Hope for your financial life and beyond

How to Choose a Career

September 4, 2013 by 33 Comments

Career Advice - Confusion“So what’s going to be your major when you go to college?” The question annoyed and frustrated me as an 18-yr. old high school senior mostly because I had no clue. Nothing had ever seemed to jump out at me. So, when asked, I’d sheepishly throw out a few ideas and then say I was just going to take the required core classes my freshman year to get those out of the way. Everyone seemed to think that was a good idea.

College did indeed open up a new world of vocational options for me - careers that I had never considered before. My first two quarters were spent getting adjusted to school and meeting new friends. Still nothing overly intrigued me. Business management? Optometry? Finance? Ministry? What direction should I go?

Then, to satisfy a general ed requirement, I took Intro to Psychology in the spring quarter.

I was hooked.

Learning about the intricacies of the human mind fascinated me - how it functions and how we interact with other people. “Plus, I’m a good listener,” I thought. “That should come in handy in that field, right?” So by fall quarter of my sophomore year I was a full-fledged Psych major with a dual emphasis in counseling and child and family studies.

Just to be clear in case you missed that - I made that decision based on one class and the fact that I was a good listener. (I might have prayed about it a bit as well…can’t completely discount that aspect.)

But was it the right decision?

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Filed Under: Career, College, Work Tagged With: , ,

Labor Day Edition - Celebrate Yourself (Plus An August Goals Update)

September 2, 2013 by 16 Comments

Labor DayI’ve never quite understood Labor Day as a child. All I really cared about was that we received a day off from school. But what were we supposed to do on that day - more labor? Why do we need a day specifically telling us to work? What are we doing the other 364 days of the year? Resting?

The U.S. Department of Labor states that Labor Day “is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.” The first Labor Days were marked by parades, speeches by prominent leaders and community festivals to entertain workers and their families. Many of those activities have disappeared as the holiday has evolved over the years.

In fact, I can’t remember ever having been to a large scale Labor Day activity. Maybe a small family event at some point. Most of my Labor Days have been spent doing work around the house (which I will be doing today - final summer trim on the bushes and a pressure washing of the front porch).

So as you enjoy the holiday, don’t forget to pay tribute “to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.”

In other words - celebrate yourself today.

Quote source: U.S. Dept. of Labor

August Goals Update:

 

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Filed Under: Goals, Work Tagged With: , , ,

Is the Effort to Get Rich Worth It?

August 11, 2013 by 29 Comments

“Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.” Proverbs 23:4-5

What’s the most hours you have ever worked in a week?

Construction workerOne college summer, I regularly put in 80-hour workweeks shuttling between two jobs. I arrived at the construction site each morning at 7:00 and clawed my way through a grueling 9-hr. day until 4 pm. In the next hour, I would grab a quick bite to eat, while driving to my night job as a lifeguard. From hammer to whistle, the norm that summer was 13-hr. weekdays. And, to top it off, I added more lifeguard time on the weekends.

Was the effort that summer worth it? In retrospect, probably. I learned a lot about time management and work ethic. Plus, I needed the money for my car payment, work and school clothes and textbooks for my courses in the fall. And it was for only three months.

But there was a great personal cost for all my efforts:

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Filed Under: Hidden Nuggets, Work Tagged With: , ,

Bang On the Drum All Day: Find Your Passion

August 1, 2013 by 10 Comments

I’m not a drummer but this song makes me want to be:

Todd Rundgren wrote “Bang the Drum All Day” in 1983 and since then it has become the quintessential anti-work anthem played every Friday night as the factory whistle blows. Or Wednesday night. Or when the Green Bay Packers score a touchdown. Or whenever you feel like not going to work. Just cue this song in your iTunes library and dream how it would feel to have the reality of the lyrics become true in your own life.

I can see how this song gets a bad rap in some circles (especially the boss circles - note verse three). It seems to raise negative perceptions about a task (work) that is fundamental to our being able to survive. I believe God endowed humans with a work ethic. It’s embedded deep in our nature to labor and exert ourselves to cultivate a reward. Why should we hate doing something that creates value in our lives and provides so many benefits - both personal and financial - as going to work? Isn’t work beneficial?

Absolutely it is. No doubt.

So is the pursuit of a passion.

The Power of Passion

I find these lyrics from the song teach me some pretty cool things about passion, about finding something you really enjoy doing:

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Filed Under: Work Tagged With: , ,

Funding College: Should I Work or Do SAT Prep?

June 10, 2013 by 27 Comments

In case you haven’t been paying attention, the cost of attending college is spiraling out of control. It has led many to question whether a four-year degree is even worth it. These numbers published by the College Board in the fall of 2012 bear this point out:

“Average published tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year colleges and universities increased from $8,256 in 2011‐12 to $8,655 in 2012‐13. The 4.8% ($399) increase in tuition and fees was accompanied by a $325 (3.7%) increase in room and board charges for students living on campus. At $9,205, room and board charges account for more than half of the total charges for these students.”

Girl using tablet

Spend more time studying and less time working

So that’s an average of $17,461 for room and board at an in-state, public four-year school. No wonder, the high cost of higher education has left many parents and teenagers frustrated and seemingly with just a few options when it comes to paying for college.

Many high school students take the logical step of securing summer employment to help them earn money to pay for college. If a student can earn $3,000 - $4,000 over the course of the summer to put towards college that would help, right. It certainly would but I’m going to suggest today that you have another alternative that a) you probably won’t like because it requires studying, but b) will probably provide more bang for your buck than working at a summer job.

Instead of working over the summer, study to improve your SAT (or ACT) scores and watch the money roll in.

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Filed Under: College, Work Tagged With: ,

My 8 Jobs Taught Me These Lessons

May 2, 2013 by 17 Comments

Lifeguard Tower“In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.” - King Solomon, Proverbs 14:23

All labor brings a profit, as it should. We use that profit to provide the basic necessities for living, to purchase items we want and to create more profit by investing in the marketplace. The desire to take care of ourselves and build wealth is a huge reason we work each day.

However, the term “profit” can convey more than just financial gain. We also use that term to describe how something is beneficial or will give us an advantage in some way. For example, it would not be profitable for me to drive in the wrong direction on the freeway. It would be deadly!

So in relation to work, personal profit could mean more than just money. Through work we can also learn about ourselves. We learn about relationships. We learn about influence, perseverance, and sacrifice. We learn, in many ways, simply how the world operates.

I’ve had eight jobs in my life and each one taught me a different, valuable lesson. So here are the life lessons I’ve learned from work, from my first job to my present one.

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New Year’s Goal #4: Fall in Love (Again)

January 3, 2013 by 2 Comments

Patched HeartAre you in love? Perhaps it’s that special someone you’ve chosen to spend your life with. Or maybe it’s that favorite caffeinated beverage you must consume each morning to jumpstart your day. I’m sure others (not me) are completely in love with one of the two teams who will be pursuing the BCS Championship on Jan. 7th.

What about your work? Are you enjoying the daily grind of your career? That’s a tougher question for many people to truthfully answer.

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Filed Under: Goals, Work Tagged With: ,
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