In order to succeed in this area, you need to be sure to listen to them and be open to ideas spoken. Try to help them with further information, and try never to be judgmental. As a parent, you should know that career development and planning might affect your child’s future. There are many ways in which you as a parent can help your child.

o Career Center Visit- Whenever you pass by a career center, don’t forget to pick up a business card. When you find your child stuck and feeling anxious about his or her future, you can offer that business card and ask him or her to call the counselor. Students use their first semester to settle into their college life and this would be the right time for you to prompt them to visit the counselor. Reassure your child that meeting a career counselor can take place any time and it is important to make wise career decisions. Many centers offer full career development and job search help.

o Resume Advice- Writing a resume can be quite a task and a student can identify his or her weak areas by writing one. Suggest that they get sample resumes from career centers, from books, or from the Internet, and then draft one accordingly.

o Encourage them to be occupationally literate- Ask your child what he or she wishes to pursue after graduation; if he or she fumbles with the choice then talk about their strengths or talents and then recommend:

1. A self assessment inventory and analysis of strengths and weaknesses.

2. A talk with their favorite faculty member.

3. Research on their choice subjects.

Career decision and planning should be an ongoing process and not a one-time talk. Don’t force your decision on them while discussing.

o Freedom of decision-Allow your child to select his or her career. Children should always follow their interests and passions, and many may change after gaining more information and developing new interests. Some may end up with a different career, so don’t become alarmed if your child changes his or her plans frequently. Plans will develop and keep changing, so be patient with them. You can make suggestions but never force them to select your choice.

o Suggest an internship- Career Centers do not place your child in a job immediately after graduation and a college degree does not guarantee one, so having relevant experience is crucial. Ask your son or daughter to select a sample career by opting for internships and experimenting with summer jobs.

o Encourage your child to select an extra curricular activity- Experiencing college life and involvement in some extracurricular activities can help develop some all important extra factors, such as qualities of leadership, team spirit, etc.

o Persuade your child to update his knowledge- Encourage your child to read the newspaper and know everything about current affairs. Ask them to watch news or read business issues.

So you are in the mid-stream of your career. You have a set of career goals and you are working towards achieving these goals. But are the goals right for you? Are they too high or too low? And what does this mean for your life? Do you remember when you were young you had these incredible goals to be someone really important in your workplace? People described you as very ambitious and you felt uneasy because this sounded as though you had an inflated opinion of yourself and were probably too competitive or materialistic? Or, conversely, when people asked you what you wanted to do and achieve you had no idea? Well, either way, goals too high or no goals at all, you have a career workplace stress trap that could cause you a headache and elevate your personal stress and your work stress. 

Not that there is anything wrong with being either an over-planned or under-planned person. We all vary in how we approach our careers. Sometimes our career and unexpected events have a way of shaping outcomes for us – we have little control over them. A new branch is established in your organization that no one expected and you were in the right position to run that branch. Or, you picked up a paper and looked at the Jobs Vacant section and a job that you had never really dreamed of but felt that it was a perfect fit leaped off the page. All of this is good and serendipity does sometime shape our life’s journey. But what if you are caught in a career goal trap? 

How to Escape the Workplace Stress Trap of Career Goal Failure

Let’s partition this issue into too many goals and not enough goals. Scenario 1 – you have all of these unrealized career goals. They usually relate to promotion. You set a time limit on being appointed at a particular level (branch manager, chief physician, site foreman, full professor). You are mid-career and nothing is working. You wanted to be top dog but you are middle management. You have applied for several jobs in the last few years, you get to interview, but then no-one takes you to the appointment step. What is going on? Do you lack the requisite skills, or experience, or personal style? Are the interview panels all desperately hopeless and unable to see your talent (that’s four panels in the last 16 months)? Are you destined to be the prophet never honored in his or her (work) land? 

What is the escape from the workplace stress this is creating for you? Number 1 – re-visit your goals. Perhaps your goals are not aligned with your skill set. Perhaps you need to have an external consultant (an Executive Coach) work with you to re-align your goals and to give you an honest appraisal of your skills and talents. Perhaps your sights are set far too high – you are currently in middle management on $80k and you are looking at jobs in the $200k range. Is the distance from here to there too great? Are you in the right industry? Sometimes people stay in a certain industry or occupation because of the familiar and because of security – not necessarily because they are in the right job. Re-evaluate your job alignment and see if you are in the right place. Perhaps you are limiting yourself by wanting a senior position in the same locale as where you live. Perhaps your job requirements are too tightly focused around you and not the organization. Or, let’s be frank here, perhaps your goals far exceed your talents. 

