Why Knowing Your Interests Are Important For Career Planning

When choosing a career you have to remember you are going to be doing it for many years for an average of ⅓ of an hour per day, five days a week. To spend this much time doing something you dislike would not make for a happy life. Do you really want to do this for 20-40 years?

Being a professional in any industry takes time and effort. Unless there is some interest in the industry it will be difficult to maintain long term commitment to become proficient. Interest in the industry helps continuous study and skill development over the long term.

Casual interest in an industry is not enough for you to maintain the discipline it takes for you to continuously improve your skills necessary to become a leader in the industry. You will have to be curious enough to want to continue learning about the industry for years. If it was as simple as gaining a degree at a postsecondary school everyone would be leaders in their chosen careers. Since this is obviously not true something else is needed.

Every industry is a bottomless source of learning. There is always more to learn which makes it important for you to want to remain interested in the details of how to do your job better and more efficiently. This takes time and practice, a willingness to make mistakes and strength to persevere. If you are not interested in the industry you will not have the internal strength to continue when warriors present themselves.

If you are to succeed in finding a career which fits you you will need to start in an industry which you have had a long term interest in and will still be interested in without the incentive of financial reward.

A seven step process for finding career worthy interests

It may be surprising to you that what you feel are your interests are really a conglomeration of your past experiences, social pressures and personal makeup. Some are long term and some are fleeting which exist for a while until more information is learned about the topic. Once the curiosity is sated the interest dies and other interests take over.

With this in mind it is important to remember that interests change over time, even long held interests can wane as you learn more about the topic. This is to be expected and your career would be stagnant without change of some kind. The goal here is to start at the most stable position you can find and move on from there.

To determine your long term interests which stand the test of time not just your current circumstances there is a process to follow which includes a fair amount of work. If you are interested in discovering what your true interests are and how you can decide on a career which best fits into those interests, perform the following four steps. To make it easier you can download this career interest workbook pdf which has all the needed

Brainstorm a list of all interests past and present

Brainstorming is a good method of uncovering ideas which you have without really knowing it. The process is the same for any brainstorming exercise.

With a blank piece of paper and a pen, write down everything you can remember which you were interested in.
Delay any judgment of any ideas you have as this will hinder other ideas which are related
Write down duplicates of ideas already on the page. This is not only an indication of it being a current interest but also could be an indication that there are more refined ideas which may be associated with the idea.
Continue for a specific period of time without a break. Some of the best ideas are uncovered after the first flush of ideas are accumulated on the paper, by continuing after the easy ideas are written down you will be forced to look deeper for interests which may pre-exist others.

When brainstorming ideas, spend at least a half an hour without distraction. Pick a time which you will not be disturbed. Find a private location and remove any distractions which could prevent you from concentrating fully on the process.

Group interests into several buckets from different perspectives

Here is a list of possible ways to group your ideas. Remember this is not a ranking of ideas but rather a method of grouping several ideas together which are associated under a specific overarching concept.

Once you have spent your predetermined time on the process you should have at least 20-50 items listed on your interest list. It is time to group them. There are many ways to group them such as chronologically, interest level, activity based interests vs cognitive interests. To get a good idea of how interested you are in the ideas on the list you should group them several ways. This will give you an idea as to what level you are actually interested in a topic and which ones you are only interested in a certain context.

Longevity grouping

This is not a list of first to last but rather groups of interest which you have been interested in over a period of time. Your buckets should start short such as a year or two all the way up to 10-20 years. Make the time periods large enough for you to be able to group several ideas into each bucket.

The length of time you have been interested in something is a good indication that it is something you are truly interested in and not just a passing fancy. This is not to undermine the value of new interests which may provide long term curiosity which can be great options for a long term career.

Familiarity

We often group things into familiar buckets. Sports, leisure activities, foods and chores are often grouped into specific buckets. Sports like boxing and mixed martial arts can be considered violent sports whereas sports like tennis and snooker would be considered non-violent. As humans we do this naturally as we are constantly looking for patterns and ways to reduce our need to parse new information.

When it comes to your interests you can group them any way you choose from leisure activities to hobbies, self improvement projects or just things you look forward to doing. The key here is to group all the items on your interest list and put them into a group of some sort with one or two other items on the list.

Intensity

The amount of time you spend thinking about and working on ways to improve is another way of grouping items on your list. The things on your list which you spend more time thinking about or working on ways to improve on can be placed into a group and ones you think about occasionally and only engage in them in certain circumstances can be placed into another group. These groups are good indications of the value you place on each interest on your list.

There is nothing wrong with having interests which you only engage in occasionally or in certain circumstances but if an interest becomes a career you will have to engage in it for long periods of time. Such interests may not hold your attention long enough to become proficient and valuable to others in the industry.

Compare the groups for commonalities

Once you have your groups where every idea has at least one one other member grouped with it, take a holistic look at all the ways you have grouped your interests. Create a venn diagram which contains the most number of your interests in common in all three dimensions used to group them.

A venn diagram is a way to visually see the relationships of ideas with other ideas. What you want to do here is to find a venn diagram of the three methods of grouping interests which includes the most common interests in all three groups. When you have an interest which you have enjoyed over the long term, has other similar interests and you still spend time thinking and learning about them, that interest and other closely associated ones can provide you with something which may provide you with a good career option.

To perform this activity start with the largest groups you have in the three categories and place them together according to the most common items in each group. Next consider the interests which share commonality with another group. The fewer interests in each group which is left alone the better.

List the interests which are common to all three groups followed by the interests which are shared between two groups. Discard the interests which stand alone. These are great interests to have but may not stand the test of time necessary to make a career.

