Getting the Biggest Return on an Education

When you evaluate the cost or investment in something, sometimes we humans can be a bit short sighted.  So when it comes to evaluating the cost of a college education and your investment of time, you want to make sure you invest well and provide good marketability for yourself.  You also want to reduce the potential of debt after graduation.

There is an excellent article, The Best Values in Public Colleges that ranks 20 of the best universities and reasons for the rankings.  I point this out because there is an additional factor to pay attention to in these numbers and it isn’t printed.  The last column on the chart identifies “Average debt at graduation.”  This is important…many states, like Florida, offer academic scholarship dollars to in-state students based on GPA.  But even with those dollars, the “Average debt at graduation” for students at University of Florida is $16,013.  Maybe your most economical and major specific institution isn’t in-state.  Look at all of your options.

By doing some work up front, you can explore careers, majors and schools that are interesting, make sense and are a natural fit for you.  That’s where I can provide you excellent guidance and steps to creating an effective plan for college and career direction.  Those steps help to lead you to a great college experience, on-time graduation with a meaningful degree that is marketable in a career path geared to your satisfaction and reward.

Getting the biggest return on an educational investment means:

  • Graduating on Time
  • Reduced or No Student Loan Debt
  • Marketable Degree
  • High Degree of Satisfaction in Career Path

Click here for more information on creating a successful high school and college to workplace plan.

Click here for the full article and table – The Best Values in Public Colleges.

2 Points to Ponder – Investment vs. Return

Investment vs. Return is not just about financial planning, it also addresses the impact of your educational investment and return on those dollars.   About a week ago there was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, “Reid Hoffman: Searching for Breakout Ideas,” with great questions and answers.  One of my favorites was a question about how people see themselves in their careers.  Hoffman responded with several statements, but most importantly he addressed the need for people to invest in themselves.

It is no wonder that Tom Rath’s book, StrengthsFinder 2.0, has been on the best seller list every single week since it was published in 2007.  People have been out of work or lost in their search for a career path, or they are looking for ways to move forward in a time when there are new rules for employment and jobs look different.   That’s why it is important to pay attention when he addresses the fact that Talent x Investment = Strength.  This applies to students as well as those already in the workforce.

Investment vs. Return is now about investing in you for your own future return.   What can you do for yourself now to position your self better in the future?   What or how much are you willing to invest for a positive return?  This is a call to action.  What will you do?  For help with your plan……take action….click here.

Natural Abilities in Your Work

According to The Wall Street Journal, June 3, 2010, “Identifying one’s natural abilities is more than just an interest survey, and the value of knowing can have lifelong impact that creates opportunities for great satisfaction.”  The use of abilities in our daily work can make the difference between tolerating a job and loving a chosen career path.   Understanding our abilities helps us to use them more effectively and communicate them to others in a resume’ or interview.

The Resume’ – A successful resume’ is created to target a potential employer and specific job tasks for a posted position.   Natural abilities can be identified as strengths for that position and they are quantifiable.  They can be used to promote you as the best candidate.

The Interview – When the resume’ lands you an interview, your quantifiable abilities provide great examples of the kinds of things you do naturally and quickly.   They can be used as a predictor of future performance.   The winning interview success formula looks like this: situation + action = results.

After all, in a challenging job market, with highly competitive and qualified applicants, shouldn’t you do everything you can to stand out in the crowd!  What’s your evidence?

Applying Natural Abilities for High School and College Students

Over the last two weeks the blog postings have addressed identification of natural abilities and the fact that they are measurable.  When measured, they can help provide insight for determining career direction or ways in which we can develop greater balance in our lives through cultivation of our work environment, responsibilities, or perhaps musical talents or other areas of interest.

