by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jun 22, 2011 | Career Skills, Higher Education, life purpose, Site News
Over the last five years, I’ve experienced a convergence of events in my personal life that drove me to consider the need to change my circumstances and with it, hopefully my personal and professional destiny. First I became a father. Then I learned that I have a neurological disorder, which affects my mobility and is aggravated by stress. Then I had a year where my whole staff hated me, and I couldn’t dig myself easily out of the personal and professional hole I found myself in. Then some things changed, and I was able to do so. Others were not able to, and chose to move on.
I took the next few years to redeem myself and to redouble my efforts to be an effective supervisor and mentor, and I feel that I was able to do so. I began researching options that would allow me to move on from Penn State and the first option was a doctoral program at the University of Georgia. I was invited to interview, but not admitted to the program. What little feedback I received amounted to the fact that I had expressed more practical than theoretical interests. It hurt at first, but I was eventually able to glean a lesson from the experience, move past it, and to start getting more specific about what other options I wanted to research.
It was a blessing in disguise, because in that exploration, I realized that my interests do not lie in the direction of teaching student development theory. I’m more interested in helping professionals understand effective practice, and effective professional involvement, so they can move forward in their careers with authenticity of purpose, and have satisfying (and balanced) careers and lives. Coming to Athens also made me realize how much I always wanted to live there, and how much better it would be for my family if I moved closer to both my parents in South Carolina, and my partner’s parents in Florida.
When I decided on pursuing coaching as a career choice, I initially wanted to do life and transition coaching for college students, and transition coaching for their parents, because I had been really troubled by Millennial students and their helicopter parents. I also had an interest in doing career coaching for persons working in higher ed, because I could have used it going into the field, and later as a supervisor and member of the central management staff for Residence Life at Penn State. I know for a fact that many of my staff (students and professionals) needed it, but that as a supervisor, I could only give them so much, because of the power differential involved in supervision. I believed that, as an experienced professional with a lot of great experience as a supervisor, as a candidate, and a member of search and interview committees, I had a unique set of gifts to put to work, and that by doing so, I could make a difference in the careers of many people. So I rolled the dice, left my job, and gambled that I would be able to pull together these convergent ideas into a coherent business concept.
In my mind, I have all the pieces tied together and it makes sense. But I haven’t explained it so well, and it’s clear that I need to, so that people won’t get confused or stay confused, because it’s not enough to explain the convergence, you have to explain the separate ideas before you show how they all come together. As a storyteller, I’ve always understood that. So I’m going to back up a little bit, as I have been doing so far this week, and tell you, as best I can, my story.
I’m not doing this so just to talk about myself. In putting forth my life examples, I’m hoping that you will relate, and see, in your circumstances, some parallels, and find some lessons you can apply to your life and career.
In every story, there are lessons worth finding and questions worth asking. And we can definitely learn more if we have some conversations. So please comment freely and share your story, ask questions, and tell me and your fellow readers your story and more about the points of convergence where you exist, operate, and feel most comfortable.
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jun 21, 2011 | Career Skills, Coaching, Higher Education
The unfortunate reality of being a convergent is that people don’t get you. As I mentioned last week in my posts on game theory, convergents are hard to “get” because people try too hard to fit them neatly into their own boxes (or circles) and to define what they know and what they do in familiar terms.
Convergents are not happy when constrained by familiarity and party-line thinking. They like to learn what others are doing, and integrate new knowledge, practices, and ideas into their own personal frameworks. They are those who give birth to new ideas and ways of doing things.
Convergent thinking and convergent practice have always been at the center of my personal journey and progress. The idea for Higher Ed Career Coach was born out of convergence of my personal and professional circumstances, and what I recognized as the needs of a field straining to adapt to the realities of reduced budgets, economic pressures of the marketplace, the changing expectations of Millennials coming into the workplace, and the impacts of new technology and social media, upon the education industry’s ecosystem.
I’d reached a point in my career when I knew…absolutely knew that the system as a whole was broken, and that my personal circumstances were a great example of what was wrong with the system. I also knew that my frustration with that fact was going to ruin me and my career. So the best thing I could do, for myself, my employer, and for the profession, was to move on.
But I had a strong commitment to the profession, and a strong belief that I could be a part of the broader discussions that would move our institutions and our field forward. So I founded my websites and began developing my personal brand as a life and career coach for persons in higher education. I’d been talking about becoming a coach on and off for five or six years at that point, but had finally taken some practical steps to research coach training programs and to really work on understanding the best way to become certified through a reputable program and to make a radical career change. That’s my story. What’s yours?
- What points of convergence have led you to new discoveries in your career?
- How can you bring together your personal interests into a career concept that will help you move forward?
- What can you do to drive change in higher education?
- Are you doing those things?
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jun 20, 2011 | Coaching, Higher Education, Interview Tips, Job Search, job search tools, Student Affairs
Are you still looking for a job in higher education? If so, my summer coaching special may be for you!
I’ve been having a few issues with getting my sales page done for the summer coaching special, but wanted to let people know the details. Sales pages can come later. The important thing is the offer.
Here it is:
For $50 month for 3 months and the balance $150 within 6 months? ($300 total), here’s what you will get:
- 4 sessions of 45 minutes to an hour (4 coaching hours) over 3 months-by end of September
- Unlimited brief e-mails and phone coaching/catch-ups of 20 minutes or less for 6 months. (until the new year)
- Membership in the online group and all activities there, to do on your own, and work out your strategy. I will be participating in the discussions.
- Free admission to select job-search webinars and teleseminars for 3 months.
- Ability to renew at the same rate for 3 more months if you don’t have a job.
- Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied for any reason, as long as you have actively engaged in coaching and activities.
If this sounds okay to you, I can invoice you via PayPal for $50/month for the next 3 months. You would need to pay the PayPal service fees. Or you could send me a check.
Either way, I am hoping there will be interest. I am equipped and ready to take a maximum of 20 job-seekers at any time, so respond now if you are interested. I will have a waiting list, if necessary, but if you need help now, that probably won’t do it for you. So don’t wait!
If all this sounds good, e-mail me at sean@higheredcareercoach.com and I will get you online access to the course and an invitation to the course e-mail list.
I have already had several inquiries without even advertising, so I expect this group to fill quickly. Don’t let that discourage you, but also don’t sit on your hands.
Let’s get you a job this fall. Act now.
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jun 20, 2011 | Career Skills
All my life, I have been an outsider. But not a conventional outsider, in the Rebel Without A Cause, the Outsiders, or even a [insert your favorite John Hughes film title] kind of outsider. I’m something different, and I thought that understanding a bit more about me and who I am might help readers relate to my coaching philosophy, and to understand the Unique Value Proposition of the Higher Ed Career Coach site and the programs and services I offer. I’m doing this in response to feedback from my recent reader survey, and as a result of some conversations I’ve had with others recently about what exactly this brand is and is not about.
As I mentioned, I’ve always been an outsider of sorts. But I’ve always been an insider of a different sort, or of several different sorts. I wasn’t a jock, I was the manager. I wasn’t a complete nerd, but definitely a geek. I was in AP classes but thought they were boring, and never tried very hard in them. I wasn’t a redneck, a prep, a punk or a stoner, but I knew and got along with all of them. I’ve spent all my life existing at points of convergence…those areas where circles cross, lines get blurred, and no one is exactly sure where to say it is that you belong.
It’s the burden of people that Jack Kerouac called the “mad ones” in his epic They danced down the street like dingledodies, and I shambled after them, as I’ve been doing all my life, after people who interest me. The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!”
These are the people who this brand serves…the people like me, who have various interests and skills, but somehow find themselves stuck, because they “get” too much, but focus too little, who believe more in honesty and drive than in positioning and “angles.” The ones who want to do good work, in many areas, and earn the respect of others for their intellect, honesty, integrity, creativity and originality.
These are the people who exist and are most comfortable living at points of convergence, moving in and out of groups, because of an innate interest in relating to people and their interests. They are the people that smash old ideas together and bring new ideas to life.
They are the convergents. They are my people, and if you are reading this, you are probably one of them. Welcome to our point of convergence. Let’s see where we can go, together.
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jun 16, 2011 | Career Skills, life purpose, Negotiation
Games are played when you take calculated risks, in anticipation of potential rewards. So let’s finish out this week’s discussion of game theory, careers and business by examining the risk-to-reward ratio, and how you should figure it out.
If you work with me, you do have some level of risk, because I will tell you outright that I can’t get you a job, and I won’t guarantee that you end up with one. Nothing takes that responsibility off of your shoulders. I can only offer my personal commitment to my clients, and I don’t work with every client who comes to me. I only work with those I feel I can help. To do otherwise just amounts to taking people’s money. And like I said earlier, I’m not motivated by money. I do fear not having it, but in reputational businesses like coaching, you are only as good as two things…your coaching skills and your honest commitment that if you can’t help someone, you’ll return their money. I will.
I’ve been blogging for two years and coaching professionally for year and a half, and so far (knock on wood!) no one has ever asked me for their money back. I’ve offered to return payment to a couple of clients who had a hard time getting jobs, and even offered one client more than once, but so far, I’ve never had to return a client’s payment. I don’t even have a time period on asking for it back. I may some day, but for now, I’m the Land’s End of the coaching world. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Period.
For me, what are the risks and what are the potential rewards?
Well, here is where I’m going to be brutally honest with you about what I’ve risked to get my business and my websites to this point, and what the rewards have been.
Risks:
- Left a standing position at a great university that I could have retired from.
- Left all the benefits that came with it, except for COBRA, which expired at the end of last month. Probably the most risky thing I did, because I knew that leaving a group plan might mean that I would lose my health benefits and not be able to get them back, because I have a neurological condition. We have insurance for Sarah and the kids, but I’m having to go through some hoops and am currently uninsured, though I’m hoping that will be done soon, too.
- I now have to self-fund my salary, pay all my expenses for my home, my life and my business out of savings and income, and now I have a lawyer, more insurance and an accountant. I’m not going to go into numbers here, but let’s just cut to the chase…I’ve spent way more than I’ve made, and I’ve given away at least ten times what I’ve sold. It hasn’t been easy, but I have no regrets. Not one.
Rewards
- A sense of personal satisfaction when I help people get jobs they want, or into the graduate programs they hoped for.
- Less stress in my daily life, and almost complete control over my projects and my schedule.
- More time with my wife, kids, and extended family.
- More time for community activities, like Athfest, the Athens Half Marathon, and talking with people who interest me, like artists, musicians, writers, small business owners and even the homeless people who hang out on College Avenue in downtown Athens across from Holmes/Hunter Building and the Arch.
- More time to write, create, philosophize, and stir the pot, to come up with new ideas, crash old ones together, and see where the conversation goes.
Taking a look at all the above, and factoring in what I have spent, versus what I have made, you might be tempted to say I’m not winning. But you’d be thinking about the battle, while I’m thinking about the war, so you’d be wrong. I know what I am fighting to do, and why I am doing it. If you don’t understand that, then maybe you’re not playing the same game.
What rules are you playing by?