Second scenario – your career goals are too low or non-existent. This does not have to be a career workplace stress trap. You might be perfectly happy where you are; you might have low levels of ambition; you might not be a risk taker; you might like your current work location, tasks, remuneration, and locality and you have everything that meets your needs. Congratulations – you are not caught in a career goals workplace stress trap. You are free, happy, and unencumbered by unsettling career goals. 

Bottom line – it is you and you alone that will determine if you want to have low or high career goals. You should do this for yourself – not for your parents, or your colleagues, or your partner (though it would be bad karma NOT to talk about these goals with your partner). You set the goals and you work towards achieving these goals. If they are low and you are happy – enjoy yourself. No stress trap here. If they are high and you are achieving your goals – congratulations. If they are too high and you are frustrated and stressed, you are caught in a career goal workplace stress trap. Get out of that trap. It is not enriching your life.

If you lost your job after age 50, or you see a bleak future in your current job or industry now may be the time to consider planning a career change.

After you’ve researched a possible new careers after 50, and you find you had little or no experience in the field what do you do?

What job skills are you really good at? Start at this point. Do a complete assessment of all of your job skills and competencies.

Now use LinkedIn.com and other sources, like alumni groups and business associations, to secure informational interviews with others working in the planned career. Keep the interview short, you are not looking for a job, you are looking for information. Learn information about the career, educational requirements, special experience, where the jobs are, specific employers and referrals to others that can help you in your search.

The next step is to make the transition to the possible new career after 50. Become a member of appropriate career associations. Get on committees, do work on events, and become noticed in your planned field.

If you need specific education or certifications make arrangements to get this done. Educational requirements can sometimes be completed through self-study or on-line learning.

Now redo your resume to focus on your career change after 50, to include additional self-study and education, and possible relevant non-profit experience. You now have a better picture of what is required in the new career so it can be highlighted in your cover letter and sourcing possible employers.

For example, if in your planned new career after 50 many of the jobs require working with and managing multi-million dollar budgets and your experience is at the $250,000 level how do you bridge the gap? Highlight your results in saving money, being more efficient, making do with less, getting jobs done on time and under budget, these accomplishments are more important that the amounts of money handled.

If you worked in industry A and you are now looking for a job in industry B, what are similar issues facing each industry? How do you find this out? By using your network, by finding individuals working in industry B through LinkedIn, by researching industry publications and through research on the internet are all some of the sources of the required information.

Another key factor in highlighting your work experience is that the new career required working a high percentage of time doing a particular activity. In you past career you only did this activity occasionally; however you did this over a relatively long period of time. Who has more experience? You who negotiated a variety of real estate leases, one or two a year over 20 years and spent less than 2% of your time or someone who spent 30% of their time over three years doing 5 a year? With knowledge of what is required in the new career you can tailor your resume and respond to interview questions appropriately. Remember, you are selling accomplishments, a steep learning curve, the willingness to resolve new challenges and not your age.

By re-crafting your pitch your years of work experience will now more closely fit the employer’s requirements, your career change after 50 will be successful and by continuing to work your career plan you will now be on your way to a rewarding new career.

1. The most qualified candidate does not necessarily get the job offer

Many times, candidates with lesser qualifications get job offers simply because they’ve prepared and presented themselves in a more compelling way. In other words, they’re better self-marketers than the other candidates!

In a tight job market, being qualified is never enough. You must DEMONSTRATE to the employer that you’re the best candidate for the job. Depending on your age and how your parents raised you, you may be operating under a “wishful thinking” mindset regarding the concept of meritocracy. This would include the following cultural messages and ingrained assumptions that many of us had “drilled into our heads” by well-meaning parents and teachers:

* Getting good grades guarantees success in college and in life

* Being smart means that you’ll do better than people who are not smart (or at least not as smart as you)

* Hard work is its own reward – and is also the best path to other rewards

* Achievement and recognition go hand-in-hand. In other words, just do well and other people (teachers, professors, employers, bosses, the CEO) will recognize and reward you for it

In a difficult employment landscape, strong qualifications and accomplishments are necessary, but not sufficient, to find a job you love and earn what you deserve.

