This weekend, I held my twice-yearly personal branding boot camp at UCLA, brilliantly guest lectured by Jeffrey White, the SEO/reputation management genius and attended by a full complement of fired-up attendees from around the world. The intellectual endurance athletes hailed from Japan, Germany, Venezuela, the US and beyond.

Personal branding knows no bounds

The group’s lack of any shared, defining demographics shocked and impressed me. Apparently, personal branding matters whether you are a patient’s advocate who was nearly killed by flesh eating bacteria or a street musician who just shot a film about the solar eclipse in Mongolia. We also had a professional organizer plus the guide dog she was training for the blind and a college administrator bravely making her way from enemy territory (our rival school that used to have a football dynasty). If you wanted to ask how to get a ticket for the Kentucky Derby, where to hear G-rated comedy or what media really delivers the best CPM for your local business, you missed out on meeting all the right people.

What does this tell you?

Whether you were on campus with us or not, you are among the futurists. That is, you are among those people who are not just on social media. You are among those who by virtue of thinking about social media are shaping it. That crosses a lot of cultural or occupational barriers and binds you to people with whom you might not share any other interest. Isn’t that interesting? It gives you so many opportunities to lead a truly global tribe.

To us it matters that Facebook is selling our posts to advertisers, who then target the newly engaged among us with wedding trinket promos or the like. Not that we necessarily mind the targeted attention, mind you. What’s important is we are aware that social media is evolving before our eyes and under our thumbs.

Awareness in personal branding, like with substance abuse, is a giant first step toward controlling how your life turns out.

What you do brands you, whether you take action with intention or by accident. As personal brands, we choose to live our lives or at least our careers intentionally.

At boot camp, we build strategies for life before we build strategies for LinkedIn profiles and presence. Before impulsively liking Pinkberry or broadcasting your devotion to the Beebs, consider what that means about you to your 650 friends on FB and the roving recruiter checking out how you spend your free time. You are branded by the brands (companies and people) with which you surround yourself in clicks, pics and posts, after all. In reality, there are neither surefire privacy settings nor BFFs.

If you leverage social media for a living – not just use it as a place to leak your good news or frustrations – give some thought to your life’s mission and purpose, at least as far down the road as you can imagine. At camp, our work for the first eight hours was to decide on those qualities and traits that made us or betrayed us, given what we each want to accomplish and be known for during the balance of hours we will be here – and I don’t mean at UCLA.

Have you asked yourself the big life questions yet or in the very recent past?

A personal branding boot camp (which you can do at home instead of a Shark Attack marathon) needs to include your taking your life’s inventory, divulging some true stories, getting inspired revelations, and surviving the surprising pain of accepting your limitations.

When you have a grip on you are and where you might like to go, only then does it make sense to dig into social media details, like in how many languages you need to translate your FB posts and what to do with that drunk friend who keeps tagging you holding beer. Both really good questions to address – once you’ve asked and answered some larger ones about your life.

And, what did you do this weekend?

Author:

Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! & Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

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James Voorhies is the Director and Chief Curator of Bureau for Open Culture (BOC). BOC operates through exhibitions, screenings, performances, and informal discussions that happen in and outside of the gallery space. Working with a variety of collaborators, Voorhies has sought to question the role of institutions in the dissemination of various art practices. I got to know Voorhies when we collaborated on the BOC’s The New Administration of a Fine Arts Education, a conversation series with leading individuals of contemporary art that took place at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. This spring and summer, BOC will present two projects. Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven, from April 5-29th at Bennington College, and I Am Searching for Field Character, presented at Mass MoCA this summer. Incorporating a series of public conversations, performances, installations, workshops and a beer garden, BOC will be bringing artists, writers, designers and thinkers to North Adams, Massachusetts to explore the economic and social character of the cultural laborer. I took this opportunity to talk to him about BOC and his hopes for the future of his organization.

How would you describe the mission of Bureau for Open Culture?

The mission is to reconsider the art exhibition as a new kind of learning site. We don’t necessarily prioritize the gallery as a site for engaging with art or seek to provide an absolute conclusion to the ideas exhibitions raise. To do this, BOC welcomes people from disciplines outside of the usual visual arts⎯landscape architecture, literature, philosophy, design and activism⎯to intermingle. We produce projects that take place in storefronts, gardens, libraries and unused industrial spaces within a wider consideration of the nature of contemporary art and culture.

The exhibitions are made with an awareness of the effect that an art institution⎯as a physical space and a concept⎯has on how art is produced and how people experience it. A lot of my interests in the structural behavior of the art institution come out of watching organizations like Office of Contemporary Art Norway, Shedhalle in Zurich and IASPIS in Stockholm. These are institutions of critique that have taken up the kind investigations of institutions found in artistic practices like those of Michael Asher, Hans Haacke and Andrea Fraser. These institutions were not long ago categorized loosely within a term called “New Institutionalism.” But, I don’t think that term is used so much today.