For high school students trying to narrow the selection of a college or for college students who are struggling with declaring a major, it is beneficial to create a plan and pay attention to natural abilities.  Here is an example:

Jenny, a high school senior is trying to make a decision between 3 schools she has received acceptances from for college.  She is undecided about a career path, loves to write, travel and read.  She also enjoys working with children and thought about becoming a teacher.  Her profile shows that she has strong Vocabulary, Concept Organization and Observation abilities.  She also has a strong Design Memory.  Working with Jenny, one of the schools she is considering is the University Of Missouri.  Looking more closely at the School of Journalism, there is great opportunity for her to explore her interests and her natural abilities for a great career outcome filled with lots of options.  Click here to see the example. 

Finding a right college fit and determining career direction shouldn’t be a shot in the dark.  Your college experience is an investment in your future, so it needs to be evaluated and balanced carefully like a financial portfolio.  Need help evaluating and balancing?  Contact me for more information.

Understanding Your Abilities – Part II

The more we understand about our natural abilities, the better we can make effective choices that lead us toward satisfying and rewarding careers and lives in general.  Since abilities can be measured, it only makes sense that once we know what those numbers look like, that we are able to apply them to our daily lives both on the job and in our personal time.   When natural abilities are measured using the Highlands Ability Battery, a series of 19 tasks yield results that measure 21 separate areas and address Personal Style, Driving Abilities, and Specialized Abilities.

Personal Style addresses your comfort in interacting with others.  It also involves the kind of environment that you find most satisfying, the way you replenish your energy level and the level of stress you may feel in certain environments.  It helps to identify the size of organization that you would feel most comfortable and productive.

Driving Abilities have a strong impact on all of us.  They can be measured and help us to understand how we solve problems and the number of problems we enjoy solving in our daily work lives.  They also help us to identify whether we should be considering career directions that are more abstract or hands-on in their orientation as well as our communication strengths and challenges.

Finally, the Specialized Abilities help us to better understand how we take in information. They also provide further information to validate career directions as well as enhance our performance through strategies for learning.

Want to learn more about Natural Abilities,  your specific Natural Abilities and your career path?  Do you need help with identifying and writing an effective Goal Plan?  Contact me at marla@marlabrady.com.

Understanding Your Abilities – Part I

Remember when you were in elementary school or even middle school and you had to do something you felt you were not good at performing?  You may have gotten that sinking feeling in your stomach and wished to disappear at that very moment.  Then there was the opposite when you were asked to do something and you could feel your chest swell with pride or excitement to get out there and do it because you knew you could nail it!  What we didn’t know was that by the time we were about 14 years of age, our Natural Abilities were being solidified within us.  Natural Abilities are those things we do easily and quickly.  They are not the things we have learned from our teachers or parents, but more the way in which we are hardwired.  Perhaps they are identifiable within our DNA.  While that is yet to be learned, there are some things we do know about our Natural Abilities.

Through a well documented process and years of research, it is possible to measure Natural Abilities like measuring intelligence.  However, unlike an IQ score that defines a level of intelligence, measures of Natural Abilities can assist in defining career paths that would lend themselves to an individual’s most satisfying outcome based on strengths and compatibilities of varied abilities.  Understanding your abilities can mean the difference between loving what you do in your chosen career path, and wondering why you ever chose that path.

When abilities are measured we can learn more about the environment that an individual would find most satisfying for work, the type of problem solver that person is and the occupations that lend themselves well in that capacity.  We also uncover the type of learning channels that would allow them to take in information most effectively and how to capitalize on that knowledge.  Finally, we learn the most effective communication style for them and the career paths that fit most comfortably.

While no single assessment should ever be used to definitively tell anyone what to do in their life’s endeavors, there are key indicators that can make the journey a lot more fun and satisfying.  Want to have your abilities measured?  Contact me.

Change and the Fear Factor

I always laugh when people reference the old saying, “There are only two sure things in life, death and taxes.”  I laugh because I believe there is a third given, and that is Change.  The funny thing about Change is it can make people as uncomfortable as talking about death or taxes.  The “Fear Factor” of Change is remarkable.