Let’s say that you’re competing against another candidate whose qualifications are just as strong as yours. What is the hiring manager supposed to do? Well, the answer is obvious – they will be influenced by how good a job you do in MARKETING, SELLING and POSITIONING those strong qualifications.

At the end of the day, it’s the best self-marketer who gets the job. Don’t be fooled into believing that the business world is a meritocracy – it’s not. This can, obviously, be either good news or bad news, depending on how you’ve positioned yourself up to this point in your career. You need to boost your self-marketing skills to the point where you can land a great job regardless of the economic “weather,” unemployment news, or latest Wall Street implosion!

2. The best time to work on your career is when your job is secure

Even if you’re very happily employed today, you never know what may happen tomorrow! To avoid a career disaster, you should incorporate the concept of “Perpetual Career Management” into your professional life.

Vital tasks like keeping your success stories up to date, or networking regularly with professionals in your industry, should be incorporated into your routine whether the economy is good or bad – and whether you feel you need to or not.

Here’s a real-life example. A few years ago, I had a client who was in a senior-level sales and marketing position at a large manufacturing company. He had everything going for him with the employer – he was a member of the senior management team, he had been with the firm for 13 years, and he was consistently praised for his hard work and professionalism. Needless to say, he felt very comfortable and secure in his position. He never saw what was about to happen.

Due to an economic downturn and an eventual acquisition of the company, my client was suddenly let go on a crisp November morning. An hour later, he found himself sitting in his car in the parking lot – asking himself over and over, “How could this have happened? I did such a good job for them!” And worst of all, my client was totally unprepared! He had none of the tools necessary to find another appropriate position within a reasonable period of time. Naturally, he felt concerned and scared. He later told me that toughest part was feeling completely helpless.

What does this mean for you? It means that you should consider adopting a different approach, the “Perpetual Career Management” approach – not only to avoid feeling helpless, but to truly take charge of your career once and for all.

As we said earlier, instead of focusing completely on your job, you should focus on managing your career – at all times, regardless of where the economy or job market happens to be!

That’s the key that will help you to chop months off your next job search, significantly boost your salary, get promoted faster, and never worry again about job security or layoffs.

Instead of focusing completely on your job, you should focus on managing your career – at all times, regardless of where the economy or job market happens to be!

3. Graduating from school is the beginning of your education, not the end

In good economic times or bad, you should always look for ways to advance your industry knowledge and professional qualifications. Attending seminars, reading trade journals, pursuing certifications, etc. – these activities should be a part of your ongoing professional development process. It’s imperative that every professional remain current in his or her field. No company wants to hire a candidate whose base of knowledge is out of date. Moreover, why would your current organization and current boss want to work with someone like that? NOT upgrading your knowledge and skills on a continual basis is a risk you can’t afford to take.

As a professional, you should continually build your credentials, which will make you more attractive and marketable as a candidate – both inside your company and in “the outside world.”

NOT upgrading your knowledge and skills on a continual basis is a risk you can’t afford to take.

Plus, in a down economy, the greatest asset you have to sell is your knowledge and intellectual resources. When business gets tough, the demand for people who can think strategically and deliver results goes UP, not down!

4. An employer’s first offer is NEVER their best offer

Employers expect that you’ve done salary research, and they anticipate having dynamic negotiations with you. In fact, they’ll often be disappointed and question your candidacy if you DON’T negotiate – even when no one’s hiring. You might be tempted to think ANY job offer is great in a tough economy or that this is the WORST time to negotiate – but you’d be dead wrong.

Employers usually start with a low salary offer merely as a “trial balloon,” to see how you’ll react – and there’s almost always room to improve on the initial compensation offer, even in a tight job market. In a way, compensation negotiation is a game, with its own set of rules and guidelines. Be aware that the first offer is merely a starting point. If you don’t negotiate further, I guarantee that you’ll be leaving money – and possibly a whole lot more – on the table.

5. Always research and be “plugged in” to the competition

Research and be aware of the competition – whether it be information about other companies or other professionals in your industry. Always know who they are and what they’re doing. Endeavor to “know the competition better than they know themselves.” This will greatly enhance your competitiveness when jobs are hard to come by, and it will allow you to jump on opportunities that others might not yet be aware of!

