Could regular, and acute, cases of Mondayitis be a symptom of a career rut?

It’s a four day week in this part of the world, following the four day Easter weekend, and one neighbour I met in the lift on Tuesday evening, who had just arrived home from work, was looking very much the worse for wear.

Or do we just hate Mondays, or the first day of the working week, regardless of how much we like our work? This is something that warrants further investigation. The good news, for those working a Monday to Friday week at least, is that Friday is here. At last. Enjoy the weekend; I know I will!

• How to set personal goals from the Study Habits blog. Achieving goals can be reasonably straightforward so long as we work to a plan. Or to guidelines. Even a “to-do” list is a great way to make sure things get done. While we’re on the subject of such lists, Remember The Milk is an excellent online personal organiser.
• And not being organised may also be another reason why you are not as successful as you would like to be, or doing as well as others. 9 Reasons You Are Not Successful, an article at Career Ramblings, looks at some of the things we need to consider in order to make an impression.
• Confidence Vs Experience. Almost written for career changers! Obviously we will be low on experience when establishing ourselves in a new career, so this is the time to work on boosting our confidence. Amit suggests a few ways to increase our self belief.
• Ten Reasons To Turn Off Your TV. My loathing of TV is legendary. I have always maintained there are better ways to spend time, even if that is just day dreaming; at least it is making use of the imagination! There’s a lot you can do with your (new found free) time if you ditch the TV though. How about start a second business, take an evening class, learn a new skill or a new hobby, and take on a major project? Never had time to start making that career change? Now you do!
• And finally a little humour for a Friday, thanks to the people at Flying Solo, who pointed out a couple of parody websites the other day. Huhcorp is a great take off of a consulting company, while Duhcorp as a go at application developers. Actually both companies seem fun places to work, I wonder if they’re hiring?

Today is the beginning of a four day weekend for many people. As if I need to say so. Hopefully most of you will be having some time off. I’ll be taking it easy while also tinkering around behind the scenes here. I can’t help it; it’s just in my nature! Enjoy your break, but read the Friday five first!

• Since Richard Bolles, author of “What Color Is Your Parachute?“, shares some of his thoughts in this article, I really thought I had to point to it! “Discovering your life’s purpose is more like putting together a big puzzle then it is finding a needle in a haystack.” I envy those who seem to have it all worked out!
• Setting goals is one thing, but working consistently towards achieving them can be something else. And while we all forget to do something, or are prone to procrastination at sometime or another, Jen has found a solution! Dreaminder allows you to list your goals or dreams, and then arrange for a reminder, or a follow-up, to be emailed to you at some point in the future. A kind of automated conscience maybe?
• Considering many of us have to return to work on Tuesday (something that is difficult enough after an extended weekend, doubly so if you also can’t stand the job!) you may want to skip over this one. Secrets of the nomads profiles a few (lucky) people who travel as part of their job. Not so much about working as such, but a great holiday weekend read nevertheless!
• Top 10 reasons why happiness at work is the ultimate productivity booster. May seem like commonsense for many people, but there are certainly one or two workplaces around that have no idea!
• A little motivational reading. Strength from Weakness and What You “Can’t Not Do”. Did you know that Richard Branson gets bored easily and that is why he started so many businesses? When working for one project starts to becomes a little familiar, he puts on another cap, and does something different for a while. How’s that for a response to boredom?! Gives the term “multitasking” a whole new meaning that’s for sure!

What do you know, it’s Friday already, and that must mean it’s time for another edition of the Friday five! Ah, some quiet reading, just the tonic for a week that was way too busy. Enjoy!

