Thursday morning I entered a conference room and took a seat at a table. I was one of eight women who showed up for the first in a series of Career Exploration Workshops.
We are an interesting group ~ from a variety of backgrounds, with a wide range of interests, and at ages that span more than thirty years. The one thing we have in common is the transition we are experiencing in our lives.
To begin we briefly introduced ourselves. Then we listed all the things that make looking for a job difficult, so we could set those things aside and focus on the work at hand ~ the exploration of what we value, where our interests lie, and what kind of work we really want to do.
As I prioritized my personal values I thought about: how I've wrestled for months with what matters to me and what I want; books I've read and words I've written; what has stayed the same and what has changed. It turns out that all of that is reflected in how I value integrity, self-realization, inner harmony, purpose, and family.
The results of a work value inventory clearly reinforced how important it is for me to do work that matches my way of life and the kind of person I want to be, that I want to feel a sense of accomplishment, and that creativity in my work is important. My comment to the group was that it's time for me to stop trying to fit myself into someone else's box.
The career counselor I have been working with is the facilitator for the workshops. She asked us if we would be willing to try an experiment in using some type of online forum where we can find information and leave comments between sessions. People in the group have different experiences with technology. I was the one who could explain how a blog works. Me. [You read that right, K.] It was the first time, ever, that I have been the person in a group to explain anything technological. Smile.
Our homework for next week is to complete a survey of interests. Homework. Smile.
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3 comments:
This class sounds like a great idea, Sharon. Anything that can help us clarify. :-) Congrats on being able to contribute something savvy to the group! That must have felt really good.
I find these seminars and conferences to be helpful. Just being in a room with other people on the same mission is energizing. Let us know where it all leads.
Yes, it's great to have a real-life blogger with expertise within the group! I, too, am intrigued with the results of the surveys thus far. Here's to the journey and looking inward as we seek a way of life that matches our skills set as well as our value of inner harmony! ~cheers, Jen
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