Someone wrote in asking if I was going to cover this one, and I’m surprised I didn’t think of it sooner, given a former flatmate was a fashion photographer! And what an eye opening experience that was, but I digress…

Well the job description sounds uber cool doesn’t it? Let’s see, take photos of actors, models, celebrities, TV, Radio, and media personalities, not to mention all the fabulous, glamourous “beautiful people” who make the A-List.

You go to all the openings, debuts, launches, lunches, and after parties in town, and what is it you have to do? Take photos! Huh, how hard can that be? Furthermore your work is published in the top fashion magazines, and your photography is the talk of the town.

And then as my former flatmate discovered, there are a whole bunch of extra “perks”. Like the “friendships” with the aforementioned fabulous, glamourous beautiful people, and the over eager wannabe models and B-Listers trying to “get noticed”.

The list goes on, oh, and who else is able to boast about being invited to Nicole Kidman’s house for dinner?

I have a camera, I could have a crack at this. Ok, it’s a very small digital camera, but it has a resolution of 3.2 Megapixels, and it does take photos, what more do you ask?

Well actually just a little more than that…

Like some actual talent and ability for taking photos. And a little charisma so you can “work it baby, work it.” A decent portfolio that will catch the eye of someone like Miranda Priestly is a must. And while we are talking about Miranda Priestly some of her attitude would also go a long to bringing your ambitions to fruition.

And you know about attitude don’t you? Either you have, or you don’t. Looks like my digital cam isn’t going to cut it for me after all. And by the way, yes, size matters in this industry babee.

But then there’s also long hours, countless re-shots, the fabulous, glamourous beautiful people, and other A-Listers who “forget” show up for the shot, or who are three hours “fashionably” late, dah-ling. There are late nights in the dark room, and the countless rejections from Miranda Priestly and her ilk.

So is it really for you?

My old flatmate is a food photographer now. He says food doesn’t talk back, turn up late, nor call at 3 o’clock in the morning to talk incessantly about domestic problems, or final demands from the tax office.

Good food speaks for itself he says, and doesn’t have bad hair days, nor blood shot eyes.

But the best part is he can be tempted by good food without getting into the least bit of trouble with his wife!

In the final article in this series I will outline another two methods of finding career direction.

So far we have looked at recalling childhood dreams and career hopes, and also examined some online career self assessment tests, as well as creating a “skills inventory”, a list of all our talents and abilities.

Now it is time to do some reading.

This part of the exercise may take a little longer to complete than the steps covered so far, but then again this is not a process that you want to rush. Making a decision too quickly could prove costly if it turns out to be the wrong one.

I have known of people who have raced out to sign up for expensive (and worse still, “pay upfront”) courses, only to find part way into it, that they have no interest, whatsoever, in what they are studying.

So it is far better to take your time, ask many and varying questions, and if at the end of that process the answers are all the same, then you can be far more reassured when it comes to working out a career change strategy.

There are two books that are not only favourites of mine, but also millions of other career changers worldwide.

In fact I knew of one, “What Color Is Your Parachute?” (written by Richard N Bolles) by name, from hearing people refer to it in conversation, before I even knew what it was about. Recreational parachute jumping perhaps?

Well not quite. The title not only refers to taking chances and risks, as you would if you were making a parachute jump, but also to building up the confidence necessary to make such a “jump”, or in this case, career change.

The second title, “Do What You Are” (written by Paul D Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger), identifies ideal careers and jobs that correlate to your Myers-Briggs personality type, in a similar vein to the Career Personality Test I wrote about in part 2 of this series.

By the way, it is not my intention to review these books at this stage (though I will be in the future), but rather introduce them and suggest reading them as part of your research.

Both these books differ markedly in their approaches, and it is for this reason that I recommend you read both.

And while both offer far more than just methods of discovering an ideal career, if after reading both books, and working through the exercises and evaluations they include, and they both give you the same answer, then you can be certain you have identified a career direction worth pursuing more seriously.

Once you have completed this step (and, as I say, it will take some time), you can then review where you are. Are there some clear career options in view now? Do the outcomes of your testing, and reading, exercises back each other up?

How do these results compare with the career thoughts you had while growing up?