If you don’t negotiate, I guarantee that you’ll be leaving money – and possibly a whole lot more – on the table.

Here’s an example of how important it is to be “plugged into” your competitors. One of my clients is the President of a small advertising agency. Her client base is solid, her creative work is excellent, and she makes a very good living in this role. But the thing that my client is most proud of is the fact that her firm is the envy of every small-to-medium sized agency in town.

Not because of the creative awards my client has won, and not because of how impressive her offices are – although these are certainly noteworthy achievements. The reason my client is so envied is that she always seems to get the most prestigious accounts and the most interesting assignments. My client also has a real knack for getting the best designers in the region to work for her. The other agency owners in the region just stand around, shaking their heads in disbelief and frustration. “How does she do it?” they ask themselves, repeatedly.

Well, just between you and me – it’s not because my client’s work is so much better than the work of the other agencies. No, the way she keeps winning, over and over, is that her investigative research is superior to that of any of her competitors. She makes it her business to know what’s going on in her market – what company is doing what; which accounts are going where, who’s working for whom, what challenges or trends are affecting local companies – and all the rest. The bottom line is simply that my client is far more “plugged in” – and she has used this knowledge to beat out the competition, year after year after year!

So what does this mean to you? It means you should start to “research your way to success.” Read industry publications, trade magazines, your local Business Journal, your daily newspaper’s business section, Business Week, Fortune, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and so on. Pay attention to other local, regional, and national sources of “business intelligence,” such as web sites, newsletters, blogs, and radio or TV shows. Learn to frame your expertise, your ideas, and your value in terms that are relevant to the current business and economic landscape.

Learn to frame your expertise, your ideas, and your value

in terms that are relevant to the current business and

economic landscape.

Connect with people, companies, and groups that you read about. If you can move and shake with the movers and shakers, so much the better. If you can’t – you should at least know what they’re thinking, what they’re concerned about, and what opportunities they see ahead. The more you know about the competition, the easier it will be to get a job when no one seems to be hiring.

6. Networking is not as important as you think it is

It is more important!! Put time aside every week for active networking to maintain established relationships and develop new ones – both inside and outside the company where you work.

You should always be positioned to leverage your professional and personal contacts when the need arises. So, adopt the discipline of blocking-out time on your calendar specifically for networking activities – every week, every month, and every year, for the duration of your career!

I’ll never forget a story I heard when I was facilitating a “job search team” several years ago. We had about 15 people in the conference room. After I conducted a brief presentation about professional networking, one of the participants asked if she could share a personal story.

She said that she had just been laid-off from her employer of almost 25 years! She had started at the company as an entry-level Customer Support Representative. On that same day, another individual started at the company in the same job. They discovered that they were just about the same age, and that their backgrounds were very similar, in terms of education, interests, family history, and so on. My client and this man worked well together for about two years, when he was suddenly transferred to another department, and at a higher level, within the company.

She didn’t see him much after that, but she did occasionally hear about how well he was doing with the firm. Years passed, until eventually she was laid-off and wound-up at my office in need of career help. “By the way,” she said, “that man who started at the company with me became, and is still, the President of that company!”

At the time of her layoff, on the other hand, my client had held the same position for which she was hired nearly 25 years ago. When I asked her to tell the group why she thought she had remained at the same level, while her colleague had moved up to claim the Presidency of their company, she said, without hesitation, “Oh that’s an easy one. He was always a master networker. Me? I was just doing my job.”

This story proves, without any doubt, how important it is to keep networking in both good economic times and bad – and to continually update your success file so that you can “promote yourself” to greater levels of responsibility!

Adopt the discipline of blocking-out time on your calendar specifically for networking activities – every week, every month, and every year, for the duration of your career.

7. If YOU’RE not managing your career, nobody is!

When I speak to audiences about career management strategies, I show a slide that has the following quiz on it:

QUIZ: Who is responsible for managing your career?

Human Resources Executive Search Firm

My Manager Career Consultant

Recruiter None of the above

At different times and under different circumstances, perhaps any combination of these would have been the correct answer. But in today’s economy, the answer is clearly “None of the above.”