Research careers which each interest could support

Every interest you have has the ability to support a long term career. Everything from medical interests to smashing things and taking slow motion videos of it have provided people with long term careers. Try to write down at least 2-3 career ideas for each interest in the largest grouping. These will become options for a career which suits your interests.

Once you have a list of possible careers for each interest, review the list and look for similarities. Some interests will be exactly the same while others will be quite similar. Collect all the ideas into a master list starting with the ideas which are most common to those least common.

Eliminate careers which are weakly supported

Many people believe that having as many choices as possible raises the chances of success but in reality it divides focus and can lead to paralyzation of action. Without a clear idea of what you are working towards you will find it hard to focus on achievement. By eliminating options which are unlikely to capture your interest over the long term you will be able to focus your time on the knowledge and skills you will need to succeed in a career you are more likely to enjoy.

Consider the list you developed in the above step. Remove any careers which are stand alone. These are careers which appear once and have only weak links to other careers. Once you have eliminated these careers you will have a clearer idea of what type of career you would be interested enough to develop the needed skill, knowledge and experience to create a long and valuable career.

Look for similarities of remaining career options

It is likely that the remaining career options will be similar in some way. They will have an underlying theme to them which you can take advantage of when preparing for your career. Most careers require some basic training, a degree, trade school or some other type of education, the similarity of career options will give you a clear idea as to what your next step is.

Similarities also indicate to you what type of career would give you the most lateral movement if it turns out the career you first focus on turns out not to be what you expected it to be. This can happen when careers are not researched enough prior to entering the industry.

Consider your skills and personality style before making a decision

Interest is only one factor which makes a career manageable. Without having the skill and personality style to compete in the job market you will find it hard to maintain a long term position and respect in your chosen field. The ability to develop the needed skill to perform what is required for the position is vital to success.

Personality style is also a valuable indicator as to what aspect you will be successful in in the chosen industry/career path. Personality style can dictate your success as a salesman, lawyer or artist. Without the needed personality characteristics it can be difficult to maintain a long term career in any career.

Why Hiring Disabled People Is Beneficial

When it comes time to hire a new employee it can be a hard decision to make. You will want to hire the most competent and valuable employee you can find for your business success. This can lead to the idea that someone who has a disability, especially one which can be identified quickly, is not high on the list of candidates. Fortunately this is not true, people with a disability can be some of the best employees a company could hire.

There are two factors which are often considered when hiring new staff, competency and overall value. These considerations are not related and need to be considered separately when hiring staff. These two factors need to be balanced by management to maximize the profits for the company.

An employee, disabled or otherwise, may not be the most competent applicant but may have the highest value to the company. Overall value takes into account the employment duration, productivity of others, salary level and long term productivity. There are many things which influence the overall value of an employee which transcends the level of competency of the employee at time of hire.

Disabled employees can be the best choices for future employees for several reasons:

They are loyal

When hiring employees one of the big considerations is if they are going to be loyal. Loyalty is more than showing up to work daily and doing the job. Loyalty has many aspects to it, some of which are not measurable but can be felt in different ways.

Some characteristics of a loyal employee are:

They want the best for the company as a whole
They want the best for other employees they work with and for
They maintain good relationships with customers as much as possible
They enjoy their work and try to do their best
They keep management apprised to changes in their situation

Disabled people can find it difficult to find and maintain employment, when a company has greater insight into the value of an employee and is willing to invest in their employees’ success the disabled employee reciprocates with loyalty and commitment.

They can be very competent

When hiring employees a business’s first consideration should be whether the applicant is competent in the prerequisites needed to perform in the job. Competency should be the first concern when hiring employees as if an employee cannot perform the tasks they are requested to do then they are not valuable to the company and damages the bottom line.

There are two things to consider when it comes to competency, is the applicant competent enough to perform the job and is the applicant too competent for the position.

The first consideration is an analysis of whether the applicant has the ability to perform the requirements for the position. A disabled person may have limitations here. They may not be able to lift the required weight, manage their time properly or perform other activities the position requires. This is a fair reason why a disabled person may be disqualified for a job but business owners should consider any and all accommodations which may tip the balance towards the competency of disabled applicants.

The other consideration is whether the applicant is too competent. This seems like a contradiction, how can anyone be too competent for a position. This is found in many industries where applicants are overqualified for positions. Someone who is over competent for a position either demands a higher salary to perform the position or they are transitory.

To retain highly competent employees, businesses either pay higher wages or provide other benefits which can be expensive with little return on improved performance. In addition, highly competent employees will not remain in a stagnant position for long and unless the business can continue providing increasing incentives to stay they tend to move on.

The key is to hire applicants who are competent enough but not overly competent as to incur higher wages or other costs to maintain their employment. This is why hiring disabled people is beneficial. If they are competent then they will remain in a position longer than other employees. This leads to lower employee costs through less attrition and hire efficiency due to less training and orientation costs.

Competency does not mean training. Training is education and skill acquisition a company invests in their employees to perform particular actions which are necessary for the company to succeed. Competency is being able to learn the skills basic for the position and have a basic understanding of the skills required for the position. This can be shown by the schooling, experience and projects a prospective employee has done.

Someone who is disabled can be just as competent as those who do not have any visible disability. A disability does not mean that an individual is limited in their ability to perform a job to the level required to fulfill the needed job requirements.

They help others think differently

Diabled people have a unique set of problems which they need to overcome to succeed. They may have to navigate the office differently, schedule their time differently, perform skills using unconventional methods or generally think in a way different from others.

This leads to three outcomes:

Other employees learn there are other ways to perform their jobs

This is important because we all tend to fall into a routine which helps us to perform our jobs effectively but the methods and routines we have may not be the best most efficient way to complete a job requirement. By having others around who are forced to look at a task in a different way others have the opportunity to consider their routines and make changes where appropriate.