Change occurs naturally.  Whether it occurs because of transitions in life like high school to college or college to the work force or because you get married, have children move to a bigger house, change happens.  Change happens when you get a new boss or maybe because you become the boss.  Whatever the reason, Change happens and when it does it can create Fear.  You see, it’s not because we don’t have the skills or abilities to enter into that new position or state of being, it is because it is the Unknown and as creatures of habit we get comfortable.  When we are pushed outside of our comfort zone and into the unknown realm of Change, we get nervous or even scared.

So how do you combat the fear factor of Change?  Set goals.  Write them down.  Create a plan.  Take action to achieve.  You see, committing a goal to paper creates a sense of accountability and empowerment.  It takes the fear of Change and refocuses on a purpose.

What action will you take to confront the fear factor of Change?  Need help?  Contact me.

Addressing Trends of Need

Throughout the year I try to address topics that are pertinent to the trends of people with whom I work while addressing issues that I think are important in general to all who are looking at career decisions.  There are two comments and a question I want to address as we enter the week of Thanksgiving.

Comment #1 – Community Service is an important part of the “Total Student Package” that I talk about, but it is also an important part of our strength as a nation.  I want to say thank you to all of the students who are giving back to their communities through volunteer efforts at food banks, shelters, camps, food drives, community clean ups, or the multitude of other forms of community service.  Thank you as well to all who give back and address the needs of others.

Comment #2 – Thank you for the many ways in which you have supported my Blog and employed me to work with you or your student to define a college or career path.  I am honored to have the opportunity and grateful for your trust.

Question – In an effort to address your trend of needs as I plan the topics ahead in 2012, what questions do you have that you would like me to address through a blog? Click here to submit your questions.

Creating Your Own Trend

Making good decisions begins with asking the right questions and gathering meaningful information.  That’s why I encourage people to pay attention to trends in jobs, careers and demographics.  That’s why it is important to start early and allow time for exploring possibilities.  It is also why I recommend that people who are looking at college educations, changing jobs, or re-entering the workforce evaluate their interests, values, passions and abilities.  All of these are measurable and can provide meaningful information in making decisions about career paths.  Paths that can create great satisfaction and reward.

In his book, GOOD TO GREAT, Jim Collins wrote, “Indeed the real question is not, “Why greatness?” but “What work makes you feel compelled to try to create greatness?”  If you have to ask the question, “Why should we try to make it great?  Isn’t success enough?” then you’re probably engaged in the wrong line of work.”

I believe that when the national statistics indicate that greater than 60% of the population dislikes their work, we have a national disaster on our hands.  How can we be great as a nation if we don’t individually feel compelled to create greatness in our own work?

On October 5, 2011 we lost an American Great.  Steve Jobs will forever be known for his impact on the world of personal computing.  He was passionate about his work, and I believe, “compelled to try to create greatness.”

What will you do today that compels you to create greatness?  How can you establish your own trend that creates a meaningful career path?  Need help?  Contact me.

3 Timeline Considerations

Depending on where you are in your career direction process, there are three things you should have on your radar screen.

 High School Students:

  1. A calendar with SAT/ACT test dates for which you will register and a prep plan that fits that timeline
  2. Timely notification to those you are requesting a letter of reference
  3. A timeline that identifies application deadlines for colleges you are applying

 College Students:

  1. Attend job fairs on your campus even as a freshman to get a feel for the events
  2. Get your resume’ in order or sent out even as early as September of senior year
  3. Even as a freshman you can begin preparing yourself with examples of your leadership, problem solving or other desirable attributes for employers

Career Changers/Job Changers/Those Re-entering the Workforce:

  1. Identify a target date to be in that new position and work backward at least 6 months.  Currently the average worker spends 19-28 weeks in a job search
  2. Along with your resume’, have a sheet of references prepared and make sure you have notified the individuals of your intent to identify them as a reference
  3. Identify when applications need to ne submitted in order to meet your timeline for securing that new position

Planning and organization are effective tools for success.  They are also part of natural ability patterns and therefore easier for some people and not for others.  These timeline considerations should be a part of your organization as you plan your college and career path.  Want to know more about your own natural abilities?  Contact me.