It doesn’t matter what your Human Resources department says about “succession planning” or “leadership development” or “career pathing.” It doesn’t matter that you have great relationships with recruiting firms – perhaps even the one that connected you with your current position (remember: recruiters work for employers, not for candidates). It doesn’t matter if you’re working with the world’s best Career Coach. It doesn’t even matter if your boss loves everything you’re doing, has big plans for you, and has nothing but glowing praise for you at every performance review.

The bottom line is that YOU, and only you, hold the keys to your career, your future, and your own brand of “career security” – even if there is no longer such a thing as “job security” (and there isn’t).

This may seem like a lot of responsibility “on your shoulders,” but this is also liberating in the sense that you have a lot more control over your career success than you might have thought!

Are you listening to that little voice in your head telling you how much you dislike your job? If not, you may become angry with those around you, when in fact, you’ll be angry at yourself for failing to taking the necessary steps to change your career — or job within the same industry. Career change is not always easy. For some, the simple task of deciding what to do is often the hardest part. For others who know what they want to do, they often feel it will take too long to achieve their career goals when there are bills to pay.

It is even more difficult when those around us do not understand our “crazy ideas” because they are too

practical to make sacrifices for the sake of happiness. So what should you do to steer your career in the

right direction without upsetting the family and draining your bank account? Here are a few suggestions to

get you on the right career track to job fulfillment.

Work for yourself

Don’t quit your day job just yet. Launching a business is a challenge in itself. Regardless of size, any

worthwhile business takes a lot of planning, development, and maintenance to compete and stay in

business. The key to successful business ownership begins with a passion to do something you enjoy,

followed by a financial investment that depends on the business. Sometimes it is minimal, requiring a

small space and general office equipment. For larger ventures, a business loan from a bank or the SBA

might be necessary. Still, it takes time to turn a profit right away. So, if you can, start small while working

full time and gradually build your business until you feel secure enough financially to leave that steady

paycheck to take your business to the next level. You can always hire part-time employees, student

interns, friends, and family members to help you in the beginning and in the long run.

Attend college or vocational training school

You don’t always need to attend college full time. If you took a few classes each semester, you’d be

amazed how happy you’d be just knowing you are working towards your goal. And, it doesn’t always need

to be a four-year college. Maybe there is a vocational school that offers the type of academic training you

need to make a career change in a shorter period of time for a fraction of the cost. Other options include

distance learning programs where you can study in the comfort of your own home at your own pace.

Change jobs internally

Sometimes happiness is only a department away! If you work for a proactive company that posts job

openings internally, this might be the perfect opportunity for you to change careers while growing with the

same company. Your career change can be very drastic if you have a supportive company that is willing

to train you. Best of all, they might even pay for you to attend college to prepare you for that career

change. If they don’t post internally, keep your ears open to learn about new business developments within

the company. Speak with your human resources representative to inquire about career growth

opportunities and what you need to do to make a career change internally.

Create a position at your current company

Sometimes you know better than anyone in the company what is needed. If you can put a business plan

together to present to management illustrating how this new idea would benefit the company financially

and logistically, you might succeed at creating a new position–or even a new department! This is a great

way to do what you do best in a new capacity because you will be the person who will determine what the

job description will be. Pretty cool!

Transition to a new career by answering a classified ad

Again, don’t quit your job just yet. You are always more marketable when you have a job. If you are ready

to take drastic measures to find overnight career happiness, you should have your resume and cover

letter professionally prepared to answer those classified ads in the newspaper or online.

Even if you are just exploring the possibility of changing careers, this is a good exercise to see how

marketable you are (how much money you can make), develop your interviewing skills, and to learn about what’s

out there beyond the walls of your office cubicle!

Go back to what you used to do–and love

Sounds crazy right? How many times have you heard someone say, “I used to work doing such and such.

It didn’t pay that well, but I loved it.” It is not uncommon to leave what we love because it doesn’t pay the

bills. Money seems like everything these days. But, when we’re unhappy, we know it’s really not. We

need to find a compromise–something we enjoy doing that will make us want to get up every morning so

we can live that old adage that claims you’ll never work a day in your life if you work at doing what you

love.