Other employees will have to learn how to relate with others differences

Having a diverse workforce is a valuable asset for any business. It helps the company to pivot when markets change, provides insight into additional products or services a company could develop and keeps the attitude of the company young. Without diversity a company can quickly stagnate and begin to decline.

Disabled employees have no choice about being different as it shows in obvious ways. They cannot walk, talk, see or learn how others do, they may need assistance to perform their duties through accommodations, assistance from others or longer time limits and as a result they force others closely associated with them to think differently.

This is valuable when employees are dealing with clients or other business associates. Being able to relate with the differences of others puts the employee in a better position to have a positive and more profitable outcome.

Provides proof that the company is willing to work with employees

This is often an advertised benefit companies place in job applications but without proof that such cooperation is true it is usually ignored as hiring propaganda. But by hiring those who are disabled and working with them to be productive members of the team a business will prove to their employees that they mean what they said.

It encourages others to become involved

The inclusion of disabled employees into company personnel provides opportunities for employees to become involved in the support of fellow disabled coworkers. This provides comradery in the organization, bringing teams together which are willing to work together. As this happens team members accommodate more readily for each other’s limitations.

Since we all have limitations, teams with this attitude have a better chance of completing projects faster and more complete than one dimensional teams.

It improves morale

Company morale is a result of the company’s attitude regarding their employees. Do they trust their employees, are they concerned with their welfare and is there more to their policies than making the most possible amount of money?

Fortunately a high company morale often leads to profitability, businesses which organize themselves around respecting their employees’ needs have to spend less money ensuring their employees are doing what they prescribe. This leads to an openness regarding hiring employees with visible disabilities. It is not that the presence of disabled employees automatically improves morale, instead it is a natural result of respecting your employees, trusting them to do their best and provide value to the company without strict oversight.

When hiring disabled people will not improve company outcomes

The research data shows that if a company has disabled employees on their payroll their attrition is lower, they have better morale and higher productivity. When this data is considered it is obvious to anyone that there are benefits to hiring disabled employees and some businesses take this route without considering a different aspect of the data.

The data was collected from two sets of businesses, one set with disabled employees and another set without disabled employees. This is a biased perspective and is no proof that the existence of disabled employees automatically improves business outcomes.

Companies which hire disabled employees without having to be coerced or forced to have a different attitude of their employees. It is the relationship they have with their employees which provide better outcomes rather than the mere existence of disabled people on their payroll. The existence of disabled employees is not the reason for improved employee relationships, it is the result of better relationships with employees.

How To Start a Successful Career That Actually Fits You

Starting a successful career can be fraught with challenges. Since we tend to judge success in varying terms and often we don’t even know what success means for us. We tend to compare others’ success with our situation and come up short when in reality what you need to do is to have a definition of success which fits us individually, develop a plan to move towards that definition and move towards that definition consistently.

The first step in choosing a career is to determine what success means for you. So the first part of this article will deal with how you can define what success means to you. There are many definitions of success which are generalized. Such things like a high income, freedom of daily activities, fulfilling and valuable work and social status have all been written about ad nauseum. The problem is that all these definitions are generalizations which do not transfer well to individual circumstances.

To have true success you first must have a definition of success which suits you and your individual circumstances. To do that you will have to spend some time defining what success means for you today, realizing that it will change as time passes.

To have a definition of success which can point you in the right direction you need one which is personalized which leads to the first four steps of starting a successful career which fits you.

Know what is important to you
Know your personality type
Identify your interests

Why knowing what is important to you imperative for success

If I was a betting man I would wager that financial success is high on most people’s list when it comes to their definition of success. This is why it is a prominent feature in most articles about having a successful career but for most people it is not the most important feature of how they would consider themselves to be successful. Other things like life balance, enjoying their work, and having a positive impact on society can be higher on their list than financial rewards.

Don’t believe me then consider Mother Teresa. I think you could not contest that she was wildly successful in her career (the care and feeding of the desperately poor). She started and developed many care centers around the world, starting in Calcutta India. She never had any form of wealth, spending everything she was given in the support of her mission.

Now before you think that financial success is somehow immoral you need to understand that financial rewards have been the driver for many great improvements in society. The point here is everyone has a different value system and when determining your definition of success you need to take into account those things which are most important to you rather than trying to fit yourself into other people’s definitions.

When you are working on something you feel is valuable you will be in a better position to maintain concentration, energy and interest levels. You will have the advantage of being interested and therefore able to pay attention to the work you are doing.

There are some studies which indicate that physical and mental health is better for those who do what they consider meaningful work. There is less absenteeism, attrition and unproductive activity for those who believe they are providing a valuable service to themselves, their community and/or society in general(1).

Why knowing your personality style is important to career success

Your personality style has a great effect on your effectiveness on a chosen career and should not be ignored. Although there are several variations of personality style tests which can be taken they mostly revolve around the big five personality traits:

extraversion
agreeableness
openness
conscientiousness
neuroticism

Everyone has a combination of each of these traits to a greater or lesser degree and they influence your ability to perform well in any career(2). Some careers are highly creative which require a constant flow of new ideas and creative solutions while others require diligence to detail and consistent actions over extended periods of time for success.

There are several studies which are focused on which personality trait is most correlated with success(3), with the idea that you should develop those specific traits to be successful. This is wrong. There have been some studies(4) which indicate that personality traits are mutable to some degree but it takes extended periods of time, effort and dedication to accomplish.

