May 7, 2008

BUSINESS MATTERS: Negativity is the first hurdle to overcome

Mildred Culp / Daily News columnist

Dear Dr. Culp: I graduated from a local college two years ago, with honors, and still haven't found a job in my area of study. (I have an associate degree, which cost $26,000.) I was out of work for six years after a stroke but have made a full recovery. The manager at a local service store where I work thinks ill of me. I'm afraid of wasting more money on furthering my education. I don't want to spend that amount again and still be unemployed in my field of major. What should I do?

Worthless graduate



Dear Graduate: It sounds as if you think everything is worthless, beginning with your degree, yourself and your relationship with your manager. If this is, indeed, true, then the problem probably isn't any one of those things but your negativity.

Your associate degree cost $26,000? Rather than throw cold water on it, start over. Imagine yourself with degree in hand, facing a sunny day. Where can you take it so you won't be competing with everyone else in your field? Turn yourself into an upbeat apple among oranges. While the road won't be easy, it will take you somewhere.



Dear Dr. Culp: Your article regarding career changers made me think you might have some suggestions for my sister, who has been a legal secretary for a long time. After closing his practice, her boss wrote a very good letter of recommendation for her. Her only two offers were for part-time employment in the offices of attorneys who know her through her boss. She is very knowledgeable about legal issues but has no formal education beyond high school.

What can she do to make herself more marketable? For example, would taking a couple of college classes help, or is there a way of showcasing her legal knowledge? Should she consider a career change? Any advice or information that you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Reader

Dear Reader: I can tell that you really love your sister, but like mothers writing for their children or spouses for spouses, you're confusing your initiative for hers. If she wants help, she needs to seek it herself. Her version of her situation might be quite different from yours. Invite her to empower herself by writing me. Otherwise, you might be the only one who is receptive.



BLOG TIP: Losing

Not sure what to do? Try failing. If you're not sure how, read Steve McDermott's book called "How To Be A Complete and Utter Failure in Life, Work & Everything - 44-1/2 Steps to Lasting Underachievement!" (FT Press, $14.99).

Let your attitude tank. "The good news," McDermott writes, "is that you may already have a head start in the failure race. In a survey, 10 percent of people in the U.K. thought they would be better off dead; 25 percent could see no hope for the future; and 33 percent described themselves as downright miserable most of the time. If you are already part of this 68 percent majority, well done - your failure is already assured."

You can do so much more for yourself, he continues. Think about formulating a goal. Then, don't decide what it is.

Meanwhile, keep thinking that being a victim is the best thing in the world. You'll be secure ... the same person who goes to bed at night and wakes up in the morning. Don't ask yourself what you enjoy doing. Remain closed to possibility. Blindfold yourself; muffle your ears. The book promises that you won't even have to count the "thousands of opportunities ... pass(ing) you by."



E-mail your job-hunting questions to Dr. Mildred Culp at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2008 Passage Media.