Using alternative spaces, Bureau for Open Culture tends to mediate more strongly or maybe less didactically between visitors and art. Moving the action out of the gallery is one way we do this, but I also care about what viewers will get out of a connection with a visiting artist or a talk. For example, the collective artist Claire Fontaine participated in the exhibition Descent to Revolution. Part of their contribution to the exhibition was to give a talk related to Lyotard’s Libidinal Economy. I organized a weekly reading group for Lyotard’s book with about 10 to 12 participants who discussed the book, which is really difficult to grasp, alongside images of work by Claire Fontaine. We had participants from all sorts of backgrounds⎯students of philosophy and comparative studies, activists and visual artists. We did this over the course of five to six weeks in a kind of preparation for Claire Fontaine’s visit to Columbus. While we did not devour the book as much as one could, the reading group created an investment and interest in Claire Fontaine. We had an incredible turnout for their talk, a great conversation. The talk took place in an unused storefront space where other projects and actions were occurring during the course of the exhibition. It was late October and the rundown space with its leaking ceiling and lack of heat helped reduce the formal effect of the institution to put audience and artists on closer levels. I really liked the whole experience.

There are also lots of private moments between visiting artists and the community. Those moments, to me, are as important as the public engagement. So, all of this combined is what I mean by rethinking the exhibition as a new kind of learning site.

You have described the Bureau as a “nomadic institution,” but you have also been connected to colleges and universities. Do you consider yourself a curator, an educator or both?

Both. Without defining what is either. An educator is very much a curator⎯pulling information from different sources, contextualizing it and presenting it to a group of individuals. As a curator I want BOC exhibitions to be a form of learning without presenting ideas in a formal way. The nature of BOC is to work in this space of uncertainty. Is it an exhibition program? Is it an institution? An artist? It’s everything. There is a lot of value in not defining something too rigidly in order to allow for things to happen unexpectedly. I think that space of uncertainty is productive.

How do you develop your ideas for exhibitions?

The ideas sometimes come from an interest in place⎯where I have visited or where I am living⎯and out of what ideas seem prescient at the moment. For instance, Descent to Revolution was about the urban space of Columbus. We invited six collectives that did not live there⎯most from outside the US⎯to give a perspective of a place that only one has when they do not live there. Many of the artists were drawn to issues related to urban planning, development, traffic congestion, parking. Red76 and Learning Site ended up making projects in two separate parking lots. The very nature of these works disrupted the places where people park their cars. It became a statement about transportation, about excessive reliance on the automobile. I loved it. Some of my critique or problems with the city⎯not just Columbus but many ways cities are developed⎯was communicated through the work produced by these artists.

Calling Beauty looked at an expanded notion of what is painting today. It was a response to critics of my exhibitions who wanted to see something inside the gallery, rather than outside. So why not use painting, one of the most conventional forms of practice and typically viewed inside a gallery. But I put a twist on it to show expansive notions of painting and the way artists have built upon the problems of painting⎯the need for it to represent life. Since everything in Descent to Revolution took place outside the gallery, Calling Beauty was also responsive to that scenario, to bring it all back inside the gallery for a renewed discourse about what is painting in relation to the everyday.

What was the inspiration for your current exhibition, Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven?

Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven was inspired by the connections we have with the Internet and social network technologies. It’s about how we relate to the passage of time when the content of material cultures and spatial experiences that once helped us define a moment is always accessible. For example, we no longer spend lots of time searching for that music, that record or that tape or book. We can either listen immediately to it online or click-and-buy and it’s at our door. So, the exhibition traces a kind of lose genealogy from Modernism, postmodernism into what is referred to today as super-hybridity. It also looks at how our culture is now completely mashed up⎯high and low⎯ because of this constant accessibility to information and ideas. Seventh Dream performs that inquiry with a music video by Swedish artist Johannes Nyholm alongside Mark Leckey’s Fiorruci Made Me Hardcore and Pipilotti Rist’s I’m A Victim of This Song. Music video plays a role in each of those works, from the more obvious Nyholm (which is a music video) to Leckey’s collage of videos that includes images of 1970s televised dance-a-thons, possibly the earliest music videos, to Rist doing a parody of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” Isaak’s music video was directed by Herb Ritts and overtly conflated pop culture and advertising and lifestyle. In the early ‘90s that was less common than it is now⎯in part because of the Internet.

You have an online presence, but always produce a book or catalog to accompany your exhibitions. How do these platforms operate for you? Do you think the Bureau will ever have an exclusively online presence outside of the exhibitions?

The catalogs provide an additional opportunity for further engagement with the work and the exhibition. I also see them as expanding the idea of the exhibition because they often include commissions by artists and reprints of essays by writers and theorists like Susan Sontag and Michel Foucault. The explanatory texts give context for the art. But I also I attempt to give reasons for why all this work is gathered together.

