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December 20, 2005
Recognizing Career Rites of Passage
Our discussion on eSight’s "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blog last week about when to ignore advice to "play it safe" and take a career risk yielded some unexpected insights, I believe, about what it means to be a "mature" career manager.
To illustrate my point, consider this handful of comments I’ve collected from SiM’s "Taking a Career Risk" dialogue:
"…I have decided that the collection of stuff isn’t anywhere near as important as my growth as a human being. I have discovered that risk aversion is another term for fear of the unknown, and, frankly, no one really knows what is around the corner anyway…"
- Laine
"…Since it is harder to obtain a job if a person is (disabled), the attitude sometimes is very subtly conveyed that we must stay at one job and grapple with gratitude because someone gave us a chance. That is wrong. We should be hired because we can do the work. If it is not workable, then changes must be made. I know of cases where (disabled) employees have been taken advantage of because the employers thought they would (or) could not quit. Always seek to better yourself, your whole self…"
- Bonita
"…Sometimes you have to learn how to be non-confrontational, and, at the same time, you can't take ‘no’ for an answer…"
- Suzanne
"…No matter how well you have prepared for an occupation, overcoming the disability barrier is a major event. Once the job has been secured, be observant, plan, strategize, know if you are fitting in, and either plan to advance in that environment or begin laying the groundwork for the next job. Every job should be the platform for a higher level."
- Fred
"I have made a career of changing jobs when the costs of a given job significantly exceeded the benefits. By and large, I am happy with all of these decisions, but it is worth remembering that it is harder for us blind people to find work than those who are blind-impaired…"
- Peter
"…Countering inappropriate work place practices is not easy. If you are prepared to risk putting out a call for help, then you may find you don't have to do it alone. This has been my personal experience."
- Kate
I wish I had those observations to think about 30 years ago. They may have helped me avoid some hard times in my career.
But, on the other hand, maybe they wouldn’t have been as helpful as I now see them. Perhaps there are no short cuts to becoming a mature individual from a career standpoint. Perhaps there are rites of passage in career relationships, too, just there are in family relationships, marriage relationships etc.
And maybe that’s why work experience early in life can be critical in career development. We need that on-the-job time to experience each development phase, each passage.
As we bid goodbye to 2005, maybe it’s a good time just to benchmark where we have been in our careers –- and, in the process, show those who are following in our footsteps the issues they’ll perhaps encounter themselves through their own unique experiences.
So, please consider this last SiM discussion topic for 2005:
When did you first realize you were functioning as an adult in a career-building situation?
Posted by Jim at 12:02 PM | Comments (6)
December 13, 2005
Taking a Career Risk
One paragraph in a recent "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blog comment continues to leap out at me every time I return to my December 6 entry to check for new postings from eSight members.
It’s from Cindy. She writes:
"I was a case manager… was placed with (an assistant) who had no computer skills and was going to school full time (which left me with no help to accomplish my job tasks). I resigned my position after five months because I was set up for failure…"
That takes nerve. That’s taking a risk –- something a person with a disability is not always expected to do.
I don’t know if I could do what Cindy did. Sure, I quit a good job after 28 years with the same company to start a new career, but I took two years preparing for it.
See my story, "Beyond Success."
Within that context, please consider this question:
When is it time to ignore advice to "play it safe" and take a risk by changing jobs?
Posted by Jim at 04:56 PM | Comments (10)
December 06, 2005
Summary for November: Defining Workplace Inclusion
Thanks to each eSight member who helped our "Swimming in the Mainstream" discussion bring some spark into EEOC broad statement of the "access and inclusion" rights people with visual impairments possess under the ADA.
By doing so, you’ve gone beyond the legalities and developed your own definition of "inclusion" in the workplace.
I’ve summarized your ideas and presented them for an employer audience in a new eSight article, "How eSight Members Define Workplace Inclusion."
It’s featured this week in eSight’s Employer Resources section, and we’ll distribute it widely to employers through eSight’s extensive outreach mailing list -– all made possible by a grant from the American Express Foundation.
If you have further thoughts to add to the discussion capped by "How eSight Members Define Workplace Inclusion," please do so here.
Posted by Jim at 05:14 PM | Comments (2)