I Just Graduated... Now What? by Katherine Schwarzenegger

This well researched book is packed with the experiences and thoughts of 32 successful people like Anderson Cooper, Eva Longoria, Sara Blakely, and more.  Most chapters in the book are about one person and have two parts - Katherine's thoughts on her interview with that person, and the interview itself.   Katherine's thoughts are significant because she wrote this book as a recent graduate - essentially living the title while she wrote it.

One could not assimilate all the lessons and advice in this book in a single read.  Fortunately, the format of the book allows the reader to (for the most part) randomly choose chapters and read them individually - a valuable attribute for a reader like me.

The three chapters that resonated most with me (for what it's worth as I'm over 40) were Andy Cohen, Darren Hardy, and Gayle King.  I doubt that I would have chosen those chapters 20 years ago.  :-)

Reading this book made me again consider the question 'What does success mean to me?'  Every graduate must find their own definition for success and then continue scrutinizing and evolving that definition as life goes on.

I got a digest sized copy of this book from the Library.  It had about 280 pages and I found it to be a medium length read.

Holland Code Career/Personality Quiz

I took the Holland Code Quiz today.  On the site I used it was free and took about 5-10 minutes.

The Holland Codes is a system to classify jobs into job categories, interests , or work/personality environments. In the Holland Model, these categories represent work personalities.  John Holland (the fellow who came up with the matrix) categorized jobs into 6 different work personality categories:

1. Realistic - These people like to work with their hands.  They are practical and would rather get something done than talk about it or learn about the theory behind it.  I'd categorize the jobs aligned with this category as trade/journeyman related.
2. Investigative - People in this category enjoy working with data.  They prefer to think, organize, and observe rather than act and persuade.  Jobs associated with this category seem to be related to engineering and sciences
3. Artistic - These creative and inventive people tend to be emotionally driven and abstract.  They avoid structure and rules and follow their heart.  Writers, visual communicators and designers populate this category.  
4. Social - This work personality likes to talk thinks out, teach, and work with people.  Careers in this category seemed inclined to teaching, administration, and therapy.
5. Enterprising - Effective communicators land in this category, along with entrepreneurs and leaders.  This group likes to work with people and data.  Jobs related to this category appear to be directors and mangers.
6. Conventional - Precision and attention to detail are key motivators in this group.  They value order and status.  Data entry related positions fill out the majority of the jobs in this category.

My results came out like this:

1. Realistic (12)  - Considering I worked as a printing pressman on a number of different presses for almost a decade, this makes sense.
2. Social (9) - I enjoy teaching.  Currently I'm involved in three related activities: teach part-time at SAIT, lead a student band in a local high school, and work on this Blog
3. Investigative (8) - My current full-time work is as a computer consultant (software) so I can't argue with this result either.
4.  Tie - Artistic and Conventional - Since I play several music instruments, I thought I might score higher in Artistic....
5. Enterprising (4) - not much argument here.

I wonder based on my results if a person's results can change over time...   Can there is an evolution or migration from one category to another?  I guess I'll have to read 'Making Vocational Choices' by John Holland (2005) to find out.  I remember taking a similar, more extensive 'quiz' in high school and a couple of the jobs that were a 'good fit' for me back then were plumbing and firefighting.  Its interesting that those results line up pretty close to my high 'Realistic' score today.  

In conclusion, there definitely seems to be some value here.  Don't discount the results of career or personality tests you take (I did, long ago).  Mind you, I wouldn't take them as 'the Bible' either.  I'm not really comfortable with being labelled or put in a box so easily.  My Advice?  Seriously consider your results and get creative in seeing how you can fit them into career possibilities.

Fierce Conversations - Susan Scott

This was a fantastic book.  I bought a medium sized soft cover (around 280 pages) based on a recommendation from my pastor.  Staying true to her definition of 'fierce', the author doesn't mince words or hesitate in getting to the heart of the matter when it comes to conversations.  And since Susan Scott believes 'the conversation is a relationship' and 'conversations aren't just with others, they are also with yourself', the book is a superb resource for young adults trying to figure out who they are and where they are going.

