networking or referrals. What's important, however, is that you are well aware of the 5 best career networking strategies to make the most of this job search tool.

Given below are 5 best networking tips that job seekers can use to maximize the benefits of professional networking.

Join professional organizations

Ask job seekers and professionals about effective networking strategies and most of them would respond by saying - join professional organizations. Job seekers need to join organizations that relate to their professional fields or careers they want to kick-start. By joining a professional organization, you will come across a lot many people with the same professional aspirations you have. It is a great opportunity to market your talents and skills at conferences and meetings held by these organizations. And this will definitely expand your professional network.

Start to volunteer

Another important career networking tip is to participate in volunteering activities. By volunteering in a field related to your career or field of study, you can meet many influential people. This can further bring your multiple career opportunities and benefits. While you volunteer, you can also display or market your talents and skills. Volunteering is also an effective platform to acquire some valuable real world experience, which employers always prefer.

Join a job club

One of the most important tips for career networking is to start or join a job club. A job club brings many benefits to job seekers. At this gathering of job seekers, you can plan job search strategy, share job landing ideas and be informed about who is hiring. A job club, therefore, proves to be much supportive for candidates seeking jobs.

Maintain a positive online presence

Participating in social media has become utmost important for professionals. Through these online social media platforms, professionals can make their positive online presence. More and more employers and recruiters are searching for talents through these social media websites. Professionals can create their professional profiles on popular networking platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook. So, be prepared to make the most of your social media presence.

Conduct informational interviews

Informational interviews prove to much beneficial for college students and graduates. Job seekers too can make the most of informational interviews for career success. By conducting these interviews, you can talk to professionals who are working in the field you are also interested in. Informational interviews do not only provide you first hand knowledge about a specific working field, but it also expands you professional network at the same time.

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Capricorn Career Tips That Help Libra and Cancer

As a Capricorn you will gain a job that has to do with the earth, meaning anything that is solid and has firm foundations. In all cases the Capricorn likes to do there work from behind the scenes. You will have a job in which you counsel people, but your job will be centered on securing it.

As an Aries your career will blend with your fiery personality, the fire is a thing of instant connection to the soul. This makes you well enough capable to undertake certain procedures as well as deal with certain important issues. When of this nature you are everywhere and in everything to be recognized, as a great opener you should stick to that and leave other roles to particular persons.

The same for the person of Cancer which there careers get together with their nature. Whether it may be at work or where ever these individual's need extreme privacy, with this your career is always interesting with different trips and sense the joy would be plenty but you will have to have a home base despite the travel. You will be satisfied to know that your career is getting very interesting and also these people love to keep their private business secret until the right time.

The sign of Libra will obtain a job involved with his nature which is air; this is termed as anything that has to do with intellect. They are very good at judging people and work well with a funny partner. It is a joy because most Libra's are open for settling deputes and so on.

Colin Scott

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Switching Careers - 7 Key Steps

Are you thinking about switching careers? If you are, you're not alone. Most Americans switch careers three times in their lifetime. Nevertheless, switching careers is scary. And it's especially paralyzing the older you get. But making a career switch is very possible and much more common than you might think. Before you're ready to leap, realize that it's a heavyweight decision that deserves some time and solid thought. Here are seven steps to help you on your way.

1. Gain insight from your current situation.

When considering a career switch, the first thing you should do is learn from your current situation. To do this, take a step back and study what you do for a living today and why you do it. Examine the reasons that you are in your current job or career. Was it what you went to school for? Was it what your parents wanted you to do? Was it the "hot career" at one time? Did you just "fall into it"? Did you love it at one time? Did you do it for the money you could make? Was it just to pay the bills? The answers to these questions can provide valuable insight into the core reasons that you want or need to change.

Now examine why you want to leave your current career field. Remove any company or management related politics that are specific to your current employer from the picture. See your situation for what it is and ask yourself why you are looking to switch. Are you being forced out because of market shifts of business trends? Are you burnt out? Do you want to make more money? Are you miserable doing what you do? Have you tried your best but found that your career is "just not a good fit"? Have you decided its time to pursue a long lost career love?

Inspecting your current situation and reasons for your desire to change careers will provide a foundation for your next step.

2. Look inside

Whether you already have a career in mind or you are searching for a new career, you must look inward. In order to gain the most from your reflection, it is essential to start with a clean slate. Set aside any notions (real or imagined) about what type of money certain careers offer. Discard any stereotypes or judgments of occupations. Distance yourself from any pre-conceived ideas about what you are right or destined for.