At this point though you may find some variation, or difference, with the outcome of your more recent research. As a youngster you may have dreamed of being a reporter, but after doing some reading and competency tests, now find a career in web design appeals to you.

And this is fine. What we want does change overtime. For example, there would be people who grew up wanting to be reporters, who went on to become reporters, and after fulfilling careers as reporters, decided they wanted to try something else.

And likewise, your preferences may have changed over time. Remember, referring back to, or recalling childhood career ambitions, was just one suggestion for finding career direction.

Now that you have found a potential new career, it is time to speak to other people about it. Begin by sounding out family and friends. Ask them if they think you would make a good web designer, coffee shop owner, or whatever you have identified.

This partially relates to a point I made in The Road Map article, where I said an important part of the career change process was having the backing and support of those close to you.

But there is another way friends and family can play a part. They know you, and how you tick. And they usually have no quibbles offering quite direct (and blunt!) observations or feedback on your ideas. In short, if they like it, chances are it’s a good idea!

So at the end of this period of self assessment you should have narrowed down at least one or two definite career options. You should also be confident in yourself of these outcomes, as a result of cross checking and testing, and also have some affirmation from friends and family as well.

You can now start looking at the skills requirements of your intended new career, and equipped with your skills inventory, ascertain what transferable skills you have, and then work out what effort is required to make the career transition.

Here’s a short summary of the steps involved in finding career direction:

• 1: Think back to your career ambitions when growing up. What careers or jobs excited you as a child? As I said, not all of these dreams or hopes are naive or overly fantastic, and in some cases “life may have got in the way” of these ambitions, or they were clouded over by the doubts of ourselves and others.
• 2: Embark on some self discovery. Take some online career aptitude tests.
• 3: Read! There are some very good books (see above) that illustrate methods of discovering career direction.
• 4: Seek reaffirmation and feedback. Speak to people who know you well. Sound out their opinions of the ideas you have. Do others think your choice is a good idea?

Last week I wrote about a conversation I had with a former colleague some years ago.

To recap, he had been working for almost 30 years but could not find a job, or career, he enjoyed. His words still echo in my mind, “I have no idea what I want to do.” In the first part of this article, we discussed turning to, and recalling our childhood dreams, in the search for career direction and inspiration.

And we probably all know several people who went on to become what they dreamed of being as children, such as accountants, architects, real estate agents, dentists, writers, or lawyers, to name but a few ambitions.

But what about those of us who did not have such clear ideas about what we wanted to do? What about those of us who, despite giving the matter considerable thought, still cannot find any career inspiration or direction?

We were not quite as lucky as our school mates who, at what seems like age 11, knew where they were going. But the only difference between us and them, is that we are the people who have to do a little work, or research, to find a career that, in the words of Gilligan to the Skipper, “floats our boat”.

Let’s make a start. The first step is to compile, or list, your existing skills and qualifications. Whether you put these on paper or a spreadsheet, make sure that you have them recorded somewhere. This list, or skills inventory, will also be useful in determining your transferable skills, that is, talents and abilities that can be “reused” in other career fields.

A good example of a skills inventory can be found at the Online Writing Lab, and you can print out the list they have compiled, and simply mark or highlight whatever skills of yours appear on their list. Be sure to also add your own ideas.

As I’ve said before, knowing exactly what skills you already have will make the process of working out what you need to acquire a whole lot simpler. Once you have completed your skills inventory, put it aside for later reference.

Now it is time to embark on a little self discovery. Personally this was the part of the career change process I enjoyed the most, because while I was learning a little bit about myself, I was also having some fun.

Online career aptitude and competency tests are a relatively quick, and inexpensive, method of garnering information about yourself while also discovering some career direction possibilities.

While there are number of organizations providing online tests of this nature (one or two are listed in these posts), I have always found the tests offered by Tickle (formerly known as Emode) to be comprehensive and informative.

These are not tests of the “five question instant result” variety, and in fact you will need to allow 20 to 30 minutes to work through individual tests. I have listed four that I have found to be the most helpful, and while more are available, given that almost two hours is required to complete these four, I won’t suggest any more right now!

Career Personality Test is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator which analyses aspects of your personality and then suggests careers best suited to your Myers-Briggs personality type.