The catalogue for Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven performs an element of the pastiche I was talking about. It is a theatrical production with three acts and a prologue. I am the narrator. Stage directions are provided. In the prologue the tone is set in which a conversation ensues among Clement Greenberg, Jean Baudrillard, Jürgen Habermas, Fredric Jameson, myself and others about the demise of postmodernism. Jennifer Allen of Frieze also contributes to the performance. She is quoted from an incredible issue of Frieze last fall that addressed this condition of super-hybridity. All the text in the performance is pulled from essays, altered just slightly to accommodate a conversational tone and put together in a pastiche⎯enacting one of the characteristics of postmodernism. The three acts that describe the art are more straightforward so as not to overshadow the work. The book has a work by the artist Mary Lum that only takes shape in printed matter because it is related to a wallpaper book made by Le Corbusier in the late 1930s and early 1950s. The theatrical performance-cum-catalogue also has original musical scores written with lyrics from George Orwell’s 1984. The musician brothers Danny and David Tuss whose band is called Umbrella Men wrote the music for the words I gave to them from 1984.

So, the publication is a learning device extending not only the life of the exhibition after it has closed but also expanding on the content and understanding and presenting work only found in the publication.

I don’t envision Bureau for Open Culture having only an online presence. Everything I do is about connecting with people. While I appreciate the communication reach of the Internet and Facebook (BOC utilizes them to disperse information freely, including publication downloads) I find a lot of value in talking with artists, experiencing their work in person. I like being around people, so all of the behind-the-scenes aspects of connecting with one another in the process of producing a public exhibition are as desirable to me as what that exhibition is. Curators operate in this space of needing a final public forum to validate what they do, and if you were just to go about what you do without having a public presentation⎯even though real connections between visitors, artists and local constituents were made⎯it wouldn’t seem legitimate. Or, it would have to be framed differently. So I am working within this necessity to have a public presence but also emphasize process.

You recently decided to move to North Adams, MA after having lived in New York, San Francisco and Columbus, OH. How does the absence of an urban environment influence your curatorial vision?

While the area is rich in art and culture, the access to a real-time experience of art and the energy of a place like New York, for example, isn’t here on such a concentrated basis. So we are receiving that information through the NY Times, online, or art journals. I think it’s good because it gives me time and the mental space to contemplate and write and think. It is valuable because I find that more work is getting accomplished. There is a vibrant vein of culture and connectivity in the arts that exists here with all the art and academic institutions⎯Williams, Bennington, MASS MoCA, the Clark. I like the disjuncture of all of it and how people and institutions have learned to intermingle with one another. It’s inspiring in terms of thinking about how our world is changing from these different economies of manufacturing goods to producing knowledge. It’s North Adams that inspired the work for Open Engagement in May and for MASS MoCA this summer.

Your project at MASS MoCA, I Am Searching for Field Character, has BOC reclaiming the industrial buildings for a series of installations, workshops, public conversations, and the most important part, a beer garden. What was BOC’s interest in this project?

Everyone loves the beer garden! I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.

I was searching for a small space to operate out of here in North Adams. I approached MASS MoCA about it because they have so much space and eventually I met with the curator Susan Cross. Coincidentally she was working on an exhibition called The Workers that looks at representations of labor in the work of contemporary artists. Similar interests in labor had been filling my time because I was working on a project for Open Engagement related to immaterial and material labor of North Adams, changing economies⎯like I mentioned. She invited me to propose a series in conjunction with her exhibition. It was perfect. So, I put together a series of modules that include Red76, Temporary Services, Dylan Gauthier, Kendra Sullivan, Sarah Cowles and Sarah Pierce. Over the course of four months Bureau for Open Culture will inhabit this beautiful old industrial space in the back of the MASS MoCA complex. I will work in that space all summer but we will also present work, hold screenings, conversations and performances related to what is cultural labor, the precarious economic conditions of the immaterial worker and the history of workforces in the very site that is the museum today. It will be an everything kind of space that allows a level of uncertainty to exist and therefore instigate new learning experiences with art.

And, of course, Bureau for Open Culture: >Beer Garden. It will operate on a practical level, providing outdoor space for people to gather. It will also give a source of economy for paying participants. Red76’s Bartleby’s Pen will draw on that aspect in particular. Sam Gould has invited artists, writers and activists on a number of Friday nights through September to join in the operation of the beer garden. >Beer Garden will shape-shift into Bartleby’s Pen. And when things settle down on those evenings a talk will be given alongside the concrete banks of the river, just outside the Bureau’s space. The talk will manifest in a printed book, made on-site by Red76. So visitors to the beer garden will have a chance to sample local brew and engage on an intimate, informal level with folks like Sam, Joseph Del Pesco, Steve Lambert, Matthew Stadler and others. It’s going to be nice⎯an excellent summer of fun. I Am Searching for Field Character embodies many of the ideas I am interested in with Bureau for Open Culture.

