Careers advisor

heavymental

Due to extreme job boredom, I've booked in to see a careers advisor in a couple of weeks to get some ideas for a new direction. I'm wondering to myself if its actually going to be worthwhile or if he/she is just programmed to suggest the same 3 or 4 options that I've already considered and rejected. The only time I've been was at school and I can't say I rated him :roll: Anyone been to a careers advisor recently? Are they helpful?

Aidanw

I know someone who went to a "life coach" which I think was much the same change of life thing. They sacked off there own job moved wales(!) and now have a kid and seem very happy.

A bit different to school advisers I think

boybiker

There was a cartoon in Private eye about a life advisor, he was going..Breath in, breath out, breath in...keep doing that at regular intervals, eat food, drink water and sleep at regular intervals, thats about it really.

idaviesmoore

Heavymental wrote:

Due to extreme job boredom, I've booked in to see a careers advisor in a couple of weeks to get some ideas for a new direction. I'm wondering to myself if its actually going to be worthwhile or if he/she is just programmed to suggest the same 3 or 4 options that I've already considered and rejected. The only time I've been was at school and I can't say I rated him :roll: Anyone been to a careers advisor recently? Are they helpful?

I've got 2 Terriers that need walking everyday for 1 and half hours, if you're interested. Not sure about long term prospects vis-a-vis career develpoment but it'll give you a whole new understanding of 'PATIENCE'

SmellTheGlove

My experience of "personal development", either assisted (e.g. by career advisors) or less formally at work, is that when change is necessary it will only happen if 99% of the work comes from my own resources. I believe an advisor could be useful to anyone, but the advisor needs to know what has brought you to your crossroads. The difficulty I have found is that this other party will require a vast imagination to connect your interests and strengths with what's possible in the outside world - this is where trust takes over and only you will know whether your advisor is up to the task and can deliver a crucial one per cent in one session. My feeling is that it's a longer haul tthan that. Good luck and, by the way aren't you the guy who would be loading the artillery on the medieval battlefield? Tell that to your advisor...

Just looked again only to find you're the bloke on the horse. Reckon you need a stint in the infantry.

graeme_s-2

My Dad and his wife have both worked in careers, and I've found their professional advise very helpful over time. I've also encountered naff school careers advisors. My advise would be that you need to be prepared to put in a lot of the work yourself. You can't turn up, have them tell you a job to do and then get it for you. They can help you explore careers that you might be interested in, and suggest ways that you might be able to find employment in those careers. They're also invaluable for help with covering letters, CVs, application forms and interviews.

OffTheBackAdam

They're failed teachers! Can't get much worse than that.
My only experience came (Many moons ago) after leaving University, training as a teacher, supply teaching for a term & finding it sucked.
I ring my former Uni's carrer advisors, get asked what class of Chemistry degree and upon informing them it was a 3rd, got told "Oh, try repping". End of. Mind you, I took their advise and found it to be far superior to teaching Better pay, car, no bastard kids to refrain yourself from euthanasing!
If you've no idea what you want to do, then they're probably not going to be much help. so ask yourself first, what can you do, what qualifications do you have and are these right for the job?

FSR_XC

There are questionaires available. These are a little like pyscometric testing. Lots of weird questions that seem to have little or no relavence, yet at the end they produce a little report and list about 3 jobs that would suit your personality.

Here's an example:
http://www.academicjobseu.com/content/i ... eports.asp

CHRISNOIR

Is it a private firm of career advisors? It's something I keep thinking about without ever really getting round to doing anything about it.

Let us know how you get on - and good luck!

heavymental

Thanks for the tips. Its not actually a private advisor or 'life coach' I'm going to see. Just somebody in our local government run careers centre. Hence why I have low expectations I suppose. I think they are geared towards getting people who've never had a job into something. They'll probably wonder why I am complaining and send me on my way... But we'll see in a couple of weeks.

synchronicity

Heavymental wrote:

Due to extreme job boredom, I've booked in to see a careers advisor in a couple of weeks to get some ideas for a new direction. I'm wondering to myself if its actually going to be worthwhile or if he/she is just programmed to suggest the same 3 or 4 options that I've already considered and rejected. The only time I've been was at school and I can't say I rated him :roll: Anyone been to a careers advisor recently? Are they helpful?

Yeah, my high-school careers advisor was a tw@t. Once, when we were playing softball, I started talking to my mate when we were supposed to be fielding. Really, I couldn't care less about that game, and neither could most of the blokes (we all wanted to play soccer). So anyway, he tells us to "stop holding hands we all know you love each other". This caused us to get picked on for weeks afterwards. Thanks Mr. Fry. And no we're not gay. Pr¡ck. Sorry I just had to vent that anecdote more than a decade later...
________________________________________

I can advise you a few things. Try as many things as you can. Then you'll know what you don't like.

Hard as it is, try and work out what skills you've got. If that's too difficult to think about - think of it this way: What can you do better than most people? Instant advantage in the workplace:!: Do you like working around larger groups of people or would you prefer to be working in a back-room office. Inside or outside job? Standing or sitting? Those are other things to think about.

I was never happy studying science, I did so 10 years before I had this opportunity to change. Careers are over-rated. What happens is you become pidgeon-holed like I was (research graduate), and it makes it EXTREMELY hard to change. Eventually I wanted to do industrial or even graphic design... do you think I could bridge the gap between Materials Science? Not likely (although I did try).

Otherwise, do you have any clever ideas that you're too scared to act on? WELL ACT NOW! I.e. you could even think about starting your own business (provided you have enough capital).

The worst thing you can do is stay in a job because of pressure to continue from other people.

"Have you ever attempted to be yourself
when everybody wants you to be someone else" - Powderfinger