Career Interest Inventory tests your interest in 12 different career areas and determines where your work related preferences lie. It provides a number of career options that suit your interests, plus also a list of more “off beat” possibilities that remain in keeping with your core career interests.

Right Job/Wrong Job examines some of your competencies and assesses your primary and secondary career personality types (unrelated, by the way, to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test).

The results suggest a job that is right for you, with reasoning why, and to offer contrast, a job that is wrong for you, and why. I found studying the comparisons between the two quite revealing. It also offers salary expectations, although these may only be of relevance in the US.

What’s Your True Talent? This test is a little more testing as it assesses your skills in five primary areas being, abstract reasoning, verbal ability, numerical ability, spatial ability, and mechanical ability. Again, career and job options that match your strongest ability or talent are provided.

By the time you have completed these four test you will certainly have two or three definite career possibilities that you can begin to further investigate.

There are a few points to bear in mind while taking tests of this nature though. The first, and perhaps most important, is the need to be completely honest with yourself. Remember no-one needs to see, or even know that you took these tests, so be completely open, completely yourself, when answering the questions.

Also, approach these tests with an impartial attitude. Answer questions as things are, not as you would like them to be. You may despise your current job or career with a loathing, but don’t answer the questions with any sort of bias.

For example, if you are an accountant and you are asked whether you enjoy a particular part of that work, answer honestly. Don’t adopt the mind-set that because you can’t stand accounting period, you therefore hate every last aspect of the work involved, and are determined your answers will reflect that attitude also! This will only skew the results in a wrong direction.

Another tip is to print out your test results and reports. Although a service like Tickle/Emode keeps the results archived permanently on your account which you can always access, having a paper version you can sit down and study, and also refer to at anytime, is very handy.

These tests not only suggest career options, and also some alternatives, they also offer a plan of action so that you can get the ball rolling, should you find something of interest.

Finally, you will be required to set up an account, which includes supplying an email address, and while basic test results are free, to receive the detailed reports you will need to pay a small cost.

At the time of writing this was about US$10 (ten) per report, but usually when you buy one report, you are granted full access for a week to all Tickle/Emode tests, so what you can do is buy one report, and then take as many others as you want, free, over the next seven days.

Tomorrow I will look at a few more methods of finding career direction, in the third part of this series.

And at the end of the third week at The InterChange Desk I’d once again just like to thank everyone who has stopped by to have a look.

A few of my articles here have appeared in Blog Carnivals over the last couple of weeks, so thanks to Career Intensity, Creating A Better Life, and Bryan C Fleming for featuring me.

Also, as mentioned last week I am in the process of preparing a links page. If you know of any quality career resources that you think should be included please drop me a line, or leave a comment with some details.

Be sure to return again on Monday for the second article in our “Finding Career Direction” series. If there’s time next week (and there’s a lot of ground to cover here!) we’ll also have a look at some CV, or Resume, writing tips for career changers. Until then have a great weekend!

Ok, it’s Friday already! So without further ado let me present a few coffee break distractions. And true, it may take a while to work through these, but aren’t Friday’s all about long coffee breaks?!

• A dream board is a way of creating a visual representation of a goal, and by having something tangible to focus on, this can help us strive towards it. If your goal, for instance, is to own a Ferrari then what better way to stay motivated than by a seeing a photo of a Ferrari each day? Career changers could make a useful adaption of this idea as well!
• Dr. Bamster’s Blog has a specialist focus on issues facing those 40 and over who are changing jobs or careers.
• Build a More Meaningful Career is an article written by Robin Ryan at QuintCareers. “30 million people go to work each day to a job they hate” was the line that caught my attention, and Robin suggests a few reasons why moving on is a good idea, if you are one of those 30 million people!
• Quiz time! This career interest test with 100 questions may seem long, and some questions may seem irrelevant, but bear with this one because it’s all going somewhere! A free ten point report result is delivered after the test, which you can re-access and view whenever you want, and there is also an option to pay for a more detailed report if you choose. A tip for non US residents, use 00000 (that is five zeros) as a zip code.
• You become what you think about, is the gist and summary of a great inspirational post over at Dream Jobs Dialog. As Michael Werner points out though, “thinking” should not be confused with merely “daydreaming”, but rather “thinking” is a plan of action in this context.

