If you are considering or are in the midst of a career change, you have probably confronted one stark reality. You may not have all the skills you need to get to where you want to go.
This might mean you face a lot of coursework and retraining, not something people necessarily relish, especially later in life. The classes. The books. The tests. It can be pretty daunting.
But, there is a surprising path you can take to overcome this challenge, one that brings its own rewards. Used in the right way, it can be a powerful tool to help you develop the skills and gain the experience you need to achieve your dream career. It's volunteer service.
Nothing new, right? Every career counselor recommends volunteering to build the resume. But, I am talking about more than randomly showing up for three hours so you can pad your resume. I am talking about tapping into the full potential of volunteering as an alternative to the classroom training that stands between you and your dream career.
I suggest that with some thought, intention, and planning, you can turn a good volunteer experience into a transformational learning experience.
The Trouble with Training
What do you need to show your next employer to get that ideal position? That you are organized and can manage your time and priorities well? That you can communicate and relate well with others?
These are just a few of a number of general abilities that are considered bricks in the foundation of employability in a professional setting. Others include money and resource management abilities, leadership and inclusion skills, understanding of technology, and the ability to think clearly and solve problems, etc.
To establish this foundation, you are going to need more than a night class. Sure, you need to learn what good organization (or time management or communication) is and how it is done. But learning about a concept and using it are two different things. Without practicing those concepts in the real world, chances are you'll never really know how it is done.
It's like learning to drive. Did they let you on the road after you took the written test? First came supervised driving with a learner's permit, and then came the driving exam. Only then could you be allowed onto the road as a licensed driver.
The same is true with mastering new work skills. It takes practice and trial and error in order to really figure out how to make it work for you. The trouble is that classroom training by itself will gain you neither.
The Service Path to Success
I met Jason at a ball game two years ago. He had been laid off from his job as a mechanic and wanted to go into sales, but didn't really know what it was like to work in an office. He said he had looked for an employer who would help him learn things like time management and communications, but every place he applied expected him to have at least a basic understanding of those kinds of skills.
I suggested volunteering. I pointed out to him that any skill he needed in an office setting is something he would need--and learn--in a volunteer setting. For example, to be a successful member of a project team at work requires the same abilities as being part of a successful project team for Habitat for Humanity.
The fact is homeless shelters and mentoring agencies are no different than banks and manufacturers in that way. They are parallel work universes that require skilled people to achieve results. The opportunity is that with volunteering, the expectations and the pressure to perform are different.
With service projects, the stakes are lower -- for both you and the agency. "Trial and error" is part of the territory. This frees you up to try out new skills, practice them, to refine how you do things so that when you land that job, you already know what success with that skill looks like. The nice part, as I told Jason, was that it does something good for the community at the same time.
Life-Changing Learning
I stayed in touch with Jason. When I saw him again several months later, he told me about a youth agency promotional event he had helped organize--using skills he learned about in a project management book he read. He also told me he got a job with one of the companies sponsoring the event. It was another benefit of volunteering I hadn't even remembered to tell him about.
He also told me that beyond learning new skills, he found he liked the feeling he got when volunteering. It was something his wife had always done, but now they were going to do it together. I could tell this had been a life-changing experience for him, even though he didn't talk about it in those terms. I also knew he changed the lives of other people along the way.
Transitioning careers doesn't have to be a scary, onerous process. And, it doesn't have to mean endless hours in the classroom. It has the potential to be a powerful experience, one that is fun and engaging... and meaningful. Given a choice, wouldn't you prefer that over the alternative?
Copyright © 2006 Steven E. Schad. Steve Schad helps individuals and businesses tap into the full power of volunteer service for personal and organizational success. Based on his forthcoming book, The Service Path to Success, his career transitions workshops help people explore their caeer possibilities, chart a course that is rich and meaningful, and develop the critical skills to achieve the dream career -- all while doing something meaningful for other people. Learn more about his career transitions workshop at this web site The Service Path to Success. Or, try his self-study program for a personal way to serve and learn.
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