Now seriously examine what you truly love. First start with the obvious. Look at your hobbies and interests. List out the things you are passionate about or in which you have talent. Give yourself credit for things you are good at and don't be afraid to write things down that you love, but are not yet good at. Write them all down, even if you think they may not be a possible career path. You're just brainstorming at this point and you should not eliminate anything right out of the gate. And it's important to bear in mind that what you may think are your interests are not necessarily all of your interests. To help you get a good look at your interests, observe the simple things. What kinds of news stories perk your interest? What kinds of TV shows do you enjoy? What kinds of books magazines do you find yourself drawn to? What kind of people do you like to associate with or find interesting? What parts of your current career have brought you the most satisfaction?

Next, remind yourself of what you wanted to be when you grew up. Is it something you still want to be? Do you still get stars in your eyes when you think about it? This may give you some real clues. And of course, depending on what you wanted to be, that young dream may be out of reach. Or...is it? Think about it. If your ideal career aspiration at the age of 10 was to be an astronaut and you are now over the age limit or are not physically able to, you can rule it out. But what about other careers associated with astronauts or astronomy? There is a wide array of careers that touch upon astronomy from teaching, to marketing telescopes, to writing for a science magazine, to building models or sets for movies to working at a museum on a space exhibit! When you look at your passion and then use a little imagination, the sky (or should I say space) becomes the limit.

Lastly, look at what type of person you are. Be honest with yourself. Do you enjoy working with your hands? Do you enjoy working alone? Do you enjoy a social work setting? Do you enjoy being part of a team? Do you enjoy working at night? These are all examples of questions that will lead you down the path to discovering and evaluating whether a given career path is right for you.

As you are going through the exercise of looking inside, it is important to avoid cluttering your mind or list with any "buts". If your answer to the question "do you enjoy working with your hands" was "yes", leave it at "yes". Don't append any knee jerk reactions to your answers such as "yes, but I am clumsy" or "yes, but those jobs don't pay as much". Leave your mind open and you will be pleasantly surprised at how easily any natural human discouragement subsides.

3. Explore what's out there

Now that you're armed with a list of personal interests and talents, sit on them for a few days and let them cook. Let yourself get used to your newfound list. You may find yourself adding a few more during this time or even crossing a few out.

Begin your next step by opening your eyes to what's out there (not what you perceive to be out there, but rather what is out there). Pick up your local community college catalog and flip through both credit and continuing education courses. Look online for education or career programs. Make a list of the careers of your friends and family. On your next ride to work or to the store, turn off the radio, look around and take notice of the buildings and businesses around you. Look at the people you see outside and start piecing together what their days are like.

The object of this exercise is to compare what is out there, with what interests you. Let's stick with the astronomy example. You're interested in astronomy. So what? Well...now you've begun looking through the local community college catalog and there, you see a continuing education course on astronomy. You've now found something concrete, a class that you can take that will allow you to pursue your interest. But what is a continuing education course going to get you? A couple of things. One, you will meet other people who share your interest. These people bring information to the table. They may know of groups or clubs that you can join. Or perhaps, they may have friends or relatives who are looking for someone to do research work or work part-time in their science store. Two, you will be able to further your interest...or be able to rule it out as a career path. You may learn that you really love astronomy and would like to pursue it further. On the other hand, you may learn that it really isn't what you thought it was and you really don't care enough about it to pursue it as a career. Any way you slice it, you will learn something about yourself and at the very least will have met others who share your interest.

Let's try another example. Perhaps, on your way to work, you start to notice a road construction worker. The first day you see him, you're in a suit, he's in jeans and he's joking with a coworker as he shovels asphalt under a sunny sky. You think to yourself, "Boy it'd be nice to get out of this suit, work outside...break a sweat for once! Maybe I'd like to do that..." The next day you see him and you watch as a driver leans out his window and curses at him. "Hmmm", you think. The third day you see him, it's raining and cold and he's out braving the elements while you're dry and warm inside your car. "Cross that one off the list", you think. If you had only noticed the man on the first day, you'd only have seen him on a good day. If you had only noticed him on the last day, you'd have seen him at the worst. Either way, without really opening your eyes full time, you may have a fragmented impression on what it means to be this or that. The point here is not to look for distinctly negative or positive things about a given occupation, but to begin to see it as a whole. With this type of information, you will be able to form an opinion on whether a given occupation could be a possibility for you.