Lisa Dent is Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Columbus Museum of Art

In this economy, many BioJobBlog readers may find themselves in the unenviable position of having to consider changing careers to find gainful employment. While career counselors like me can offer job seekers ideas about possible alternate or non-traditional careers, actual navigating a career change can be daunting, painful and often times overwhelming. With this in mind, I came across an article on HelpGuide.org that helps to demystify career changes and offers helpful hints (and links to useful articles) that describes how would- be career changers can manage and shepherd the process. 

"Changing Careers: A Guide"

Overview

The first step in considering a career change is to think carefully about what really drives you. You might find it hard to get past thinking about “what pays the most” or “what is most secure,” especially in today’s economy. However, it’s important to first discover your primary interests and passions. This can open doors to careers that you might not have considered. Once you have that foundation, you can start fine tuning your search to the right career. You may be surprised at how you can fit your passions into a certain career!

Explore your options

• Focus on the things you love to do. What have you dreamed of doing in the past? What do you naturally enjoy doing? Jot down what comes to mind, no matter how improbable it seems.
• Look for clues everywhere. Take note of projects or topics that stir your compassion or excite your imagination. Reflect on stories of people you admire. Ask yourself why certain activities make you happy, and pay attention to times when you are really enjoying yourself.
• Be patient. Remember that your search may take some time and you might have to go down a few different roads before finding the right career path. Time and introspection will help you identify the activities you most enjoy and that bring you true satisfaction.

Overcome obstacles to happiness

It’s always challenging to consider a huge change, and there may be many reasons why you may think changing careers is not possible. Here are some common obstacles and how to overcome them:

• It’s too much work to change careers. Where would I ever begin? Changing careers does require a substantial time investment. However, remember that it does not happen all at once. If you sit down and map out a rough plan of attack, breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones, it is a lot more manageable than you think. And if the payoff is a happier, more successful career, it’s worth it.
• I’m too old to change careers. I need to stay where I am. If you have worked for a number of years, you may feel that you’ve put too much time and effort into your career to change midstream. Or you may be concerned about retirement and health benefits. However, the more you’ve worked, the more likely you are to have skills you can transfer to a new career. You may also consider planning a transition for after retirement if you are close to receiving a pension or other benefits after a number of years. 
• I don’t have enough skills to consider a new career. You may be unaware of the skills you have, or underestimate your marketability due to low self esteem. However, you probably have more skills than you think. Consider skills you’ve learned not only from your job but from hobbies, volunteering or other life experiences. And gaining skills is not an all or nothing proposition. You can volunteer once a week or take a night class to move forward, for example, without quitting your current job.
• In this economy, I’m lucky to have a job. I don’t want to rock the boat. In today’s climate, it might feel like too much of a risk to consider changing careers. However, if you’re unhappy in your current job, doing research on other options will only benefit you in the long run. You may discover a career with a more stable long-term outlook than your current career, for example. And you don’t have to quit your current job until you are confident of your new career path.

Dealing with underemployment and job loss

Being unemployed or underemployed can be tremendously stressful. You may be feeling the pressures of meeting mortgage payments or other financial obligations. You might be feeling ashamed with your family and friends. And a very real loss is that of your identity at work. This is especially true if you have been in the same field for a very long time.

However, unemployment also has a bright side. It gives you the chance to reflect on your career path where you might not have before. If you’ve been considering a new field, now is the time to research and see what might be the right fit for you. You may end up in a much stronger position than if you had originally kept your job.

To learn more, visit Job Loss and Unemployment Stress: Tips for Staying Positive During Your Job Search&

Identify occupations that match your interests

So how do you translate your interests into a new career? With a little research, you may be surprised at the careers that relate to many of the things you love to do. Many online tools can guide you through the process of self-discovery. Questions, quizzes, and temperament sorters can’t tell you what your perfect career would be, but they can help you identify what’s important to you in a career, what you enjoy doing, and where you excel. One example, frequently used by universities and the government, is the RIASEC/Holland interest scale. It identifies six common areas that people often feel especially drawn to, such as investigative, social, or artistic. Based on these areas, you can browse sample careers that match those interests.

The Career Decision-Making Tool

The Career Interests Game

The Motivated Skills Test

The Career Values Test

Research specific careers

If you have narrowed down some specific jobs or careers, you can find a wealth of information online, from description of positions to average salaries to estimated future growth. This will also help you figure out the practical priorities: How stable is the field you are considering? Are you comfortable with the amount of risk? Is the salary range acceptable to you? What about commute distances? Will you have to relocate for training or a new job? Will the new job affect your family?