It is unclear if those who have developed skills in areas which they are not naturally competent are more or less successful than if they would have taken advantage of the traits they started with or if the trait changes are permanent but unless you have some external reason why you should spend the time and money in this effort, consider the type of career you could have with the current traits you have.

How knowing what you are interested in improves career success

Consider the last time you sat through a very boring lecture, something which you were not interested in. It does not matter what the lecture was for, it only matters how you felt as the lecture progressed. The way time seemed to slow down to a crawl as you looked repeatedly at it several times a minute. You find it hard to stay awake or maintain a calm exterior.

Now imagine that you have chosen that subject for your career. Just how successful will you be in your chosen career? Will you be excited to get to work everyday or will you dread every workday and live for your time off?

Now consider the last time you spent time doing something you were interested in. How often did you look at the clock and wish it would speed up? If you looked at the clock at all you most likely wished it would slow down so you could have more time doing what you were interested in.

A career takes time. You will have to spend time gaining the skills and knowledge needed to perform your duties competently and much more time to excel at them. Do you really want to spend all that time learning things you are not interested in or would you prefer studying what you are interested in?

Having an interest provides the student with a better outcome for learning subjects (5). This means that you will be more likely to succeed in a learning task if you are interested in the subject than if you are being forced to learn it.

If you have chosen something you are interested in you will need much less emotional energy, discipline and encouragement to remain engaged in it. This will provide you a great advantage in becoming highly competent in the industry.

Why having a well written definition of success improves career performance

Without a specific, well written definition of success you will not have a track to follow. Every success guru will stress the idea that you will need a well laid out track to follow if you want to achieve success. This leads them to a long dissertation about the importance of goals.

Although goals are an important piece of the puzzle the first thing anyone needs to have is a goalpost. In football the goal is to cross the goal line with the ball as many times as possible or to kick the ball between to goal posts as often as possible but what happens when there is no goal line or goal post?

To have a chance of success you must know where the goal post is and what it means to score. This is where your definition of success comes in. You have to use your own definition of success to truly ‘score’ in the game as achieving goals defined by others often leads to frustration and unhappiness, not a good definition of success.

Research professions which fit into your definition of success

Now that you have your definition of success you can start to research professions which would fit into that definition. Do some brainstorming and come up with a list of possible professions you think might work.

Once you have a list of professions, do some research on each. If you know anyone in any of them ask them what it is like, what they enjoy and what aspects they don’t. This will give you a good idea of some of the things you haven’t considered. Other resources include job descriptions, HR professionals and business owners themselves.

Consider your situation

Everyone’s situation is different. You may be young with adequate access to financial resources or you may have dependents which rely on you for support. These considerations are important as they affect your choices for education, employment options, job opportunities and a variety of other things which are unique to you.

Before you decide on a career path you need to determine what your situation is. You may need to maintain or increase your income rapidly or you may have time to develop your career at a steady pace more conducive to long term success.

Another consideration is your education options. Statistically only 60% of university students graduate with a four year degree. Those who don’t finish their university degrees are then straddled with debt which needs to be repaid without the benefit of the higher income which often accompanies a degree. To learn whether or not you should consider a university degree or not read this article here for an in depth explanation of its pros and cons.

You will be able to eliminate several careers simply by talking to those in the industry.

Determine the education requirement

If you want a professional career you will need some form of schooling. Whether it is a short training program or a university degree or higher some schooling will be involved. Before you make the decision which of the options you have left on your list consider how much schooling you will have to have before you can enter the profession.

Once you know the schooling requirement, consider your situation. Are you willing to undertake the amount of schooling for each of the options you have remaining on your list? Eliminate any you feel are over your schooling commitment level.

Consider your skills and abilities

You may want to have a particular career but is it really possible for you? You have to ask yourself are you able or are you willing to acquire the skills necessary for the work you are going to have to perform?

This includes things like physical actions, accelerated learning and social skills. Each career has a set of skills which are needed to be successful so be sure you are willing and able to perform these skills before you invest your time and money in pursuing it.

Abilities are different then skills. Abilities are tied to your physical and psychological being. You know what your abilities are. Consider the demands of the professions you are interested in and eliminate any which are beyond your ability to perform comfortably. You may be able to augment your abilities with accommodations, if this is the case then consider what accommodations you will need and make a note of its cost and availability.

Narrow down your options and look for similarities

By eliminating options from your list you may feel you are limiting your career options but in fact you are improving your chances of having a successful working life. If you eliminate options which you are not greatly suited for at the beginning of your search you will not waste time on career paths you will not be successful at, enjoy in the long run and be able to maintain over the long haul.

To narrow your options, review your three lists you made in the first three steps. You will have already consulted these lists to look for similarities between the three aspects of your personality. You now need to eliminate options. By removing options from your possible list of careers you will be able to focus your time and energy on. This will increase your chances of success.

Once you have narrowed down your options, look for similarities in the remaining ones. This will help you to start on a career plan without limiting your options dramatically. By looking for similarities you can devise a plan which will enable you to have several career options once you have completed your education and training.

Decide on a path

It is time to decide on a path to follow. Are you going to go to university, trade school or some other training program? With your options in mind, what type of education do you need, and how long will it take for you to get it?

Depending on your situation you may have to get a basic education which provides you with the opportunity to earn some income while continuing to educate yourself or you may have the opportunity to work and go to school simultaneously. These types of decisions need to be made depending on your specific situation which include your school grades, financial condition and abilities.

Begin the implementation of your plan

To start a career you have to start! The making of a plan and the implementation of the plan are two very different things. You will have to put action into your plan if it is to succeed. This means that you need to stop reading online content and start putting action into your plan.

To make it easier for you to follow these steps to starting your dream career, one which will provide you with all the benefits of success (as you describe it) click here for a free worksheet which will lead you step by step to a finished plan.