In addition to concrete and mindful exploration, talking to your friends and family is an invaluable type of investigation. When you start bringing up your interests or ideas for possible career paths in conversations or e-mails, you will no doubt hear a lot of "Oh! Susan's son teaches astronomy at the university, he's writing a book on the Hubble telescope this year." or "Oh John does construction on the side, he loves it!" By talking to other people, you may make connections or gain insight into the experiences and opinions of people connected with your interest areas. It will also trigger some more ideas for you. Perhaps it never occurred to you to pair a love of writing with a love of astronomy until you talked with your cousin.

4. Do your homework

So, you've looked inside. You've come up with several interests and you've taken steps to explore what's out there. By this time, you've come up with a few things you might like to do or have found one you've decided you want to pursue. Now it's time to get to work. It's time to delve into what it really means to have a job in a particular career field. To accomplish this part of your journey, you need to do serious research.

Your research homework consists of concrete exploration of available paths for your career options. For the majority of careers, you will need to embark on some type of structured educational path. Examples of this are things like sponsored career programs, college degrees, certification programs, professional designations, internships or apprenticeships. Even if your chosen career path does not require ordered training or education, you will no doubt have to "put in your time" and you will need to find out what and how much time you will realistically be expected to "put in".

So how do you find out? Let's say you've decided you want to seriously explore being a pharmacist. Wonderful! How do you get to be a pharmacist? For starters, inquire with your friends and family to see if anyone knows a pharmacist that you can speak with. Talk to your neighborhood pharmacist, find out where she went to school and ask her about any professional designations she holds or ongoing education she may be taking. If you're brave, ask her what kind of salary pharmacists can expect to earn. In addition, pick up that college course catalog again and inspect the pharmacology program. Look at the prerequisites and notice how long the program will take to complete and how much the courses cost. Read the course descriptions. Do they peak your interest or do they make you want to throw the book down? A great supplement to all of your research is the internet. There are plenty of newsgroup, blog, forum and professional association sites out there. Any of these can give you a solid peak into what it means and takes to be a given occupation.

For each career path you are interested in, you will want to know the following:

* What are the education requirements?

* Does it require any job certification?

* Is there an apprenticeship required?

* Does it require travel?

* How much money can you make?

* Where are the regions of the country that people in this career field are more successful? more in supply? more in demand? make more money?

* Will it require you to relocate?

* Will it require regular, ongoing education?

* Will it require you to have your own business or work for another company?

* Are there yearly fees? (e.g. license renewal, union dues, association membership, equipment, etc.)

* How many hours will you normally work in a week?

* Are there any age requirements or cut-offs?

* How much will it cost you to become gainfully employed in the field?

* How long will it take you to become gainfully employed in the field?

The answers to these questions will help you narrow your career choices further and may even get a fire burning under your feet.

5. Take financial stock

Okay. You've done it! You've come up with one or more career paths that you'd like to embark on. You have looked into what it means to be employed in the career field(s) and you are now powerfully armed with the knowledge of what it takes to get you where you want to go! But like everything in life, it's going to cost you. You now need to list out all the costs, add them up and compare them with what you will be able to swing. There's no doubt you will be able to accomplish your goals, no matter what your financial situation. It may take you longer than you like or may come at the expense of some other items or conveniences in your life, but you can do it if you set your mind to it and approach it methodically. This may mean you have to call upon your research skills again and explore financial options such as grants, scholarships, payment plans, or 401K or private institution education loans. You even may be able to pay for education or experience by doing an internship or by performing work using a skill that you currently have in exchange for training or experience.

When you are taking financial stock, allow yourself breathing room. Perhaps your goals are not financially feasible at this moment in time. Perhaps you just had a baby, your youngest son needs braces, or you've just paid an absorbent amount of money to repair your car. It's okay. Rejoice in the fact that you've come this far. You can put a plan together and start saving or start applying for aid or other means of financing. There may even be things you can start to do that will be free or cheap, such as volunteering in the field or reading books to prepare you for your studies. Most people don't have the luxury of quitting their jobs while they switch careers, so most likely you will be living a "double life" while you prepare for the switch. Whatever you do, don't break the bank, because you'll inevitably find yourself right back where you started.