Occupational Outlook Handbook (US Department of Labor)

Career Guide to Industries (US Department of Labor)

Best Careers (US News and World Report)

Get support and information from others

While you can glean a lot of information from research and quizzes, there’s no substitute for information from someone currently working in your chosen career. Talking to someone in the field gives you a real sense of what type of work you will actually be doing and if it meets your expectations.  What’s more, you will start to build connections in your new career area, helping you land a job in the future. Does approaching others like this seem intimidating? It doesn’t have to be. Networking and informational interviewing are important skills that can greatly further your career.

You may also consider career counseling or a job coach, especially if you are considering a major career shift. Sometimes impartial advice from others can open up possibilities you hadn’t considered.

Evaluate your strengths and skills

Once you have a general idea of your career path, take some time to figure out what skills you have and what skills you need. Remember, you’re not completely starting from scratch—you already have some skills to start. These skills are called transferable skills, and they can be applied to almost any field. Some examples include:

• management and leadership experience
• communication (both written and oral)
• research and program planning
• public speaking
• conflict resolution and mediation
• managing your time effectively
• computer literacy
• foreign language fluency

Identify transferable career skills

• Don’t limit yourself to experiences only at work. When you are thinking about your skills, consider all types of activities including volunteering, hobbies and life experiences. For example, even if you don’t have formal leadership or program planning experience, founding a book club or organizing a toy drive are ways that you have been putting these skills into practice.
• List your accomplishments that might fit in. Don’t worry about formatting these skills for a resume at this point. You just want to start thinking about what skills you have. It can be a tremendous confidence booster to realize all of the skills you’ve developed.
• Brainstorm with trusted friends, colleagues or mentors. They might remind you of transferable skills you might have forgotten, and help you think of how you might want to articulate these skills in the future.
• Learn more about your qualifications. Take the free online Transferable Skills Survey.

Develop new skills and acquire work experience

If your chosen career requires skills or experience you lack, don’t despair. There are many ways to gain needed skills.  While learning, you’ll also have an opportunity to find out whether or not you truly enjoy your chosen career and also make connections that could lead to your dream job.

• Utilize your current position. Look for on-the-job training or opportunities to do projects that develop new skills. See if your employer will pay part of your tuition costs.
• Identify resources in the community. Find out about programs in your community. Community colleges or libraries often offer low cost opportunities to strengthen skills such as computers, basic accounting, or how to start a business. Local Chambers of Commerce, Small Business Administrations, or state job development programs also are excellent resources.
• Volunteer or work as an intern. Some career skills can be acquired by volunteering or doing an internship. This has the added benefit of getting you in contact with people in your chosen field. Visit Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits: Helping  Yourself while Helping Others
• Take classes. Some fields require specific education or skills, such as an educational degree or specific training.  Don’t automatically rule out more education as impossible. Many fields have accelerated programs if you already have some education, or you may be able to do night classes or part-time schooling so that you can continue to work. Some companies even offer tuition reimbursements if you stay at the company after you finish your education.
• Consider starting your own business If you’re getting worn down by long commutes or a difficult boss, the thought of being your own boss can be very appealing. And it may be you can find your perfect niche even in a slower economy. Depending on the specialty, some companies prefer to streamline their ranks and work with outside vendors. However, it is especially important to do your homework and understand the realities of business ownership before you jump in.

Make sure you are committed and passionate to your business idea. You  will be spending many long hours getting started, and it may take a while for your  business to pay off.

Research is critical. Take some time to analyze your area of interest. Are you filling an unmet need? Especially if you are considering an online business, how likely is your area to be outsourced? What is your business plan, and who are your potential investors? Learn more in the resources section below.

Expect limited or no earnings to start. Especially in the first few months, you are building your base and may have start up costs that offset any profit initially. Make sure you have a plan on how you will get through that time.

Final thoughts             

• Pace yourself and don’t take on too much at once. Career change doesn’t happen overnight, and it is easy to get overwhelmed with all the steps to successfully change careers. However, you will get there with commitment and motivation. Break down large goals into smaller ones, and try to accomplish at least one small thing a day to keep the momentum going.
• Don’t rush into a change because of unhappiness in your current job. If you are stressed and unhappy in your current job, or unemployed, you might be feeling a lot of pressure to make a quick change. However, if you don’t do enough research, you might end up in an even worse position than before, with the added stress of a new position and new learning curve.
• Ease slowly into your new career. Take time to network, volunteer and even work part time in your new field before committing fully. It will not only be an easier transition, but you will have time to ensure you are on the right path and make any necessary changes before you are working full time in your new field.
• Take care of yourself. You might be feeling so busy with the career transition that you barely have time to sleep or eat. However, managing stress, eating right, and taking time for sleep, exercise and especially loved ones will ensure you have the stamina for the big changes ahead.

