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Philosophy

After nearly 20 years in the careers, I've concluded one thing for certain: nothing is for certain. Given that small bit of wisdom gained, I therefore believe it is everyone's duty to be in charge of their own career path. How many times have you heard, seen, or experienced a person putting their full trust, effort, and years into an organization and then, in one fell swoop, left with nothing to show for it?

Now, the company isn't always the "bad guy" (excepting certain corporate scandals which occur time and again). The company is just doing what a business does: investing its assets where it sees the highest return and cutting its losses where it sees the highest drain. Do they always make the best decisions, or handle things as scrupulously as one would like? Nope. But they are just making their best attempt to run a business successfully, and unfortunately the individual employee gets hurt.

The core of my belief is that you too should own your own business. That can take one of two routes:
1) Being someone who "leases" out their talents, skills, and services to another company (what has been traditionally considered as an "employee")
2) Actually creating your own enterprise of which you are in charge.

If you're not the entrepreneurial type and choose to still work for others, the trick is in the mindset. You should treat yourself like a business, and like any company does, always be seeking to invest your assets where you see the highest return and cutting your losses where you see the highest drain. For you, that means keeping ever alert as to the best work opportunities out there and being willing to cut and run from your current situation when necessary to maximize your own profits (or sanity). Hey, the biggest corporations utilize this mindset, why shouldn't you? See this excerpt from my book, "Headhunters Revealed!" if you're committed to towing the company line.  (This will open in a new browser.  Simply close it to come back here when you're done.)

If you are the entrepreneurial type, owning your own business means the opportunity to be solely responsible for your own hours, wins, and rewards. The buck stops with you, both literally and figuratively. Again, the trick is in the mindset. One must convert from an "employee" mindset, where the paycheck is always provided (as meager as it is) and the hours are set, to an entrepreneurial mindset, where you enjoy the power to call the shots on both the size of hours and size of income.

To effectively change your current situation, just like the old "Let's Make a Deal" show, you have 3 doors to choose between. What's behind.

Door #1: The Front-Door?
This is the age-old traditional way to make a job change. This is the same door 95% of people knock on: classified ads, online job boards, applying through Human Resource departments, registering with temp services, submitting resumes to recruiters, etc. This door puts you in the most competition with others for any particular opening out there. Not the most effective career-change method, but most people know no better.

Door #2: The Back-Door?
This method, for the duly initiated, is the most effective and long-lasting avenue for effective career transition. This route takes you behind the scenes to the decision-makers, long before the throngs of front-door knockers are even aware of an open position. The science of back-door networking is the reason that 80% of all jobs are filled before they are ever advertised. Utilizing this technique, people are able to make jumps from one industry or career to an entirely unrelated industry or career because it focuses on the relationships that open those back doors. Gaining this education allows one to not only find their next position, but to effectively manage their career for life.

Door #3: Out the Door?
This route is for the entrepreneurial type that has grown tired of being bruised by each step up the company ladder. At some point, the carrot on the end of the stick that has been pulling you forward just gets limp and wrinkled. The having-a-traditional-job way of life, whether you did it for yourself or to meet some expectations of those you care about, just doesn't carry with it the future you envision for yourself, be it income-wise or lifestyle-wise. You're now ready to venture out from the "safety" of your employer's home, ready to jump out of the nest and build your wings on the way down. This is the ultimate of being in charge of your own career path.

Darrell W. Gurney

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