9 Tips For The Legally Blind To Get A Job

Although it can be more difficult for you to find a job if you are blind it is not impossible. There are lots of jobs/careers which someone who is blind can do and some which are blind people are uniquely qualified for. Do not believe that you need to settle for anything, if you are blind or visually impared you have many options for ongoing work.

According to statistics in the USA slightly less than 30% of blind people have full time employment with a median annual salary of $38,000/yr. Although this statistic indicates a low employment rate for legally blind people there is no reason why most blind people can have a valuable career and be an important member of any company or organization.

The intelligence of legally blind people is normally distributed and not statistically different from the general population. Statistically the same percentage of legally blind people have the ability to compete in the job market along with those who can see. If you are of average or above intelligence, have interests and abilities which match those required by the workforce and are willing to work at overcoming challenges which you are given you can land and maintain a job in a career you enjoy.

To land a job and start a career in any field you must prepare for the demands the industry will have on you. To do this you will need to take the steps everyone else has to take; become trained, get yourself educated, practice the skills you will need to have to be valuable, become active in the industry and meet people in the industry. Without doing these basic actions you cannot expect to be employed by any credible or long lasting company.

The steps to employment are:

List industries or fields you find interesting
List the positions you are capable of doing (with or without accommodations)
Match the industries and positions you find drawn to (things you like and can do)
Get the education you will need to compete in the industry and for the position you desire
Acquire or develop any accommodation systems you need
Gain some experience in the industry
Develop your social network
Continue to learn and practice your skills
Develop a support network

Why start with industries or fields you find interesting

Developing a career is difficult. It requires long hours of doing things to prepare for it which are not interesting, boring or just hard to accomplish. You will have to learn to study and practice skills you never thought you would have to do. Many of these skills will not be enjoyable for you.

If you start with an industry or field you are interested in, the chances of you completing the training increases and enjoying your career in the long term improves. Without an interest (besides financial gain) in the industry it will be hard for you to maintain long term enthusiasm for the industry. This is not the way to success. If you want to be successful you have to be able to motivate yourself to learn and grow in your profession, not have to force yourself to do it everyday.

Make a list of at least industries or fields

Start with careers you find interesting. Industries like healthcare, manufacturing or sales. The list will vary depending on your personality, location and exposure. This list is only there to help you narrow down some of your interests.

Once you have your list you will likely see trends on them. Did you choose industries which deal with people or things, are you interested in creative industries like entertainment, art or product development or jobs which are people focused. These are clues to what type of career you would find enjoyable long term.

Why list the jobs you are capable of doing

When considering your career you must be realistic. If you are legally blind then career choices like being a truck driver are not available to you (for obvious reasons) but there are many jobs which you can do.

Start by making a list of those things which you can do or things you are willing to learn how to do. Being legally blind will reduce some of your options but it will also provide you with opportunities. By having a list of things which you can do you have the opportunity to match your capabilities with what you are interested in. Without a working list you will find it difficult to think about your possibilities over your limitations.

List as many things you can or are willing to learn how to do

This is going to be a long list but just like the list above you will begin to see trends of things you can and are willing to do. You may be more people-focused in your list with abilities to listen to people and build relationships well. You may be able to navigate technology well or entertain others.

Why matching interest with skills/abilities lead to a successful career

When interests and skills/abilities match it is much easier to learn and grow in an industry. Every industry is unique and requires skills and abilities which are not universal. Without an interest and the ability to be valuable in the industry, long term success will be difficult. Whereas if there is interest and skill and ability together success is more certain.

You will not find everything in your chosen career to be enjoyable, rather some will be downright unpleasant but if you match an industry you are interested in with skills and abilities you already or are willing to acquire you will find it easier to perform your job, learn more about your industry and develop needed skills as the industry changes.

The importance of education in a career for blind people

Education is a great equalizer. It can mitigate differences between people and provides value to the company an employee works with. Without education it is difficult to find well paying jobs in any industry and without an education your choices will be limited. Those who are blind need to get every advantage possible of which is having knowledge others do not.

Being blind eliminates some jobs from your scope from the beginning, some of which are low skill and poorly paid positions, this can be a blessing as well as a curse. A blessing because you have no other choice but to become educated in a higher paid discipline, a curse because it makes it harder to sustain yourself while you are getting educated.

Those with an education reliably earn a better income than those without secondary and post-secondary education. For everyone the education path is different depending on your interests and skills but to be able to compete in your chosen field you will need to have at least the same if not more education than your peers in the industry.

Seek out schools which provide educational programs which you require to compete in your industry of interest. Once you have a list of schools which provide the education research each school for their ability to provide for your needs. Some schools will provide accommodations which go above those which are mandated by a governing body. It is these schools which should top your list.

It is true that all schools should provide accommodations for disabled students to thrive but some will be better then others and more willing to correct or add systems when problems arise. The fact that there is legislation in most countries which force educational facilities to provide for disabled people means that not all are willing to do so on their own volition. You don’t want to attend such a school.

Determine what accommodations you will need and supply those you can

The type of accommodation you will need depends on the level of vision impairment you have. You may need to take public transport as you cannot drive but have no other needs or you may need to use a braille keyboard and text to voice software. What you need will be unique to your case.

With that in mind if you want to work in the industry of your choosing you will need to determine and in some cases supply the accommodations you need. At the very least you should know what you need to perform the job you are seeking. This will give your prospective employers the feeling that you are cognizant of your needs and are willing to work with them to make your requirements have the least impact on the company as possible.

This is another reason why getting an education is valuable. It will give you the opportunity to perform some of the tasks you are going to be asked to do while working in the industry. With this experience you will have worked out what you need to be successful. These are some of the same accommodations you will need at work.