Most of the chapters have brilliant, real life anecdotes as well as exercises to try.  The book is so full of great suggestions to implement in conversations that I was almost overwhelmed with where to begin when I finished it.  The author thoughtfully provided a user guide at the back to help with this.  The only drawback I found for a young graduate would be that the book was originally targeted to a business audience.  Don't let that deter you, though.  The stories and lessons are still applicable.

I will be reading this book multiple times in the next few years.  It was the best $17.50 CAD I've spent on a book in a while.

What Career Will Give Me Good Wages?

Want to know a job to look for that will give you a good salary?  Check out this chart.  This is data from 2013 of national average annual earnings for careers in the USA from the Bureau of Labour Statistics.  Its interesting to note how much medical related jobs figure in the top part of this list (earning more than $175,000 per year).

Click the image above to see the entire list of jobs and wages.  There are 820 of them - it's pretty exhaustive.

Here's some interesting highlights:

I couldn't help but notice the Judges (the blue line at $105,400 in the image above) showed up where they did.  Not only that, but notice the different between the 90th percentile for them (~170K)  versus the 25 percentile (~58K)  One quarter of judges in America make less than $60,000 per year?  Look at all the Manager Positions above them....

Graduate - Can You Find the 'Right Career'?

Have a read of this link:  Career Advice from Mike Rowe of 'Dirty Jobs'.  In the last two paragraphs, Mike lays it out plain.   There's no better teacher than experience.  It really feels good to be indispensable.  Seriously consider how you define 'success' and what makes you 'happy.'
Just out of happenstance, I was talking with a fellow at work this week whose brother is a welder with his own welding truck.  He is clearing $200k a year as a welding contractor.  :-)

Another link:  Follow Your Skills Instead of Your Passion.  I'm not sure I agree with all the points Jeffrey Katzenberg is making, however I definitely think there is value in being pragmatic in finding the 'Right Career'.  Don't ignore your skill set and get blinded by your passion.  Also, don't misinterpret what 'skill set' means!  Your 'soft skills' like being personable, carrying on a relaxed conversation, showing an interest in people, being able to listen effectively, being able to write a clear, concise email - these skills are so underrated and undervalued its not even funny.

And yet another link:  Most Meaningful Jobs vs. Least Meaningful Jobs list
This is a pretty exhaustive list of 454 jobs that includes average renumeration, a value for meaning/purpose, stress factor, satisfaction, education level, male vs. female placement, and typical level of education required.

Is College Worth It? It Depends on You

Lets face it - post secondary educations are an investment.  I've mentioned this before on my blog in this post.  Some of you may not be ready to face a post-secondary education right out of high school.  I wasn't.  But when you do get to that point, you need to consider it as an investment.  You will be expending considerable resources (time & money) to purchase an education that will hopefully get you a good career.

Get knowlegable!  Once you have a good idea what kind of career might fit you (or you might fit into), investigate schools.  There are some great resources online about which schools will give the the best return on your investement.  Check these links and articles out:

The Economist: Too Many College Degrees are a Waste of Money....

American College ROI (Return On Investment) Report

College Majors with Best ROI (Return On Investment)

Best Majors for Making Money

Majors that Pay You Back

'Degrees of Success' in Canada (pdf)

Canadian University Report Card: Career Preparation

Ready for Your Big Break? Coincidence in Your Career

You never know what might happen one plain old day at work that will change you life.  Lay a good foundation of work ethics and principals and when the unexpected happens, you never know where it will take you.

My hairdresser was working early this year, a normal day in a normal shopping plaza when suddenly 3 big guys came into the salon and asked if there was a room where a 'high-profile' client could get a hair cut.  After some discussion, they agreed on a room in the back and said that they would return in a hour with 'the client.' Some time later they return with the rest of their security team and the Prime Minister of Canada.  He wanted a trim.  My hairdresser was happy to oblige.  I think this might have something to do with why she is charging more now  :-)  You can make it big in the hair industry based on whose hair you've styled, from what I understand.

Another story...
Almost 10 years ago now, I was riding public transit to work and saw an advert for a software development course at the local technical college.  On a whim, I thought I'd email them and see if they needed any instructors.  That email got forwarded to the coordinator for the department who ended up being a teacher of mine from the past.  He offered me an opportunity on the spot, and I've been teaching here ever since and loving it!

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Heritage Hall