Book review: Your Successful Career as a Mortgage Broker By David Reed, Amacom: American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, ISBN 0814473709 , 978-0814473702 , $18.95, 240 Pages, 2007

David Reed’s newest mortgage title; Your Successful Career as a Mortgage Broker rounds out a successful on-going mortgage banking career and his previous three mortgage-related books. Based in Austin, Texas, Mr. Reed writes mortgage columns for Realty Times and Mortgage Originator. For those considering a career as a mortgage broker, banker, processor, or underwriter, this book is chock-full of everything you need to know before taking the plunge into this exciting field of work.

Chapters cover: The Mortgage Loan Officer and His Team, How Do I Get Started?, Mortgage Banker versus Mortgage Broker, The Loan Application Process, Types of Mortgage Loans, Loan Prequalification and Approval, Loan Documentation, Interpreting Credit Reports and Credit Scores, Interest Rates: How They’re Set, How to Quote Them, How Brokers Make Money, Marketing Yourself, and Marketing Secrets From the Pros. Additional features include a preface, a glossary, an index, and a thorough resource appendix The 1003 and Disclosure Forms, Ten Steps to Becoming a Successful Mortgage Loan Officer, Ten Steps to Becoming a Megaproducer ($250,000 + per year), Sample Marketing Pieces, Industry Resources, State Licensing Chart and Payments Per Thousand Dollars Financed.

I found the chapter on Loan Documentation especially informative. In an age where borrowers can choose to have all or none of their income or assets verified to secure a mortgage, Mr. Reed does an excellent job describing the process and alternatives for new or potential mortgage bankers or brokers.

You probably very often hear that something should be followed up and your impression can be because the issue is important so we need to follow up. That is exactly also right about networking for your career success. The following up in career networking means several things. First, you show that you are very interested in developing a mutual beneficial relationship. It also means that you are working on building this relationship from your side, indicating you are a considerate professional. Secondly, you try to convey a message to your contact that you have some information you want to share.

There are many ways you can apply when you want to follow up. For example, using email is very convenient when the information is needed immediately. If you feel your tone and energy is very high and beneficial in this following up, then use voice mail. Sometime a handwritten thank-you note is very welcome.

The good attitude for proper networking is like this – make it easy for him or her to decline comfortably. Still express your gratitude and move on without any regret. When people can feel free to say no, they will think highly about you and most likely to help you in the future within their capacity.

What if the person whom you are introduced is not returning your call? Call the person who made the introduction. Ask him or her for advice. It shows that you appreciate the help and it gives you a valid reason to keep in touch.

How many times should you expect to follow up? Three times are very normal. You can start with an email and then a phone call. After all if there is still no response, you can contact the person who introduced you for any further suggestion.

Here are three suggestions for following up:

Ask about preference to follow-up: Find out what is the best way to contact the person and then use that method.

Explain when you invite: Be clear of what you want and let them know beforehand. If the meeting is linked to a lunch, then you are buying an hour or more for consulting time, depending on where you go for meal.

Make it quick and offer alternatives: You can suggest a short 15-minute meeting in the person’s office. It should be more convenient for your contact. Also because his or her assistant and resources are at hand, it can be very handy to provide any help immediately.

Complete this 5-second music career test:

True or false: To attain all the music career opportunities you want, you must overcome tons of competition.

True or false: To truly become successful in the music business, you must beat out thousands of competitors.

Both of these statements are completely false!

The music business really isn’t filled with tons of competition. Music companies are in dire need of new musicians to offer great contracts to, but have a hard time finding such musicians. You read that right.

Extremely successful pro musicians don’t think about competing with others. They invest their time into becoming the kind of musician that other music industry types are looking for. This helps them get the music business opportunities that others don’t get/don’t know exist.

What makes someone the right kind of musician who gets the best opportunities? Specifically, what must you do to become this kind of musician?

Why Fearing Music Business Competition Hurts Your Music Career

Here’s how it is: The majority of musicians put an end to their music careers way before they even see a small amount of success. They are under the impression that they are up against massive levels of competition. As a result, they quit too soon because they are intimidated by the overwhelming (and imaginary) competition they believe they are facing.

Competition? Where Is The Competition?

Beating competition in the music business is actually very easy to do. You simply have to remove all fear from your mindset. This becomes much easier once you know who your competitors really are.

