Seriously…How’d You Score that Gig?
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By J.T. O’Donnell
Want to know one of my least favorite phrases with respect to finding a career? It’s, “You can be ANYTHING you want to be.” Not true! You can be anything you want to set your mind to becoming. There’s a big difference – and it begins by researching careers to determine if a career is really a fit for you.
Nowadays, choosing a career today is an overwhelming process. With thousands of career paths to choose from, there’s always that nagging feeling, “Did I make the right choice? Is there something better for me out there and I don’t even know it?” In fact, all of us at some point have listened to others explain their careers and think, “Wow. That sounds interesting, I wonder how they scored that gig?”
Well, workplace author and speaker, Alexandra Levit, felt the same way years ago and decided to do something about it. I interviewed her recently about her own career path and how she came to write, “How’d You Score That Gig.” Here’s what she had to say:
In 200 words or less, what’s the down-n-dirty summary of your career path?
I graduated from college determined to skip right up New York City’s corporate ladder. But after six months on the job as a PR exec in a global agency, I was so stressed out that I was ready to join the large numbers leaving the business world for graduate or law school. Eventually, by sticking around long enough, I developed many of the skills I needed to get ahead. I thought that if I shared my experiences with other twenty-somethings, maybe I would save them some of the agida I went through. This was the premise of my first book, They Don’t Teach Corporate in College. I was fortunate that the book took off, and I used it to transition into a full-time career as a career and workplace author and speaker.mmm
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Christine Hassler – Twentysomething Manifesto – expert advice on managing the emotional perils associated with the twentysomething journey (www.christinehassler.com)
US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook – in depth portrait of literally thousands of jobs (www.bls.gov/ooh)
I especially like how Alexandra stuck out her first corporate gig so she could gain the self knowledge she needed to move forward. If you graduate from college and realize you don’t know what direction you want to head in, more school is most likely not the answer! Instead, I suggest you focus on identifying your skills and preferences so you can eventually be the one people are asking, “How’d you Score that Gig?”
Alexandra’s career advice is featured monthly in the Huffington Post, and has been showcased in thousands of media outlets including ABC News, the Associated Press, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, National Public Radio, Fortune, Yahoo!, and MSN.
You can purchase her book on Amazon.com here: How’d You Score that Gig?
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