6. Check your calendar

Great! You've got it all under control. You know where you're going, how you're going to get there and how you're going to pay for it. But can you afford the time? Do you have enough free time or flexibility to meet the educational requirements? Are you young enough or old enough to fall within any professional age requirements? If you have the time and the age, skip this step. If not, the last step of your journey is to shuffle your calendar!

Shuffling your calendar may be easy. You may know right away what to eliminate or move in order to make room for your new career path. Conversely, finding the time might be downright complicated. Maybe you have small children, maybe you have an ailing parent, maybe you have church or community commitments...any of these things would make working towards a new career an uphill battle. Here again, it may mean that you have to post-pone your journey for a little while. Or, it could mean that you have to settle for beginning your education informally by reading books or taking online courses when you can. Whatever your challenge, don't lose hope! Faith in yourself and perseverance will get you where you want to go.

7. Take the plunge

You've arrived at the last step. It's time to jump in! Time to register for that first class, accept that internship, or apply for that entry level or part-time job in your chosen field. Whatever you've found to be the first step towards your new career, delight in the fact that you've come a long way and you're doing it! You've done a lot of hard, thorough work and you have a lot to be proud of. Start down that path with your chin up and your shoulders back!

Food for your trip

You can't take this trip without packing! If you leave home with one thing, leave home with the comforting knowledge that your approach to a new career is circular. This means that you can always go back to the beginning of the circle or to any point within the circle. If you've started a class or program and found that you hate it. So what? You've learned to cross it off you list and go back and take another look. Even if you get all the way to end of the path and decide it is not for you, take comfort that you did your best and its time to go back to another number in the circle. There is no shame in that.

So go on now...get out of here! Your train is leaving and you better be on it! Just don't forget to take some pictures along the way, stop and smell the flowers, buy a few souvenirs and by all means, don't forget where you came from!

Alotta Candor is a staff writer and commentator for JobSchmob.com, the "lighter" side of the working world. She is proud to be a liberated ex-corporate office worker.

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Competition: Is It Helping or Hurting Your Career?

5 Ways to Tell the Difference
by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs


Bosses like to hire and promote workers with a competitive drive, who want to win enough that they'll put in extra effort.

They have a lot of competitive candidates to choose from: A recent OfficeTeam survey of 150 executives from large U.S. companies found that almost half the executives thought employees are more competitive with each other today than they were 10 years ago.

Boost From a Tight Market

There may be another reason for employees to try to do better than the coworker in the next cubicle, too. "With the uncertain economy, many employees become concerned about job security," said Dave Willmer, executive director of OfficeTeam, an administrative staffing firm and a division of Robert Half International.

Still, it's possible to be so competitive that you hurt your career rather than help it.

"You probably want to stay away from pushing people aside in order to get ahead," Willmer said.

How to Assess Yourself

How can you tell if your competition with your coworkers will enhance your career or derail it? Experts suggest asking these questions:

* What is the culture of your company and department? Do the top leaders foster competition among employees (by running internal contests, for example), or do they emphasize team accomplishments?

The answer may depend on your specific job. For example, sales teams tend to encourage competition more than, say, customer-service groups.

* Are you playing fair? You may see short-term benefits from succeeding at the expense of your coworkers, but you'll hurt your career in the long run. Bad-mouthing colleagues to others, for example, will cause you to lose credibility.

Taking sole credit for a team project is another way to hurt you career. So is being overly critical of coworkers or the company.

* What are the consequences of your competiveness? It's possible to harm your co-workers -- and yourself -- without meaning to. For example, if you're so focused on your own work that you don't take the time to pass on a crucial lead to a coworker until it's too late to be helpful, you could get a reputation as an uncooperative colleague.

* Are you focused on the team? Marianne Adoradio, a Silicon Valley recruiter and career counselor, suggests asking yourself whether you're taking an action because you want the team to do well or because you want yourself to do well. "People always want to know that you can really work with a team," she said.

Some ways to help the team: Recognize others' successes. Say thank-you in front of the boss. Managers will see a potential for leadership -- as long as you're sincere. "You don't want to overdo it," Willmer said.

* Are you excelling at your job? You may think that you don't need to worry much about the goals your boss has set for you, as long as you're doing better than the others on your team. But that's not necessarily true, Willmer said. Make sure you're meeting your boss' expectations, no matter what the others on your team are doing.

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