 Related Career Change Links

Overcoming obstacles

Taking the Fear Out of Career Change – Provides specific action steps to common fears in considering a career change. (University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources)

How Fear Can Stop a Career Change – Outlines five main stumbling points to considering a new career, and how to move past them. (Suite101, commercial site)

Career investigation resources

Best Careers- US News and World Report – Provides updated information on good careers based on future outlooks and job satisfaction, as well as future trends and jobs that may be overrated. (US News and World Report, commercial site)

Occupational Outlook Handbook – Provides information on different careers/occupations, including what workers do on the job, working conditions, training and education needed, earnings and job prospects. (US Department of Labor)

Career Guide to Industries – Provides information on careers available by industry groupings. Also gives outlook on industry, overall earnings and training information. (US Department of Labor)

Job Hunters Bible  – Gives web resources and advice from Richard Nelson Bolles,’ author of What Color is Your Parachute?, on finding the right job or career, including tests and advice, research, making contacts, finding a job, and creating a resume. (JobHuntersBible, commercial site)

Career tests

Career Decision Making Tool – A comprehensive tool that walks you through defining career interests, from identifying key areas of interest using RIASEC codes to finding the careers that match those interests. (America’s Career Resource Network)

The Meyers Briggs Temperament Indicator II  – Offers a short Meyers Briggs exam to assess your temperament. Answer all the questions for a 4-letter personality indicator and an explanatory document. Registration required. (Advisor Team, commercial site)

Queendom – Offers a collection of tests and resources designed to help you along your path of self-discovery. (Queendom, commercial site)

Evaluating transferable skills

Transferable Skills (PDF) – Provides an overview of transferable skills most desirable for employers, and how you can apply your experiences to those areas. (USC Career Planning and Placement Center)

Transferable Skills Survey - A survey to help you zero in on your transferable skills. Rate your skills in five broad transferable skill areas. (University of Minnesota Duluth Knowledge Management Center)

Career counseling, education and job placement support

Employment & Training Administration – Information about federal job training programs and a section of the site, Regions & States, lists state and local employment resources for all states and regions. Also has a function to search the Fastest Growing Occupations by State. (US Department of Labor)

Jobs for the Future – Nonprofit organization that helps young people and undereducated adults get the training and education they need to get jobs. (Jobs for the Future)

The Women's Alliance - Organization of community-based members who provide professional attire, career skills training and related services to low-income women seeking employment. (The Women's Alliance)

Starting your own business

How to start your own business and maintain your sanity – Learn about the pros and cons about starting your own business including entrepreneurship in a slow economy, what to expect with investors and managing slow beginnings. (US News & World Report)

Starting a business – Provides step by step information on what you should consider when starting a business, including necessary licenses and permits, state and federal requirements, and pros and cons of incorporation (Nolo)

Tips for career changers

Career Changers: Make the Job Market Care – Tips on changing your perspective on careers and how to reduce frustrations and anger during your job search. (Psychology Today)

The 10 step plan to career change – Provides a checklist of areas to review in changing careers, including special sections for seniors, women and minorities.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

“Adventure is not outside man; it is within.”
(George Eliot)

Love & Sequins #10: INTERNATIONAL PLAYGIRLS UNLIMITED — Taking to the skies, travelling in style, romance on foreign shores & more! has just been smacked on the booty & released into the world! Hallelujah!

It’s all about one of my absolute favourite subjects: travelling the world, & even better, being well-dressed & having momentous amounts of fun at the same time!

The timing is perfect, because I wrote this at the same time as I was planning a big Californian adventure with some of my best girlfriends!

Is there anything better than packing a bag, making a puckered-up kiss face at yourself in the mirror & catching a cab to the airport? If you’re anything like me, the answer is a loud, resounding NO! To me, travel is one of the very best things you can do with your time. Its merits are multitudinous & bountiful.Firstly, you get to escape your everyday existence, & while hopefully your everyday existence is a pretty happy & satisfying thing, being able to get away from it only amplifies your appreciation for it when you get back. Secondly, it fires up your creative impulses. In an unfamiliar situation, you’re forced to use your brain in new ways, which results in you being more inventive & experimental than ever. Thirdly, it’s an excellent way to get some perspective on your life — & remind yourself that there is a big, big world outside your little bubble!

...But travel can be tricky. How is it possible to transform from a shopping addict (& general stuff-lover) to an Insta-Nomad™? What do you need to take with you? Have they eased up on that farcical “liquids ban” yet? & what is the best way to deal with a crying baby in the back of the plane? (The answer always involves rum!)

Subjects covered include…
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> Whether travelling with your best friends is the kiss of death!
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> How to survive — & make the most of — travelling alone
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> Scoring the best possible price on your flight, hotel or package!
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> An all-inclusive accommodation guide (from hotels to couch-surfing & everything in between)
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> International Playgirl travelling must-haves
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> Travelling in style: what to pack!
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> How to deal with nerves & anxiousness
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> Not just surviving, but thriving & even BEAUTIFYING while you fly!
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> Getting an upgrade… demystified!
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> How to take AMAZING holiday photos every time
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> The value of keeping a travel journal
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> How to cope with crippling homesickness
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> Making friends in foreign lands!
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> A huge Q&A; from galadarling.com readers
<3"><3" title="doki-doki!" border="0" width="12" height="10"/> Resources to keep you sane & clued up!

