Have Your Childhood Dreams Escaped? “The Last Lecture” Puts It All In Perspective

If you haven’t heard the story of Dr. Randy Pausch, who received national attention when he began appearing on numerous television shows including Oprah last year, then you should especially stay tuned into today’s post. Randy Pausch was a professor of Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer when he was asked to deliver his famous “last lecture.” Nearly 400 students attended the lecture … [Read more...]

Who’s Got Yo’ Back?

Please excuse the grammatical no-no in the title. But this is a very important post (as the rest of them are.) Who has your back in your career? Who’s in your corner when you need some advice, insight, support in pursuing your dreams when times are low, or who gives you that extra push off the ledge into facing your fears? Who would you consider as a mentor or supportive friend? Today, I had a very encouraging conversation with a good friend, Monique McDowell, whom I first connected with … [Read more...]

Courage Soup for the Chicken Soul


Courtesy of StockVault

Did you know that chickens populate this earth more than any other type of bird, clocking in at 24 billion in the world as of 2003? It’s no wonder then that so many of us humans resemble the domesticated foul when it comes to cowardliness in our careers and in pursuing our life dreams. Did you also know that domestic chickens are incapable of long-distance flight? Chickens will sometimes fly to explore their surroundings, but usually do so only to flee perceived danger. As a high schooler, … [Read more...]

Are You Thriving Or Barely Surviving? Career Inspiration for the Slacker

Courtesy of StockVault

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said ‘yes’, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He … [Read more...]

Find Inspiration to Live Your Dream Career, Take Hold Opportunities & Watch Project Runway

Courtesy of Lifetime Network

I love watching the television show Project Runway, which airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on the Lifetime Network. It’s a reality-based show about individuals from virtually all walks of life who are living out their dreams and competing to become a famed, nationally recognized fashion designer. “Either you’re in, or you’re out” is the show’s motto, regularly spoken as fact by Project Runway host, supermodel Heidi Klum. Despite the fact that contestants could possibly kill their careers simply by … [Read more...]

Are You Really Stuck? 



Courtesy of Dreamstime

Do you feel stuck? In your career? In life, in general? Feeling “stuck” in your career is certainly not a good feeling. What precedes it? A number of reasons could be the underlying culprit, such as low self-esteem, lack of education, lack of perceived opportunity and many more. Stuckness poses a direct threat to your career pioneer prowess. So, it's best to nip it in the bud as soon as you see the signs. Maybe you feel stuck because the economy is in a slump, and it seems no one is … [Read more...]

Have an Interview Horror Story? Tips to Shine at Your Next Career Fair 


handshake

You arrive late because you forgot to pick up your suit from the cleaners. You didn't have a            chance to check you appearance in the bathroom before the interview began, so the entire time you had tomato stuck in your teeth and didn't know it. That's just great. Now the interviewer thinks you were running late because you stopped at your favorite pizza joint. How in the world do you climb out of this hole?

 After all, this was the company you've just been dying to work for. If … [Read more...]

Achieve Your Career Dreams: How to Get Past the Talking Stage and Move Into The Doing Stage

Courtesy of Dreamstime

Don’t you just hate conversations when someone you know or an acquaintance blabs on and on about what they want to do. But when you prod a little, you discover they haven’t made any effort or taken any steps that resemble a course of action? Don’t you hate it even more when the person who’s doing the blabbing is you? We live in a world that gives more credit to people who are doing “big” things. Which, in my opinion, has fostered a generation that are big talkers, rather than big … [Read more...]

Want to Reinvent Yourself? Personal Branding is Key

Courtesy of Dreamstime

Today's post was inspired by football wide receiver Terrell Owens, aka T.O., and his new reality-based television show called The T.O. Show. Honestly, I was a bit . . . no, very reluctant to watch the show, which airs on VH1 Mondays. I'm not very familiar with his professional football career. But in the few times that I have seen him in the media, I felt he was generally portrayed as some bad guy slash conceited, hot head on and off the field. Because of that, I've never really had a … [Read more...]

“What do you do well?” And Other Simple Questions To Discover Work You Love

Courtesy of Dreamstime

Since graduating from high school, throughout college, and up until about a year ago, I went back and forth in my mind trying to determine what my true career path was. Along the way, I considered pursuing jobs in social work, education, public relations, theatre, film & television, sales and journalism -- without a doubt, an eclectic group of industries had crossed my mind. The one profession that continued to resurface was writing and journalism. It made sense. After all, I enjoyed the … [Read more...]

How to Get the Most Out of Self-Help Books, Blogs & Other Published Works

Courtesy of Dreamstime

I read a lot of self-help books. By reading them, I always seem to find the practical advice, insight or inspiration I need to get me through a slump. (Check out my Suggested Reading list for recommendations.) It was my collection of self-help books that inspired me during difficult and challenging times at work, through job transitions and career changes. The self-help genre even served as the primary inspiration for my creating The Career Pioneer blog. I had gotten to a point where I … [Read more...]

Interviewing for a New Job? Determine Your Salary Range Before Stepping in the Door

Courtesy of Dreamstime

Your phone rings. You look at the small caller-id screen, but you’re unfamiliar with the incoming phone number. As the digits continue to flash, you suspect it’s someone you know and that they’re calling from another phone line. You pick up and, with your “receptionist” voice, you answer: “HellOoo, this is . . .” “Hi. This is so-and-so from whachamacallit Company,” says the voice on the other line. “We received and reviewed your resume and cover letter regarding the XYZ position and would … [Read more...]

What Will Be Your Legacy? Today, Meet a Legend. And Go Be Legendary.

Mother Teresa. Courtesy of NobelPrize.org

In a recent post, I offered some suggestions on how you can advance you life and start pursuing your dream career. One of those suggestions was volunteerism -- as a way to get your foot in the door, gain valuable experience doing the very thing you love to do, and as philanthropy. There’s another type of volunteering out there that has nothing remotely to do with your needs or your future career. It’s called humanitarianism. Generosity. Brotherly Love. This type of volunteer labor isn’t for … [Read more...]