• Withdraw your resignation! No, I don’t mean your letter of resignation, I mean your resignation from leading a happy life, trying to get out of whatever rut you are in, or pursuing a career you really want. Sometimes we are pushed into a corner that we don’t like, but the real problem is when we don’t try and dig ourselves out of it. Leaden Winter, at Verve Coaching, offers some excellent advice for dealing with these sorts of situations.
• Perhaps a career as a writer appeals to you. The work is creative and as long as you can meet deadlines, the working hours flexible. So why not? That just leaves the problem of what area of writing to specialise in, and with the range as varied as the world is wide, the choice can be difficult to say the least. Not to worry though, the “What Type of Writer Should You Be?” quiz, is here to help you out!
• Changing careers is a big step for many people and sometimes the prospect of taking a big step, any big step, induces a certain inertia or reluctance to move forward. Or to be more precise, fear of change. These fears can be overcome as this article (which originally appeared at PayScale) at the Career Transition Resources suggests.
• Chances are you’re considering a career change because you not only find your current job un-fulfilling and boring, but you HATE it with a loathing as well! If the latter is the case then you should check out Disgruntled Workforce. Read about what peeves other workers and even submit your own stories. It’s great to really vent now and again and this is the perfect place to go!
• And if you do submit a workplace tale to Disgruntled Workforce, remember to be discreet, and not give away too many clues as to who you work for. It just may get you dooced or fired! But what if the worst has already come to fruition? First, calm down and try not to panic, and then second, read the advice from Career Hub about what to do in the hours immediately after a sacking.

If you consider yourself a slash careerist (this week’s favourite term at The InterChange Desk!) then this week would have been a “slash week”, as I’ve been wearing a couple of work hats these last few days. Talk about busy days and busy nights! Still time to compile the weekly check list though, I hope you enjoy today’s selection.

• Rather than search high and low for your dream job you could try creating it for yourself instead, by starting a business that is related to your field of interest. So what is it you want to do though? How to choose a career is an article at Flying Solo written by Katie Roberts, and suggests a few ideas for those seeking out their dream job.

• Aspiring entrepreneurs, or those thinking of launching their own enterprise, ought to check out the series of articles by Bryan Baker on how running has changed his life and inspired him to become a successful entrepreneur. Some interesting parallels there, long distance running and starting up your own business are hard work, but the result is worth the effort.
• What did you did about your dreams? Some excellent motivation reading for a Friday, together with some lessons about never being afraid to ask for help, and being prepared to constantly reassess your weaknesses.
• Another must read for those contemplating a career change, The Power of Calling, at Creative Careers Unleashed. Just what is your calling in life? There’s something each of us wants to do, and is capable of doing, but somehow we seem to miss its call. I love the article’s summary: “You CAN definitely ignore your Calling - but believe me it WILL HURT to do so”.
• A picture speaks a thousand words! Another way of looking at finding the “ideal career” equation!

Here’s a double serve of the Friday five for you this week. While you’d think I did nothing but spend my days surfing the net, that’s not quite the case. There’s a lot of good stuff out there, and we have to keep on top of it somehow! Happy reading, I’ll see you all again next week!

• Slash careers are a by-product of the multifaceted, multitasking times we live in. If you have a “job title” that looks like say this: designer / writer / speaker then you are a “Slash Careerist”! This could be a smart way of effecting a career change though. Begin doing part of the time (and in addition to your current career or work) what you would like to do all of the time…
• Some sort of study will usually be required by those changing careers. But how to fit in study time while trying to hold down a full time job, taking care of a family, etc? How to study with a full-time job offers a few good pointers.
• Ghosting… No, it’s not about pursuing a new career as a ghost buster, but is a training method used by sports people. It’s a little like role play, whereby you imagine yourself to be in a real, or live, situation during practice sessions. Think “fake it before you make it”.
• Finding Your Passion Amid the Hate is some great motivational reading at Success from the Nest, which I found this via a post at Antbag.com
• Refactoring Your Career is an article that runs a little a long the lines of my 10° career change article, in that it suggests making small changes until you reach the place you want to be. Software releases are subtly changed or “refactored” overtime, which end users seldom notice as it still appears to carry out the same function. Think of how software like Word or Excel has changed over time for example.
• 4 Reasons to Do (Work) Only What You Love: a very succinct and to the point article at Lifecho.
• Is It Your Job, Or Your Passion? Think about the amount of time you spend working. If you enjoy it, great. If not, then you should give the reasons why you stay put some thought.
• Find Your Inner Jerry Maguire. “What is it that separates those who succeed from those who fail?” Whoever thought we could take a few pointers from Tom Cruise?
• While aimed more at those who find themselves out of work suddenly, Five Tips to Jump Start Your Network is also useful reading for career changers looking to establish some networks. Never underestimate the power of networking…
• Time for some fun. Sometimes finding career direction is simply a matter of looking back to the future! The Futuristic Job Quiz will set you in the right direction. Who knows, you may find a job that is “groundbreaking” and “ahead of its time”!

