First let's split this up into two categories, those who want to be their own boss, and those who want to work for a company.
Be Your Own Boss:
Being your own boss sounds good, right? What could be wrong with that? The appeal of having no one to answer to and working what hours you want sounds like the perfect job to me. If only it was that simple. Many people strive to be their own boss but if they don't have the knowledge, and backbone to do so this can be a downhill slope. In a competitive world you have to have the willingness to go and take what you want. Now don’t get this mixed up with stealing, but you have to have the right mindset to be able to work for yourself.
There are a few things that you have to understand about working for yourself. You are in-fact working for yourself, there is no one to go and complain to when a paycheck doesn’t come rolling in on time. There is no one above you to make the hard decisions.
If you think that this is still something that you are interested in, than let’s take a look at what we can do to make it happen. If you want to be your own boss you have to understand money and business. To start we can take a look at online classes suited for both of these subjects. Such as Entrepreneurship 101 which will give you a look at who to go after as your target market, or Financial Analysis and Decision Making which will give you the analytically skills to make sound financial decision.
Being Hired at a Company:
In an Interview with Adam Bryant of The New York Times, The Senior Vice President of People Operations for Google, Lazlo Block stated “Some data is essentially worthless in assessing job candidates; G.P.A’s for instance”. After years of analyzing data, Google has found formal education, to be next to worthless in hiring. In-fact Google has started to hire more and more people who never went to college. Why is this? Studies found that people who were hired without a college education often times performed better for longer in the corporate setting. Now this is not saying anyone without college degree can go and get a job at Google. The select people we are talking about, are those who fought the adversity of a world who places so much weight on a college diploma, and landed a job anyways.
How do you become one of those people? Start reading books. I’m not talking about science fiction, or horror books, or even the game of thrones saga; what I am talking about is educational literature for the field you are interested in. This is dead serious, go to the library and Good Will Hunting your way to a job. Most formal education is, is some guy called a professor who tells you what parts of that book he finds important. Go above and beyond read the whole book, then read another. Keep reading until you think that you have something to show for it.
After you have exhausted your local library for resources, it’s time to jump online. Take advantage of some of the thousands of classes that are offered online for free. Visit sites like, Udemy, Coursera, edX, and really go to town. These courses are offered in almost anything so it’s important to know which ones have some value, and which courses are a complete waste of time. First off it is a good idea to make sure that the classes you are taking has some implication to what field you are trying to get into. If this field is business, it is always a good idea to throw a writing class or two into the mix. Never underestimate the power of strong interpersonal skills. Often times people who get jobs the easiest are the ones who can communicate their thoughts clearly both written and spoken. Make sure to focus on what you will be learning, and how this can be applied.
Find a way to validate your skills. This is what it all boils down to. You have done the footwork and are now ready for a new career; but how do you show this to a potential employer? Many of the aforementioned sites, courses give you the option to gain certificates of completion for work that is done. You can start with this. Put together what could be considered your free education transcript. Make something tangible to show employers. If you are becoming an engineer, make something, a programmer or art lover design something. There are many ways that you can come up with to showcase your new talents, and bring them with to your interview; all you need to do is find one and make it happen.
Don’t forget about presentation. Practice interviewing and make sure your resume, highlights your key points. Getting a job is difficult so remember never give up, persistence is key.
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