This newsletter is designed to provide useful career information in an easy-read format, for career development at whatever stage you’re at on your job path. We publish every 30 days. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to write with your career questions, feedback or requests for topics to be discussed. – Laurie Sheppard, MCC
| Vol. 2, Issue 7 | July, 2005 |
In this issue:
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KEEPING WOMEN ON THE CAREER HIGHWAY
“A ‘people model' that fails to tap into the long run productive and creative energies of 60 percent of our fellow citizens has to be seriously flawed, ” said Economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett. Sylvia is the Director of the Gender and Public Policy Program at Columbia and also heads the Center for Work-Life Policy in New York . She developed a Hidden Brain Drain Task Force in February 2004. This task force brings together leaders and experts who are meeting over a three-year period to study (and hopefully drive change), on the current state of women and minorities reaching the higher echelons in the labor market.
The solutions package they propose includes policies dealing with discrimination, educational opportunity and cronyism with primary focus on work-life family needs issues.
The Harvard Business Review is publishing articles on their research over the life of the project. “Nineteen global corporations have signed up so far… The fact that more companies seem ready to have this conversation, and even begin to make changes, is an encouraging sign,” said Sylvia in a More, June 2005 article.
Find out more about how to get your company connected with the Center for Work-Life Policy http://www.worklifepolicy.org/pdfs/initiatives-taskforce.pdf
“TOP 10 FORECASTS" FROM OUTLOOK 2005
“Each year since 1985, the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected the most thought-provoking ideas and forecasts appearing in the magazine. Over the years, Outlook has spotlighted the emergence of such epochal developments as the Internet, virtual reality, and the end of the Cold War.
“Here are the editors' top 10 forecasts from Outlook 2005:
“1. Skills for tomorrow: In the future, even more emphasis will be placed on skills that cannot be automated. These "hyper-human" skills include caring, judgment, intuition, ethics, inspiration, friendliness, and imagination. Instead of a "secretary," for instance, you might become an "administrative response specialist" by developing your situation-management and problem-anticipation skills. --Richard W. Samson, "How to Succeed in the Hyper-Human Economy," Sep-Oct 2004, p. 40
“2. Skills for right now: Can you work in a team? Solve complex problems? Communicate clearly in print and in person? These are skills that employers are increasingly demanding, according to Syracuse University public-affairs professor Bill Coplin, author of 10 things Employers Want You to Learn in College. Among the skills that will help keep workers marketable in the near term are self-motivation, time management, strong oral and written communication, relationship building, salesmanship, problem solving, information evaluation, and leadership. --Futurist Update, Feb 2004.”
“7. The global wage gap is closing. Rapid income growth in China and southern Asia is helping to narrow average income inequality worldwide. This represents a turnaround over historic trends, according to Penn State sociologist Glenn Firebaugh. --World Trends & Forecasts, Economics, Mar-Apr 2004, p. 7”
“9. Older workers could help expand the business day. A steadily growing cadre of older workers could expand the productive working days of businesses. Older people--whose numbers are rising rapidly--tend to be early risers and at their sharpest in the morning. An early-riser work shift of 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. could expand commerce in cities as more businesses offer services for the early birds. --World Trends & Forecasts, Economics, May-June 2004, p. 19.”
Outlook 2005, was originally published in the Nov-Dec 2004 issue of The Futurist, http://www.wfs.org/forecasts.htm World Future Society
FINISHING, ENERGY AND COMPLETION
A lot of us start a lot of things. We get stuck in a lot of activity – sometimes finishing or almost finishing, but often not complete with projects. “Completion is when we say something is complete. Finishing is where the end result looks like the original idea.”
“Energy (what you bring to a job, relationships and projects) comes from every time you complete something. Recognizing that you did something can generate it exponentially, yet anything incomplete, drains energy. Incompletion is the source of exhaustion. You've been keeping track of these energy drainers since you were young.” There are the dreams you still have to do something. There are small things like extra keys that you don't know what they open anymore, clothes you keep to paint in someday, single socks, empty boxes to move or pack things in, little piles of information, notes from seminars, old photos, books, magazines, paperwork, dried up liquid paper, single earrings, broken items kept to repair. All this drains energy.
“You can't finish everything, but you could complete everything. In completion, nothing is missing and we are in a state of being fully satisfied. Our identity hates being complete because it means something is over and we'll have to invent something else when we're familiar with the problems we have. It doesn't actually mean anything if we say we're complete and we stop doing it.” It's simply a choice to end it.