I think this is the meatiest chapter of Love & Sequins so far. Clocking in at a scale-tipping 20,000 words (!!!), it contains all my tips for making your travels as magical & wonderful as possible! Bundled with the writing is an MP3 of me reading it aloud to you, which runs for over an hour! Fun!

The PDF also includes pages (& I do mean pages) of INCREDIBLE travel tips from your fellow nonpareils! Those girls know their stuff!

The whole thing is a wonderful travel bible for women who want to globe-trot in style!

Go on, International Playgirl! Get your filthy little mitts all over it! The chapter is $12, & if I may be so bold, worth every penny! Click click click!

International Playgirls Unlimited! is the tenth chapter in my Love & Sequins series. You know what that means! There are nine other episodes that came beforehand! You can buy the whole lot for $84 by clicking right here!

But if you’d rather pick & choose the ones which interest you most, see below! You can click the hyperlinks to get more information about each chapter, too!

Love & Sequins #1: LEARNING TO LOVE YOURSELF — Self-adoration, manifesting your ideal persona, channelling your inner Marie Antoinette & everything in between!

Love & Sequins #2: THE SMART GIRL’S GUIDE TO BUSINESS — Taking control of your life, finding your passion, loving what you do & making mad bling!

Love & Sequins #3: LOVE, SEX, THE GALAXY & EVERYTHING — From falling in love to co-habitation, & all the beauty & madness contained within!

Love & Sequins #4: A GUIDE TO MANNERS FOR THE MODERN MINX — Etiquette, social graces & charming the pants off total strangers for the uninitiated!

Love & Sequins #5: FINDING HAPPINESS & MAKING IT STAY — Choosing joy, making magic & devoting your life to love, adventure & deliciousness!

Love & Sequins #6: DAINTIER, SMARTER, BETTER DRESSED — A deluxe guide to looking truly fabulous, defining your personal style & being the best-dressed girl at any party!

Love & Sequins #7: BLOGGING 101 — Living & loving online, monetisation in the new world & thinking beyond the 9-5!

Love & Sequins #8: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER — Keeping your friendships fresh, finding platonic soul mates & clearing out the fakes, phonies & meanies!

Love & Sequins #9: MANIFESTING & MAGIC-MAKING — Using imagination & reverie to create a perfect universe!

My sweet tulips, thank you so much for your support of this girl writer. It means more to me than I could ever say! I really appreciate it & am so very grateful!

filed under: consumption, podcast

According to Myers (2007), the self is the most researched topic in psychology. “Our sense of self organizes our thoughts, feelings and actions”(Myers, 2007, p. 25). When you complete the sentence, “I am ________” you are essentially defining or describing your identity, how you see yourself. You could fill in the blank to describe an element of your personal identity, for example, “I am sarcastic” or “I am athletic” or you could use terms to describe your social identity, such as, “I am Jewish” or “I am Gay” (Myers, 2007). Junglas, Johnson, Steel, Abraham, & Loughlin (2007) suggest that identity formation includes two processes, exploration and commitment. Exploration is the time period where someone questions or searches for their beliefs, and goals, and commitment is when they decide, and invest in the beliefs and goals (Junglas et. al, 2007). More research on where and how individuals explore their identities is beginning to surface, with the focus turning from real world to virtual worlds.

In a study done by Cabiria (2008), he compared participants’ real world experiences to their virtual world experiences, as a gay or lesbian individual. Part of his findings suggest that, “The structure and design of virtual worlds allows its users to freely explore many facets of their personalities in ways that are not easily available to them in real life” (Cabiria, 2008). One reason for this freedom of exploration can be attributed to the anonymity that virtual worlds provide. It gives the individual the ability to be free from social norms, family pressures or expectations they may face in their personal real world lives (Junglas et. al, 2007). However with this anonymity, other consequences come into play when you look at the commitment aspect of identity formation. For example, if an individual creates a virtual identity that is different from their real life identity, it can take a lot of psychological effort to maintain the false identity. In addition, one of the two options will occur, the identities may converge into one, making the virtual and real identities more true, or the individual may simply toss out the virtual identity, and start over with a new one (Junglas et. al, 2007). According to Junglas et. al (2007), they determined that:

“In regards to the formation of an individual’s identity in virtual worlds, we have inferred that exploration, which motivates such formation, may play a more dominant role than it does in the real world.” (Junglas et. al, 2007. p. 94)

Adrian (2008) has referred to virtual worlds as “domains of liquid identity” because you never really know “who” the individual is and the virtual identities can be quickly “self-defined rather than pre-ordained” (Adrian, 2008, p. 367). Boon and Sinclair (2009), go on to say that, in regards to virtual worlds like Second Life, it is almost impossible to tell the real identity of a user. In fact, Second Life does not allow the user to use their real name when they set up their account. As a result, “It provides a very real disconnect from the real” (Boon & Sinclair, 2009, p. 106).