By providing your own accommodations you will eliminate reasons why you are passed over for others and show you are willing to take responsibility for yourself (something all employers want). By supplying what you can, your future employer will have an easier time providing those which you are unable to do on your own.

How to gain experience in an industry when legally blind

This is the classic chicken and egg problem. How do I get experience when I need experience to get experience? The answer does not change for anyone, blind or not. There are several steps you can take to gain some experience in your industry

Choose an education program which includes a work term

These programs require the student to work in the industry before moving on to the next learning session. These include internship programs, apprenticeships and co-op programs set up and administered by the school.

Volunteer with charitable organizations who could use your help

Charitable organizations are always in need of specialized help. With your education they would most often be more than willing to allow you to gain some experience by working with them.

Work on an open source project

Open source projects are projects which anyone can contribute to. They are mainly software programs but there are also writing projects and research programs. A good example of open source projects is Wikipedia which is really just one big open source project for collecting the knowledge of the world.

Start something on your own

By having the initiative and developing an idea on your own you show you are a self-starter. Your idea may never get to a commercial level or make you any money but it will give you valuable experience in the industry you want to work in.

You will begin to understand some of the problems your future employers have and how to overcome them. This makes you very valuable to employers which will increase your chances of being hired. Another bonus of this tactic is that you may actually develop something which has value, providing a job for you and possibly others.

Networking tips and techniques for legally blind people

Developing a network can be challenging when you are legally blind. Problems can include autonomy, dealing with preconceptions and identifying opportunities. These problems need to be dealt with individually and without condemnation. To have success in networking you cannot have negative emotions surrounding it, when you have a positive feeling about it those you are interacting with will more likely become a part of your network.

Size of your social media contact list does not count

There is much nonsense going around about social media which needs to be straightened out. A long list of friends or associates on the various social networking sites are not helpful when looking to find work.

Put yourself in the employer’s shoes. You are looking for a new employee and you have two choices (just to keep it simple).

One is recommended by someone you respect who has a good relationship. They have worked with them or have first hand knowledge of their personality, skills and abilities.

The other is someone you are connected with by social media. Their social media account has many contacts, is highly optimized and looks like it is maintained well.

Which do you choose? Right, the answer is simple, the first one, hands down. With the first one you know the person who is doing the recommending, who has something to lose and wants the best for you. The second one is a crapshoot. They may have spent hours online building their network, making their profile look great but may not be what you are looking for.

With that in mind it is good to have an up to date social media account for prospective employers to have a look at but it is not the best way to land a long term position.

Contacts garnered from networking events are of low quality

Everyone who goes to a networking event is looking for the same things:

Sales contacts
Business opportunities
Personnel leads

Most people will collect names and contact information indiscriminately, looking for something or someone which will benefit them. The chances that such people will be looking for what you have to offer is low.

There are better ways to build your network of people other than spending time smoosing with others.

Those you work with or have done work for are high value

Networking is nothing more than building a good reputation with others you are associated with. By working with others you get the chance of building your reputation in the most practical way.

The secret here is that the work does not need to be work in your chosen industry. You could volunteer with the same charity, work in a different capacity then you want or provide services to others in the industry while working on getting an opportunity to work with your chosen organization.

Building relationships within the industry are most valuable

It is relationships with others in the industry which you want to work in which will have the greatest impact on your career. This is why working on open source projects or starting something on your own is so important. Contacts made in the industry carry much more weight for prospective employers than those outside of the industry.

Being of service to others will build your network of valuable contacts the fastest

Employers want people who are willing to serve others and provide solutions to problems rather than expecting others to work under them. Being willing to serve others and being a problem solver will build your reputation with others and help you to build valuable contacts which are more than happy to recommend you to others when asked.

Continue to learn and practice your skills

Nothing remains stagnant. It is either building or decaying. This includes your knowledge and skills in your chosen field. To remain current you will have to continue being active in the industry. You will have to practice your skills. This is another reason volunteering or building something on your own is so important. It will force you to remain up to date with your skills and knowledge of the industry.

Develop a support network

A support network is different from a network of people in the industry. This is a collection of people who want the best for you, will provide resources and encourage you when you most need it. They include family and friends, business people who believe in your abilities and social groups which are there to support those with similar challenges.

How To Start A Career With A Disability

It may seem like an impossible task sometimes to start a career when you have a disability, it can seem like everything is against you when you are competing against what you may deem “normal” people. The truth is of course that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and as a result they are disabled in comparison to others superior abilities.

Let’s compare Stephen Hawking with Michael Phelps. Both are standouts in their careers, having tremendous success in completely different fields. Now let’s switch their careers. Let’s make Michael the professor of physics and Stephen an olympic swimmer.

Now I know the comparison is ridiculous but it helps to illustrate that just because someone is deficient in one area they can be successful in another area. Stop comparing yourself with others and focus on your specific situation. You have a responsibility to yourself, your family and your community to be the most successful you can be.

To have a successful career in today’s fast changing economically challenging world there are some prerequisites for your career. Choose a career in which you have:

An interest in the field

Without an interest in the field you will not be able to remain motivated long enough to gain the knowledge and experience to be valuable to others. To be successful you need to be able to compete in the market with others in your field. To do that you must be willing to remain in learning mode.

Charlie Tremendous Jones in his book “life is tremendous” says work is called work for a reason. It is hard and uncomfortable. If it was fun they wouldn’t pay you to do it. There is some truth to this statement but it can be enjoyable when you have an interest in the field and believe you can make a difference for the better in it.

