3 Reasons You Need a Mentor in Another Field -The Muse

3 Reasons You Need a Mentor in Another Field -The Muse3 Reasons You Need a Mentor in Another FieldIf I asked you what field your ideal mentor is in, youd probably respond, mine. And that makes sense. But you know what also makes sense? Looking outside your field. I landsee your side eye. I gave my journalist friend one recently when she told me that her most helpful mentor is a doctor. And that her favorite is a computer programmer. Random, I thought- until she explained to me why knowing someone in another field can actually be amazing. And trust me, once you hear these three specific benefits, youre going to want to find your own random mentor right away.1. They Can Give You PerspectiveWhen youre stuck inside of an industry bubble, it can be difficult to see, or even care, whats going on outside of that. However, by being aware of other professions and the challenges they face, youll not only get perspective- but also insight into how much different careers (and their skill sets) o verlap. Also, coming from different backgrounds offers the chance to get a unique perspective on an issue (especially one caught in the echo chamber of your own industry). For example, my journalist friend talked to her doctor mentor about an article she welches writing about healthcare. Not surprisingly, the doctor had a wildly different view of how to cover the story, which resulted in a much stronger finished product.And who knows You might find that another industry is more appealing after you learn more about it.2. They Can Help with Transferable SkillsTheyre not called transferable skills for nothing. In fact, my friend credits her doctor mentor for what she knows about customer service. Over time, shes given her plenty of pointers on how she deals with annoying or angry patients, as well as their frustrated families. My friend, in turn, uses this information to work more effectively with difficult editors and article sources. See behauptung are the same skills, just applied t o different groups of people under different circumstances. 3. They Can Introduce You to Brand New NetworksYou know how you know people who work in different fields? So does your mentor For example It turns out, the doctors college roommate is a well-known journalist, and she was able to make an introduction for my friend. Small world, right? Never underestimate who someone knows just because of his or her profession. Not to mention, traveling in the same networks can get repetitive and stale. Lets get some new blood in thereNot sure where to abflug when finding mentors in other industries? Reach out to family members, friends, and alumni networks and ask for introductions to people who are just as motivated and ambitious as you. If nothing else, youll meet a few new awesome people.Photo of coffee drinks courtesy of Shutterstock.

Do Employers Put Too Much Emphasis on a College Degree

Do Employers Put Too Much Emphasis on a College DegreeDo Employers Put Too Much Emphasis on a College Degree?Do Employers Put Too Much Emphasis on a College DegreeSince the 1950s, most Americans have looked at college education as a goal for their children. And why not? In those heady days after World War II, the U.S. became seemingly invincible, an economic and military giant with unlimited potential.That notion of unlimited potential permeated many families as well. Thats why many parents tell their kids when theyre in pre-school that that they will go to college after high school. Thats also why these same parents start socking money away for their childrens college years before they even learn to crawl.But the cost of a college education has soared over the years, and many recent graduates lament the prospect of paying offeducation loans averaging more than $20,000 after they graduate. Some schools have even responded to the cost pressures by introducing three-year degree program s.But does everyone need a college education? mora to the point, if a job posting calls for a bachelors degree, and you meet all the other requirements, should it matter that you dont have a degree?Granted, there are jobs for which a college education is a non-negotiable requirement, such as physicians, lawyers, and teachers. But what of an accountant whose resume lists five years of solid experience, great references, but no degree vs. another accountant with a degree, three years of semi-solid experience, and goodbut less than greatreferences?Which person should get the job offer?Let me throw this question out to you Is it fair that employers focus so heavily on a college education as a price of admission to a job?

How to Choose the Best Entry-Level Programming Jobs

How to Choose the Best Entry-Level Programming JobsHow to Choose the Best Entry-Level Programming JobsIf youre at the beginning of your career and looking for programming jobs, you know your skills are in strong demand.Many firms are seeking skilled programmers, and if you are an expert in one of the most popular programming languages (Java or C++, for example), you likely have some great job options. But its important to be strategic about your initial career choices.Here are five tips for assessing entry-level programming jobs to help you choose the one thats right for you1. Look at the money. Depending on the employer, the starting salary for entry-level programming jobs can vary dramatically from one opportunity to another. It may be fairly low, especially if your first gig is with a startup, or it could approach six figures if you sign with a large, established company and you have in-demand skills.Use our Salary Calculator to determine if the offer is reasonable and in line wit h industry standards.2. Then look at the potential money. Even if the starting salary is on the low side, it may not stay that way for long. Assess the bigger picture and dont let your immediate financial needs wolke your future aspirations. When weighing the compensation of various entry-level programming jobs, ask questions about bonus potential, stock options and whether the company offers regular salary increases.3. Consider the whole package. Present and future wages are just one part of the equation when it comes to evaluating programming jobs. A good benefits package or cool perks can help make up for a less-than-stellar salary. Also consider how the job fits with your lifestyle, current needs, long-term goals and work-life balance. For example, if you value flexibility, look for an employer that allows telecommuting.4. Know where you want to go. Remember, this is just your first gig. Entry-level programming jobs provide a foot in the door and valuable work experience, but it s crucial to keep overall career goals in sight. When weighing programming jobs, consider aspects like who you might work with and learn from, what doors an opportunity may open down the line, and whether you get to be part of a cool project or up-and-coming technology.5. Can you add new skills? During the interview, ask the hiring manager about the companys programs for training and career advancement. This can help you decide whether it makes sense to accept the offer. Almost seven in 10 IT workers surveyed in a Robert Half Technology survey said the ability to acquire a new skill is important when evaluating job opportunities. Being part of a large development team could help you hone your skills by allowing you to learn from more experienced programmers.On the flip side, if youd rather gain a broad range of experiences, joining a smaller organization could allow you to grow in areas like client relations and project management. It also can provide you with a quicker route to lea dership positions.Having a clear sense of what you want from your career is key to choosing the programming jobs that are right for you. You should also figure out your immediate priorities - rent, paying off student loans and so on - and long-term goals.When researching specific jobs, try to connect with programmers who have worked with the organization you would like to join their insights can be valuable. Then, decide which one will best take you where you want to go, and take the plunge.This post has been updated to reflect more current information.

