About Conversations: Find Your Niche!
Conversations: Find Your Niche! came into being as the result of a conversation about what line of work to pursue with my oldest son, Joseph. At the time, he was a sophomore in high school. Like many teenage boys, he was more interested in girls and sports than the future. There is nothing wrong with that. High school can and should be an incredible amount of fun.
It's normal to be more concerned about the contents of the vending machines in the cafeteria than the contents of your permanent school records that are going to get you into the college program of your choice. That said, it's important to have fun in the present while remembering that you have a long future ahead of you - a future that will seem even longer if you're dragging your feet through a workday you can barely stand. You might think career planning is a bore, but that process is downright thrilling compared to spending forty years in a career meant for someone else.
You may not be in high school or college. You may be 10 years into a career or even ready to retire and thinking seriously about making a change. No matter why you picked up this book, you have something in common with my son: you need answers. Even if your demographic is unique, your question is identical, and this book can help you answer it.
My son realized that he should be thinking about more than dates and parties when one of his teachers asked him what his future career plans were and he found that he didn't know what to say. Like many or perhaps even most of his friends, he had not given life beyond high school much thought.
The teacher's question was a much-needed wake-up call for Joseph - and for me. When I got home from work that afternoon, Joseph was pondering his future in a whole new light. Suddenly, the future was more than just another summer at the pool.
"Should I do what you do, Dad?" he asked.
"Only if you want to."
"Well, what should I do?"
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know," Joseph said. He lifted his hands up in frustration. "How am I supposed to know?"
That was a wake-up call for me. I didn't know how to answer Joseph's question. As I put some effort into finding an answer, I also discovered that I was clueless about how pervasive this problem is. By the time I was in junior high school I knew what I wanted to do. I have learned that most people are not so fortunate. If the numerous industrial surveys of job satisfaction in America are any indication, a large majority of people are not so fortunate.
As I pondered the problem, an idea occurred to me. Maybe Joseph's answer was to ask more questions. Joseph would be in a better position to make a good decision if he could talk to people in different lines of work and ask questions about their jobs. Why question one dad when you can question an entire workforce?
I arranged for Joseph to speak with several of my acquaintances. They were more than willing to share their thoughts and feelings about their work. I worked up a list of a dozen questions designed to give Joseph a feel for what it would be like to spend a day in their shoes.
From the very first interview, Joseph was intrigued and delighted with his discoveries about the working world. He was playing on a whole new level; he was gaining access to an aspect of life that was completely new to him. He enjoyed finding out firsthand what different jobs are like.
After the first three or four interviews, I realized that young people everywhere need to hear what Joseph was hearing. These conversations were meant to be shared.
Graduation day comes for everyone. Every student, not just my son, needs to know a great deal about the working world, because that's exactly where every one of them is headed. Recognizing that Joseph's interviews would help other students think past their part-time summer jobs of mowing lawns and flipping burgers, my wife and I decided to get organized. We wanted to put together a career decision book that contained not just the facts and figures of salary range, level of education needed, and a summary job description, but also provided some human insight into the nature of each job. A conversation with a human being is always more fun and more meaningful than a bone-dry data table. Each interview does include a brief data table at the beginning, but the conversation that follows that data is the real information.
Deciding whom to interview was a challenge. The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (www.occupationalinfo.org) identifies over twelve thousand distinct types of jobs. In our research, we learned that the U.S. Department of Labor has developed a taxonomy of job categories. Using those categories as a guide, we put together a representative cross section of professions and began searching out people working in those areas.
To my surprise, the process of actually finding people working in the professions we wanted to explore was astoundingly easy. We started out talking to friends and acquaintances we knew locally. Whenever the children interviewed someone they would ask if that person knew anyone who worked in any of the other job categories on our list. People bent over backward to help. We were put in contact with brothers, sisters, friends, in-laws, parents, friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends all over the country. This book would never have made it beyond the idea stage without the invaluable assistance and help of the 150 people you will meet in these interviews.
If you peruse the table of contents, you'll notice that the majority of the jobs in this book require some kind of training or education. In most cases, the best jobs go to those who have done their homework - literally. Almost without exception, the most exciting, challenging, and lucrative jobs require a marketable skill. A marketable skill means a training certificate or a college degree of some kind. Take a look at the eye-opening chart on the first page in Appendix A to see the relationship between earning power and education.
Through the interviews they've conducted for this book, my children have caught the vision of their own potential and of the fulfillment that worthwhile work can provide. They're motivated to do well in school. They've seen firsthand the work ethic that provides the bedrock of our society. They've seen the quiet heroism of dedicated men and women who consistently take care of their duty day after day. They can see their own potential more clearly than they could before their lives were touched by the people they interviewed.
I too received an education from this project. I was humbled to witness the mixture of strength and fragility that our economy is based on. The American economy works thanks to a lot of good people with a strong work ethic taking care of their responsibilities, day in and day out. The willingness of the American people to accept and embrace diversity, coupled with a rock-solid work ethic, keeps the economic engine running.
As you read through these interviews, you will find a spectrum of attitudes and emotions. You will see expressions of faith, of insecurity, of devotion to duty, of heartfelt gratitude, of disenchantment, of love, of happiness, of regret, and of hope. Through it all, you will see a deep-seated sense of responsibility and a commitment to duty and service.
I’m not sure how many young people or other career hunters will benefit from this project, but I can tell you about someone who already has. My son, Joseph, the young man who asked the question that got this project started, knows what he wants to do. He wants to be an entrepreneur. With a clear goal in mind, he is learning the skills he will need. He is currently working full time in sales and finishing a degree in business management. He knows that degree will give him the knowledge and skills he needs to pursue his dream. Thanks to his conversations with the people he interviewed, he's found his niche.
This book complements existing career-guidance resources. The research procedure or Roadmap outlined in Section 1 provides a logical step-by-step approach to finding a profession that will match your interests. The procedure will frequently direct you to various professional resources provided by schools and industry. Take advantage of every resource available to you. The research procedure, interviews, resource material and other tools found in this book have enabled my children to find their niche. We've found a practical approach that works. We are offering what we have learned in the hope that it will also help you.
We've tried to do the best job humanly possible to accurately transcribe and proofread each of the interviews. If errors have slipped in, they are my responsibility and I will correct them as they come to my attention.
Finding a profession that you will enjoy is important. That makes this book important. We have done our best to treat the material you will find here with the respect and appreciation it deserves.
Thank you and best wishes.
Van Twelves
Glastonbury, Connecticut