Some talent which the field needs

You don’t have to be the most talented person in your chosen field but you need to have at least some talent which is valuable to the industry or field you want to enter. It does not have to be mainstream talent for the industry, for example if you are interested in golf but don’t have the ability to drive the ball down the fairway you could still be involved in the industry as a manager, designer or salesman. All of which require an in depth understanding of the game and what type of people frequent the golf course.

The physical or mental ability to compete

Depending on your disability you may or may not be able to qualify or maintain a career in a field of interest. Being a firefighter may not be possible if you are physically handycapped or you may not qualify as a referee if you are blind. If you find it difficult to learn through coursework and prefer to be physically active then becoming a professor in physics may not be appropriate.

Once you have assured yourself you have a career which meets the above considerations you will be well on your way to a successful career. Most people let life determine their goals and success, believing that it is fate or luck which determines their success or failure. By doing the above three things you will have improved your chances of success many times.

Develop a plan to achieve the necessary requirements

Every career has some necessary requirements which you will need to have prior to achieving success. It may be knowledge, schooling, experience or skill, without these you will not have a chance of maintaining a long term career in any field.

Research the field you want to enter

Every field is unique with different characteristics and needs. To determine what those characteristics and needs are you need to do some research. Talk to people in the industry, go to job fairs and talk to recruiters and research companies which are involved in the industry for potential career options.

You will get a better understanding of the industry, what area you are most interested in and if you are willing to do what it takes to compete in the industry. Keep notes about what you like and don’t like about the industry.

Once you have settled on an aspect of the industry you will be able to determine what the entry requirements will be for your potential career.

List entry requirements

Now that you know what aspect of the industry you are wanting to enter, make a list of entry requirements. You can find these by pursuing job descriptions and making a list of all requirements asked for. Keep track of the requirements which are most often asked for as these will be at the top of your list of requirements to acquire first.

Ensure the list does not include things which you are unable to meet. If there are then you will either have to choose another aspect of the industry or find forms of accommodation which will enable you to compete in the career. In today’s tech world many physical disabilities can be accommodated simply through accessing the appropriate technology.

Braille computer terminals, voice to text, text to voice and remote working technologies are available if needed, just remember it is up to you to know what you need and provide as much of it as possible. Your future employer may provide some accommodations but putting the responsibility on them lowers your value to them in the short term. Take responsibility for yourself and you will be much more valuable in your chosen field.

Develop a workable plan to acquire the necessary requirements

If you are interested in the industry you have chosen you most likely will have some of the requirements you will need but there will be some you don’t have and need to acquire. To do this you need a plan.

There are several types of things which will be on your list:

Qualifications you will need

Qualifications are the easiest of all for most industries. There are training programs, university courses and self-driven practice and test platforms which will provide the necessary programs to gain the qualifications you will need. The main barriers for such programs are cost and time. If this is going to be a long term career choice then the expenditure may be worth it.

Skills you will need

Skills require a bit more commitment. You will have to spend time practicing the skills you are going to be asked to do. Often the skills required to do a particular job do not agree with what you thought they were at the outset so ensure the skills you are practicing are valued in the marketplace. This is why doing research in the industry is so important. It will help you narrow down the skills which are most valuable in the industry and help you acquire these skills to make yourself much more valuable and competitive.

Contacts in the industry

There are entire businesses based on the development of industry contacts. LinkedIn’s entire focus is to provide links between individuals from a professional perspective. The statement “It’s not what you know but who you know” has some merit. This is why developing contacts in the industry you are interested in is so important.

When building your contact base SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS DO NOT COUNT. Social media is a great way to make casual contact with others, maintain relationships with friends and family but when it comes to business having hundreds (or thousands) of contacts is not helpful nor realistic. If you can dial their phone number and they will both answer and not need an explanation of who you are then it can be considered a contact.

The best way to make contacts is to become active in the industry in any way you can. Volunteer, work as an intern, take a low level job in a business which is either in or supports the industry you want to be in. While working in the industry you will have the opportunity to meet and build relationships with influential people.

Experience

Gaining some experience can be done again by being active in the industry. You can also practice on community projects, open source projects or by becoming involved in non-profit organizations. All these types of projects will provide you with valuable experience which are looked on favorably from prospective employers.

Research education opportunities available to you

You may have to go to college or trade school, take a training course, learn a skill or overcome a fear of doing something (public speaking is one of the hardest). If this is necessary then it is best to do some research. Not all schooling is the same. Some programs are more or less expensive, provide work experience programs or require prerequisites.

Time could be another consideration for you so pay attention to how long a training program is before you get a chance to work in the industry.

Gain support from others

Without the support from others it is difficult to succeed no matter who you are but those who have an observable disability you will need extra support to overcome the competition for specific jobs in your chosen field. This support can come through employee programs, government subsidies and/or personnel contacts.

Some companies provide support for those with disabilities. They may provide extra training, make spaces easily accessible and provide career planning for advancement.

Take responsibility for your own success

To take responsibility for your success you will have to have an understanding of what you are shooting for. To know that you must define what you mean by success. There are many ways to define success so before you start working towards “success” determine what that is for you.

Depending on your disability, success will have some unique aspects to you. Determine what those aspects are. Having a disability does not mean you should be subordinate to others’ expectations of what you can or cannot do. This means that you will have to be responsible for your own actions, attitudes and education. Part of this is understanding what your goal is for your career.

By taking responsibility for yourself you cannot blame others for your situation but you also take control of your own success. This puts you in a strong position to become a valued person in your chosen industry.

What to do once you have landed a position

Just like anything else in life once you have secured a position in your chosen field you begin the learning process. Getting your foot in the door, so to speak, only provides you with the opportunity to show others what you can do (and at the beginning it is not much). Now is the time for you to concentrate on improving your value in the market. Develop a set of goals which are specific, measurable and achievable, compare yourself with who you were yesterday and ask for help from others often.