Most mornings I can usually be found around to the local cafe looking for my daily coffee fix. I usually order takeaway, so I can drink it back here while reading emails and planning the day, but the other morning, just for a change, I decided to stay there and read the newspaper instead.

Two people arrived and sat down at the table next to me. In a nutshell Person A, as we shall call him, needed some advice from, shall we call him, Person B.

Person A explained his problem while Person B listened carefully. Without going into too much detail, Person A was having trouble with an employee. Person B, judging by his comments, sounded quite familiar with Person A’s sort of issue.

While Person A had done the right thing in seeking the counsel of someone with the expertise he required, he was unfortunately doing himself a disservice by NOT listening to a single word that Person B was saying.

Person A was almost instantly dismissing every suggestion and idea that Person B was offering. In fact Person A sometimes wasn’t even giving Person B time to finish his sentence before interrupting and saying, “no, that would never work”, or, “no, that couldn’t be done.”

It made me wonder why Person A had bothered asking for Person B’s advice in the first place. It was also, I thought, quite rude of him to waste Person B’s time like this.

Eventually Person B managed to prevail with his initial suggestion, but only because Person A had little choice to do so anyway, due to what employment laws say in regard to his situation.

It almost seems that if the law hadn’t have intervened, as it were, Person B would have completely wasted his time travelling out to the cafe to try and help Person A.

And out of this situation I could see a lesson for us all, including those of us changing careers.

If you’re seeking advice from someone, make sure you listen to them. If you’ve asked someone to give up their time to help you, at least have the courtesy to hear them out. Don’t go rejecting every last word, like Person A in the cafe, did.

Every idea, or suggestion, no matter how apparently outlandish or ridiculous it seems, should be taken on board and considered. Keep an open mind. One quite “extreme” idea may lead to another you consider a little more plausible.

Indeed let one idea lead to another. Consider radical ideas the beginning of the thought and problem solving process, rather than something to be dismissed.

Remember, the person you are asking may know you better than you think, and what they say may be of more value than you initially realise.

Ok, here’s a fun one. Who wouldn’t want to be an Astronaut? It’s pioneering and groundbreaking work. You get to blast off into the wide blue yonder and go places most people (expect for those with a lazy few million dollars), wouldn’t have the remotest hope of coming within several billions miles of.

And then there’s having fun floating above the Earth in a gravity free environment, trying to spot things like the Great Wall of China, and the Sydney Opera House (which should be visible if they’ve kept its tiles pristine white).

And if you’re really lucky, and can get rostered aboard the right rocket, you might even be the first person to set foot on another planet. And that could prove a short cut to your next career, as a celebrity, you know, a star who travelled among the stars, if you play your cards right.

Tempted then are you? Ok, so how does one become an Astronaut, I hear you ask. Well, there are one or two prerequisites.

First up you should at least have the ability to pilot a Jumbo jet (Concorde would be a bonus but is not essential), plus also be familiar with the flight modes of a couple of the latest model jet fighters.

It would also help to have the mental agility of Albert Eienstein, and the constitution of a championship triathlete. You should also be prepared to undergo intrusive medical tests daily, and look forward to “tumble runs”, where you are locked in a small pod, which then is spun around the room at amazing velocity!

You should also enjoy living in conditions akin to a sardine can, and in very close proximity to other people. If you like privacy, and stretching out on the sofa at the end of a long day (whenever days actually end in space - does anyone know?), this job may not be for you.

And if you thought airline food was bad, wait till you try the rocket ship variety. It’s not really food though, it’s a kind of liquid pulp, which you slip through straws out of plastic bags. Mind you, they say it tastes ok, and at least there are no dishes to wash afterwards.

And while pilots will tell you landing a plane is the trickiest part of their job, taking off is the least fun for an Astronaut. Unless you like the feeling of a dozen elephants standing on your chest as you accelerate to Earth escape velocity.

So is it for you? And just going back to the point about being an instant celebrity. Well no, not quite. While the rest us can look forward to 15 seconds of fame, an Astronaut is limited to just ten seconds. That’s the length of the final countdown sequence. After that, I’m sorry, but we’re all watching the rocket, not you!