Most musicians have bad attitudes, mindsets and habits that make success totally impossible for them. These things include:

1. Being Afraid To Fail. A lot of musicians are afraid of what will happen if they try to get into the music business and it doesn’t work out. They fear they will not earn enough money through music alone. They fear that they might look like a failure, be too old, not have enough talent, not get enough opportunities in their local area and other things.

They focus all their time and energy on not failing rather than succeeding. They become paralyzed in their music careers or form backup plans that take them further away from music.

2. Being Afraid Of Success (Yes, That’s Right). The kinds of musicians who fear success, ruin things for themselves just as they reach the brink of a big. They worry about these things:

– Negative thoughts others will have of them when they become successful.

– If they are even worthy of big success.

– If they will be able to sustain success after they reach it.

This fear keeps many musicians with tons of potential from ever achieving their goals.

3. Small Amounts Of Passion And Desire. Most musicians think they want to be successful, but really don’t want it bad enough to take major action. Most aren’t working actively to build success. They sit back waiting for success to just happen for them. Others become reckless in their approach. They accept the life of a starving artists, expecting success to come from struggle.

People in the music industry can tell whether your desire for success is real. They are very good at observing both your intentions and the actions you take. Note: wanting success really bad doesn’t necessarily mean struggling for years before you make it in this industry.

4. Procrastination. Many musicians talk a lot about how they don’t know what they need to do to become successful. Truth is, it’s not too hard to figure this out. Making yourself actually DO the right things is a lot harder.

Here is an example: almost any musician would agree that a music career mentor would help their careers grow at a faster rate. However, only a small amount of musicians seek mentoring of any kind. Everyone else says: “I can’t afford to pay for it” or “I don’t have time for it” or “I’m just not prepared for mentoring right now” or “I’ll try it later”.

These are all rationalizations to make it easier to procrastinate. When it comes down to it, we all make time/have money for important things. This in mind, it’s a lot easier to make excuses than take action.

5. Lacking Commitment. If you want to achieve big goals, it’ll take perseverance and dedication. A lot of musicians stop pursuing their goals when faced with struggle and difficulty, causing their dedication to fade over time.

99.9% of musicians have or do at least some of these things. These qualities instantly disqualify them from becoming successful in the music industry.

The Main Key To Tons Of Music Career Success

Want to become one of the top musicians in the world? Overcome the fundamental issues that destroy your music career success. This quickly puts you above your perceived competition. Yes, that’s all you need to do!

How to end self-sabotage in your music career and prepare yourself for success in the music business:

1. Start choosing the things that matter most. You need to choose to take action on things that move your career ahead. Find out what you need to do to become successful. Then dedicate yourself to taking frequent action on what you learn.

Understand the difference between an expense and an investment. An expense removes money from your pocket and costs time/resources. This money never comes back. Paying rent, buying food or paying your phone bill are examples of expenses. Spending time on Facebook, playing games or watching TV are also examples of expenses.

An investment is something you invest your money (or time) into in order to get long-term value on the back end. Investing time to learn how the music business works, getting music career coaching, and joining a music industry mastermind group are all examples of making investments into your music career.

You must try to eliminate expenses and increase the amount of investments you make.

2. Replace any time you say “I should” with “I will”. For example: “I should invest more into my music career” becomes “I will invest more into my music career”. “I should stop procrastinating on reaching my goals” becomes “I will stop procrastinating on reaching my goals”. Saying “should” gives you way out of taking action. This mindset lacks the urgency needed to take action and succeed.

3. Pro musicians who become successful have more urgency than most people. They say “I WILL invest more time and energy into my music career”, “I WILL stop procrastinating” and “I WILL learn more about the music industry.” This kind of mindset refuses to accept failure. It gives you unstoppable motivation to do whatever it takes to achieve your musical goals.

These basic changes in attitude make it easy to beat your competitors and become a successful professional musician.

Data science is a multidisciplinary approach towards gaining valuable insights from Big data. These insights help an organization in improving its operations and making efficient and intelligent decisions. It makes use of techniques like Machine learning, Cluster analysis, Data mining, Visualization and employs the field of Mathematics and statistics.

Why Data Science?