“Two keys to effectiveness with this:
- Know what's unfinished (write it down, don't carry it around in your head).
- Be effective in all 3 phases of the accomplishment cycle: from idea to activity to re-idea [where we say it's complete].”
To have dramatic results in life you have to keep your projects and goals in better balance so your ideas don't pile up and you feel overwhelmed. If you're good at generating ideas, write them down, but don't start with any new ones until those in process are done.
If you're a perfectionist, you're never complete. It's never good enough or satisfying. It may or may not be finished, but to move on — declare it complete. “To the extent that you're incomplete in life, you can't dance with life.”
Source: excerpted in part from More Time , a seminar with Paul de Haas
Career Tool Resources & Services
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COMPETITION CONTINUES FOR ARTISTS
“Artists generally fall into one of three categories. Art directors formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual communications media. Fine artists , including painters, sculptors, and illustrators create original artwork, using a variety of media and techniques. Multi-media artists and animators create special effects, animation, or other visual images on film, on video, or with computers or other electronic media.”
“Significant Points:
- More than half of all artists and related workers [are] self-employed—almost eight times the proportion for all professional and related occupations.
- Artists usually develop their skills through a bachelor's degree program or other postsecondary training in art or design.
- Keen competition is expected for both salaried jobs and freelance work, because many talented people are attracted to the visual arts.”
“Employment of artists and related workers is expected to grow about as fast as the average through the year 2012. “
“Art directors work in a variety of industries, such as advertising, public relations, publishing, and design firms. Despite an expanding number of opportunities, they should experience keen competition for the available openings.
“Fine artists mostly work on a freelance, or commission, basis and may find it difficult to earn a living solely by selling their artwork. Only the most successful fine artists receive major commissions for their work. Competition among artists for the privilege of being shown in galleries is expected to remain acute, and grants from sponsors should remain competitive. Nonetheless, studios, galleries, and individual clients are always on the lookout for artists who display outstanding talent, creativity, and style…[these artists] will have the best job prospects.
“The need for artists to illustrate and animate materials for magazines, journals, and other printed or electronic media will spur demand for illustrators and animators of all types. Growth in motion picture and video industries will provide new job opportunities for illustrators, cartoonists, and animators. Competition for most jobs, however, will be strong…”
Salary Wizard at this site offers current salary data collected from thousands of HR departments of employers of all sizes, industries and geographies. The basic report showing the median expected salary for a typical artist in Los Angeles currently yielded $50,334, for New York $52, 162 and for Chicago , $48,596.
(“Related occupations not included here are: architects, except landscape and naval; archivists, curators, and museum technicians; designers; landscape architects; and photographers. Some computer-related occupations require art skills, including computer software engineers and desktop publishers.”)
http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/proft21.shtml
AmericanStyle magazine in their eighth annual Top 25 Art Destinations reader's choice poll, in the big-sized cities category chose New York City as their #1 top art destination. Chicago is #2, San Francisco #3, Washington D.C. #4 and Los Angeles #5. In the mid-sized cities category #1 is New Orleans , Louisiana , #2 Albuquerque , New Mexico , #3 Scottsdale , Arizona . In the small cities and towns category , New Hope/Lahaska, Pennyslvania is in the top #1 spot. #2 is Berkeley Springs , West Virginia . #3 is Saugatuck , Michigan . Courtney Gable, Top 25 Art Destination Cities 2005, http://losangeles.about.com/od/cityinfo/a/topartcity05.htm
This month's Career Symmetry article on Finishing, Energy and Completion came to me at a time when I was doing late spring cleaning and preparing for a large project. The many other projects waiting in the wings were not going to get done once I began my new project. I had to ask myself how much longer was I willing to keep the old projects lying in wait, or was it time to let them go completely. This is a time for completion and yet a painful time, because it requires un-attachment to old dreams. Life is about making choices and when I look at the energy and focus lost in trying to juggle too many projects, I know it's time to simplify and choose. Some things can be shelved and marked by date to look at later. But I'm no longer wiling to store that many projects and I've learned the trickery in telling myself there will be free time later.
What projects are on hold that would benefit from unattached completion?
My recommendation is you list all the items (you carry these around in your head anyway) that you continue to give energy to and think about and worry about revisiting. Make your list and then decide which to do, by when or not at all.
Then relax. Enjoy the balance of your summer and acknowledge yourself for movin' on!
Laurie
For more information about the coaching or professional speaking services I offer, plus any of our products, please visit my web site OR contact me for a complimentary coaching session! - Laurie
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