Fancy a career change working as a full time reader of blog posts and articles? There’s easily enough reading to fill in a 40 hour week (if not more), so now just to find a way to earn money from it!

Here we go then, another “Friday five” from The InterChange Desk!

• Sometimes in the quest for our “dream job” we just need to look around for a role we simply like the name of, and then start working our way towards it. And if that’s you then Eccentric Employment, “a frequently updated Weblog of unusual, strange and interesting job opportunities” is the place to be. There’s information on anything from being a Cheese Intern, to an Aerospace Engineer, and almost everything in between. There’s even an opening for a Fairy… my niece would love that!
• Personal branding is not something that has been directly touched on here yet, though I have alluded to it in very roundabout ways once or twice. Is Your Personal Brand Unique? from Career Goddess, paraphrases a point made by Scott Ginsberg that a great personal brand is in-fact unique, not merely different. There’s a lot to be said for getting yourself noticed, and making a good impression at the same time.
• Resumes (or CVs, depending what part of the world you are in) have been discussed here a little bit this week. While I have suggested a couple of ways you can improve yours, the CV you have right now, may in-fact be fine. If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It is a timely reminder that a good resume is only part of a job search strategy, and it alone will not go landing you jobs.
• Time for a some motivational reading. Here’s a little Water Cooler wisdom on what to do if dreams and plans don’t fall into place or happen. In a way the article is suggesting we “choose” our dreams carefully. While we think we want one thing, and put all our time and energy into trying to achieve it, we may well be barking up the wrong tree. Are you following your dreams because that is what you really want, or what you are telling yourself you want?
• You couldn’t imagine I wouldn’t included a test or two in today’s Check List would you? Being Friday I thought we’d go for something not so serious. So are you a slacker? Or are you a workaholic? Maybe you are both, but either way I wouldn’t tell the boss, aren’t you meant to be working after all?! (A login is required to access these tests.)

Here’s another selection of links to round off the working week, and hopefully ease you into weekend mode!

• Are you perhaps thinking of a new career as a scientist? Then you need to be reading the Career Development for Scientists blog! There’s also an interesting post (which we should all read, not just scientists!) about the emphasis employers are now placing on “soft skills”. These are things like leadership and communication skills (or people skills), which are very interchangeable and can be utilised regardless of the industry you are working in. Can anyone say transferable skills?
• This / Not this is all about stepping out of our comfort zones. It’s all too easy to make conservative, or overly safe choices, especially when in unfamiliar situations. Travelling to countries where the culture is completely different, and we can’t speak the local language is a good example. Do you eat the local food, or make a “safer choice” and go to a well known global hamburger restaurant instead? Bad choice, right?
• This is a great article related the finding career direction series here. There are plenty of people looking to change careers and try something new, but uncertain where to look for direction. The best choice for your next career will not be based on what’s out there but on what’s in you. Says it all.
• Test time, come on, you enjoy tests, right? The JASPER Job Assets & Strengths Profiler poses a combination of word/picture association and agree/disagree type questions, to determine your work type. This test is completely free, anonymous, and delivers very comprehensive results.
• The Law of Attraction suggests that to attain our goals we should not only work towards to them, but they should also be foremost in our thinking. In other words, it’s a little like being pro-active while also thinking positively. What I found interesting was the number of times I’ve “worked” this way in the past to achieve goals without actually being aware of what I was doing. (If that makes any sense!)