With every passing day, the amount of Big Data is increasing giving rise to the requirement of management and processing of this Big data and Data science gains its importance from this requirement. With 2.5 quintillion bytes being produced every day, the skill of organizing this set gives one an added advantage. Companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft are looking for experts, increasing the job vacancies in the field. The influence of Data science is across all major industries like healthcare, finance, retail, chemical, agriculture, media etc.

Skills Required

Data scientist requires mastering certain skills to excel in the field. These include R programming, Python Coding, Hadoop Platform, SQL Database/Coding, Machine learning. Besides these technical skills, Data scientist needs some soft skills: Analytical ability, Exceptional communication skills, Visualization and presentation skills, Able to work within a team, Strategic Acumen, Problem-solving skills.

Job titles offered by Data Science

Some distinguished job titles offered by Data science are:

-Data Scientist

The role of a data scientist is to handle raw data using suitable techniques. They are required to be well versed in the programming language of R, SAS, Python, SQL, MATLAB, Hive, Pig, Spark. Data scientists are skilled in Distributed Computing, Predictive modeling, Math and Machine learning. Data Scientists are employed by Adobe, Google, and Microsoft.

-Engineer

Their role is to develop, construct, test, and maintain the architecture (such as databases and large-scale processing systems). Data engineers are skilled in Database systems (SQL & NoSQL based), modeling and warehousing solutions. They are employed by Facebook, Amazon, and Spotify.

-Architect

They create blueprints for a data management system to integrate, centralize, protect and maintain data sources. They are skilled in data warehousing solutions, In-depth knowledge of database architecture, data modeling, System development, Extraction Transformation. They are hired by VISA, Logitech.

-Administrator

They ensure that the database is available to all relevant users, is performing properly and is being kept safe. They are skilled in Data modeling and design, Distributed Computing, Database systems (SQL & NoSQL based), Security, and Business Knowledge. They are employed by Twitter, Reddit.

What Data Science has to offer as a career?

Being the “Sexiest Job of the 21st Century”, Data science promises a bright career to its professionals. A report by Glassdoor says that Data scientist leads for the best job in America with a median salary of $116,000 and 1,736 job openings for Data Scientists. It offers a career full of achievements and admiration.

The field of computer networking includes a number of specialized areas for students to study. Students can train for the area that interests them most through an accredited school or college. With an educational program students can earn a variety of degrees including an associates, bachelors, masters, and doctorates level degree. Students can pursue the degree that meets their individual career goals.

*Computer Network Engineering

With an accredited educational training program in computer network engineering students can obtain their degree in as little as two years. Careers in this area include network technician, network control analyst, network services administrator, and more. Coursework will vary depending on the level of degree and desired career. Study may consist of subjects like Unix OS, desktop applications, Microsoft Network OS, HTML, network essentials, and much more. Entry level professionals can earn between $26,000 and $53,000 yearly whereas other levels can earn around $70,500 a year.

*Network Support

Students can pursue a variety of degrees in network support when looking to enter a career in this field. With a degree in network support students can enter into careers like network support specialist, technical support consultant, network support analyst or supervisor, and many other professions. Curriculum may cover the study of subjects like computers, research, management, leadership, and much more. Degree holders in this specialized area of computer networking can make anywhere from $41,000 a year to $70,000 a year depending on their career.

*Computer Network Management

Careers in computer network management can be obtained by earning a degree in the field. Coursework may cover subjects like computer programming, math, computer science, statistics, marketing, and other related courses. With an accredited degree in computer network management students can enter the workforce prepared for an exciting career. Students can find employment working with operating systems, systems management, information security, and much more. With a degree in computer network management students can expect to earn between $54,000 and $90,000 annually.

*Network Systems

Students who choose to enroll in a school or college that offers training for network systems can obtain a variety of degrees. With an accredited degree in this area of the field students can look forward to careers as network systems analysts, network systems administrators, network support specialists, network engineers, and other related professions. Coursework may cover topics such as computer science, computer software, Linux networking, web design, PC repair, and more. Training for a degree in this area will allow students to earn between $58,000 and $95,000 a year.

With an accredited school or college students can gain the knowledge and skills needed to enter the workforce prepared. Accrediting programs like the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (http://www.accet.org) can provide proof that the program you choose will provide the best education possible. A number of educational training programs allow students to gain the degree they desire in computer networking. Students can learn more by requesting information from the school or college of their choice. Enroll today to start an exciting new career.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

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