Having a humble and questioning attitude will help employers, fellow employees and business associates see you are interested in improving yourself and becoming more valuable in the industry. This makes you more valuable to them and helps to secure your career more than anything else possible.

Why Career Planning is Important as a Student

No matter what stage of your education you are in currently it is important for you to know why you are studying. In the first 12 years of schooling what you learn is mostly not up to you as there is little latitude you can take but even in high school you have some choices which can affect your future choices so it is important to have a plan as early into your schooling as possible.

Career planning is important because it provides an idea of interests, talents/skills and a path to follow. It can give insight into what would be satisfying and challenging throughout a career which is necessary for long term success in any field.

Without career planning you may find yourself involved in actions which may not provide you with any of the most important things which makes for a successful career. To consider a career successful you will have to have a balance of the following characteristics. The balance will be dependent on your psychological and physiological makeup but without these you will not be considered successful to yourself or others.

You enjoy the majority of your work day
You are challenged regularly
You feel your work is valuable
Your salary provides a comfortable lifestyle
You can perform the necessary tasks
There are opportunities for advancement

The better you understand what your preferences are and what you are good at the faster you will find a career which fits your particular needs. Career planning will help you to understand what you need and what your priorities are before you spend time or money pursuing a particular career.

Career planning helps find a career which is interesting and challenging

You probably know the feeling of repeatedly looking at the clock while in a class which you don’t enjoy. It could be due to the instructor, the course material or your mental state but it happens to all of us. The challenge is that time seems to slow down as the minutes tick past and the instructor continues to talk.

Imagine that feeling and now consider yourself at work doing something which you don’t enjoy. It may be okay for a while but as the days and months drag on you will find yourself with that same feeling of waiting for the day to pass so you can go do something you want to do. After a while it will not matter how much you are making, if you don’t like what you are doing you will dread the 40 hours a week or so you spend at work. Not a great way to spend your day.

Career planning provides you with a better understanding of what you like to do, what your interests are. With this information you are in a better position to choose a career path which will be interesting and challenging.

Improves the chances of developing adequate income quickly

Unless you are independently wealthy, employment is primarily about income generation. Earning enough to provide for yourself and any dependents you have. Whatever your situation your career needs to have the capacity to provide adequately for your lifestyle.

Career planning includes research into possible job markets including the current and upcoming workforce, salary ranges and growth demand. This provides information on the risks of specific fields of study and the chances of reaching the required income level for a comfortable lifestyle.

Once you have spent some time determining your income requirements you will find many possible careers will be eliminated. Although you may enjoy these types of jobs if they don’t provide enough income for you to be comfortable you will soon become dissatisfied.

Provides opportunities to learn about strengths and weaknesses early

We all have a perception about ourselves which is imperfect. You may think you are good at something and make decisions around that belief but without some outside information you are betting on your perception rather than what others may find to be true. To be sure about your strengths and weaknesses it is best to get some outside opinions before committing to a course of study or career choice.

Each career has its required skills, knowledge bases, physical requirements and psychological demands. Without having most of the required strengths and understanding areas of weakness, success is difficult to achieve in any chosen career.

This is one aspect of career planning which is stressed in all career planning programs because it is so important. Without a good idea of the strengths and weaknesses it is hard to determine what career choice would be successful.

Lowers risk of wasting time on education

This is an age-old question. Should I go to college or should I just get a job now. For most of us the answer is to get some type of education which has value in society. It may not be a university degree or two. You may not want to become a PHD in anything. It would be a personal tragedy to spend four years of study time only to discover you don’t like the career you end up doing.

Career planning not only determines what your interests are but also what you are good at. With these two together and an idea of your psychological makeup you will be in a good position to make an intelligent decision regarding what types of careers you would be interested in and would find fulfilling.

To determine your interests check out this artcle. It will provide you with a track to follow to find your long term interests which could provide you with a long term successful career.

Reduces the risk of wasted financial investment

Education is expensive and it is only getting more so. University students can spend anywhere from $20,000 – $100,000 per year on a program which is not useful unless it is completed which takes most students 5 years to complete. You do the math. Trade schools are cheaper but still cost $5,000 – $20,000 per semester with many programs lasting 2 years.

Without career planning you will risk spending money or worse going into debt to gain knowledge which you may never use. Since only 60% of university students complete a bachelor degree and some take six years, the risk of investing in schooling without doing any career planning is high.

As mentioned above the cost of schooling is high. It can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete a bachelor program and for many professions this is just the start of the schooling required to become an accredited member. Doctors require ten years minimum. Lawyers have similar schooling requirements with the added two years of articling for pathetically low wages before passing the bar.

Career planning helps to reduce the risk of investing in the education needed to participate in a chosen career choice. Providing a clear idea of what careers an individual has a high chance of succeeding in makes the investment valuable rather than a lottery.

Student debt is growing in North America and shows no signs of slowing down. It is easier now than ever to acquire education loans, loans which will follow you until they are paid in full whether or not the education provides you with any benefit financially.

Without doing any career planning you may have the marks which will help you be a good candidate for your chosen program, being a good risk for a loan but if you either don’t complete the program, switch to another program or take longer than you expect to complete you will still need to pay the loan back.

Statistics indicate that about 40% of university students do not complete their degree programs. What the statistics don’t show is the number of graduates who complete their degrees but don’t get the benefit of the schooling. Some graduates never find work in their field, some work for a short time and find it not what they expected while others get stuck in careers which they don’t enjoy but are forced to continue working due to financial pressure.

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