The element of anonymity within virtual worlds, may provide individuals with a safe and private arena to explore their identity. However, anonymity also presents a problem for others who engage in virtual worlds, and that problem is trust. Anonymity can leave you scratching your head wondering how much, if any, of an individual’s virtual identity, is really - real.

References

_{Adrian, A. (2008). No one knows you are a dog: Identity and reputation in virtual worlds. The Computer Law and Security Report. 24(4), 366-374.}

_{Boon, S., & Sinclair, C. (2009). A world I don't inhabit: disquiet and identity in Second Life and Facebook. Educational Media International. 46(2), 99-110.}

_{Cabiria, J. (2008). Benefits of Virtual World Engagement: Implications for Marginalized Gay and Lesbian People. Media Psychology Review. 1 (1). Retrieved September 25, 2009 from http://mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167&Itemid=120}

_{Greenhow, C., & Robelia, B. (2009). Informal learning and identity formation in online social networks. Learning, Media and Technology. 34(2), 119-140.}

_{Junglas, I. A., Johnson, N. A., Steel, D. J., Abraham, D. C., & Loughlin, P. M. (2007). Identity Formation, Learning Styles and Trust in Virtual Worlds. The Data Base for Advances in Information Systems : a Quarterly Publication of SIGBIT.. 38(4), 90-96.}

_{Myers, D. G. (2007, 4th ed.). Exploring Social Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.}

This post is part of the Guest Blog Grand Tour over at Life Without Pants – an epic journey of over 75 guest posts. Want to learn more about Matt Cheuvront & see how far the rabbit hole goes? Subscribe to the Life Without Pants RSS feed & follow him on Twitter to keep in touch!

Who is teaching? Who is learning?

by Matt Cheuvront

What does the word “mentor” mean to you? Without question – it’s a word and idea that can mean many different things to each of us, but when I think of mentor, I don’t think of the traditional definition of “teacher or trusted counselor”.

In the old days the mentor-mentee relationship was a much more formal thing, but nowadays, it’s not about seeking out that one person who will “show you the way” but rather, surrounding yourself with people you admire, respect, and recognize as thought leaders.

Who do you surround yourself with?

Enter the “Indirect Mentorship Project” (I swear I should patent this thing). I’ve been a believer in the IMP for a while now, especially the past year. Essentially this “project” involved surrounding yourself with greatness and cutting out the negativity.

You see, our generation is all about finding meaning – developing a meaningful career, integrating work and life into one happy 100% fulfilled lifestyle, and defining our legacy. But you know that? Generation X and everyone else before us wanted the same things – Our generation isn’t “special” – we aren’t the first people to be called “over entitled” – Predecessors have slapped that label on the Generation that came after them most likely since the beginning of the time.

More tools

Where Generation Y differentiates itself is in the tools we have at our disposal. We are the first generation to have grown up with the Internet – and that means we’re able to communicate and share ideas in innovative ways never conceived by the generations before us. With the click of the mouse I can consult with a friend in Paris or bounce around blog ideas with my buddy in Singapore.

The Internet allows us to openly share information instantly with one another. It also allows us to establish connections, make friends, and build relationships easier than ever before. 2009 was the banner year for me when it comes to my “online presence”. I started my blog, hopped on Twitter, and started talking to people. I’m asked again and again what my “recipe for success” has been – and honestly, it’s all about being present in the moment and engaged with other people.

My mentors

What the Internet has also done for me is help me find my mentor, or should I say mentor(s), because there are a lot of them. I am constantly pushed to do more, try new things, think outside the box, and be at my best because I surround myself with other people who are doing just that. We’ve formed an informal “support group” where constructive criticism is encouraged, honesty is cherished, and positivity reigns above all else.

A mentor is someone who focuses on the positive while limiting the negative. They should also be your biggest critic – someone who questions you, challenges you, asks “why” – but also someone who praises your success, and pushes you to reach your maximum potential.

However old you are – whatever generation you happen to fall into – we can all benefit from surrounding ourselves with quality “mentors” – we can ALL learn a lot from EACH OTHER. Just as I seek to build relationships with people much older than I who can coach me toward success, there is a lot the “older” folk out there can learn from these over-entitled Gen Y know it all’s like me. The Indirect Mentorship holds no boundaries.

What does “mentorship” mean to you? What do you look for in someone you consider to be your “mentor”?

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photo credit: Ezioman