Developing a Successful Internship Program

Developing a Successful Internship ProgramDeveloping a Successful Internship ProgramJune is the time when thousands of college students will be hitting the ground as they flock to employers across the country and abroad to begin their summer pro domoships. At this time, students may be feeling a little apprehensive, while employers may be concerned about what they can do to keep their fr sich selbsts busy. Employers should keep in mind the definition of a good internship in order to be able to set one up for students working with them over the course of the summer. A successful internship requires elend only a good absprache of effort on the side of the intern, but managers and supervisors must also put in some work to ensure that the intern gets a meaningful experience. On behalf of students, we are always working with them on things they can do to become a better intern. For example, we talk about the values and skills that employers look for in a good intern. We also talk about wo rkplace etiquette, since the workplace environment is usually much different than what they are used to in a college setting. As a supervisor, you too can prepare beforehand to create an atmosphere where students can learn and hopefully make a positive contribution to the organization. Making an internship a win-win situation for both employers and students is part of the beauty and value of successful internships. Develop a Clearly Defined Job Description No one works well with little or no direction. This is especially true for college students who come into the internship with very little experience and understanding of the expectations the employer has for them as an intern. It is with this first step that supervisors can begin the planning process in order to ensure that their interns will be successful. Students want to do a good joband employers who define the work assignments and their expectations of what they hope the intern will accomplish will enable their interns t o be successful and be a major contributor when working on company projects. An actual job description can be very helpful not only defining the internship but also when evaluating performance at the middle and end of the actual internship. Schedule Regular Performance Reviews Schedule regular performance reviews to provide students with an honest critique so they can measure how they are doing. A good performance review is an opportunity to help then intern learn and gives them a true measure of if they are meeting an employers expectations. Dont make the mistake of using a performance review to outline everything the intern is doing wrong. Youve probably heard of the sandwich approach used when evaluating employees or when giving constructive criticism, so be sure to use this approach when evaluating your intern. This is a very simple approach where you offer your intern praise on work he or she has accomplished so far, then add some constructive criticism to help them to im prove, followed by more praise to let them know they are doing well and are meeting expectations. Keep Your Intern Busy Developing short and long-term projects for the intern will ensure that your intern will stay engaged and do their best on the job. As employers often complain about interns using work time to make personal calls and emails (plus just surfing the internet or checking their friends status on Facebook), interns often complain about not having enough work to do or being given work that is menial and doesnt engage them in concrete assignments that will benefit both them as an intern and the employer. As an employer, dont make this 1 mistake of not providing enough work for your intern to do over the course of their internship. Help Your Intern Find a Mentor Within the Organization Having a mentor as an intern can really save the day. With so much new learning taking place at the start of an internship, a mentor can help the student navigate the waters of a new job much more quickly than trying to learn everything on their own. A good mentor can be invaluable for interns just learning the ins and outs of the trade. Make aya You Are Aware of and Follow All Labor Laws All for-profit companies need to be aware of the six criteria that qualify an internship to be unpaid. It is expected that most for-profit companies will pay their interns a fair wage or they could find themselves in an expensive lawsuit that could cost them millions of dollars. Provide Opportunities for Students to Participate in Social Gatherings Offering opportunities for students to participate in fun activities is a great way to make interns feel as if they are a valuable part of the team. Having time to meet with employees and other interns can greatly enhance the work that they do and motivate them to do a good job. Many employers schedule outings and social gatherings for their interns as well as having the whole team participate in volunteer work that gives th em the chance to work together for some charitable cause. Show Appreciation for the Work that Your Interns Do Nothing builds self-esteem better than to feel appreciated for who you are and what you do. Interns that know their employers value them as individualsand are also fully invested in helping to make their internship successful, will have a better experience and will do better on the job. Provide Lots of Opportunities for Students to Ask Questions As trainees working in a learning environment, its important for supervisors to encourage their interns to ask questions. Nothing is more frustrating than being on a job and feeling that there is nowhere to go to get your questions answered. Developing and maintaining a good working relationship starts by developing mutual trust from the very start of an internship which will occur if the intern feels comfortable going to their supervisor for answers.

How to keep your virtual team running smoothly

How to keep your virtual team running smoothlyHow to keep your virtual team running smoothlyClashes over workare bound to arise in traditional offices, but when you scatter your team across the globe, innocent misunderstandings and perceived slights can snowball out of control.Leadership training company VitalSmarts co-founders Joseph Grenny and David Maxfield found in a2016 studythatvirtual coworkers are 2.5 times mora likely to perceivemistrust, incompetence, broken commitments, and bad decision making with distant colleagues than those who are co-located.In addition, in their survey of1,025 people, 72% of those interviewed said they looked the other way when a peer did not pull his or her weight, 68% did nothing to intervene when they witnessed colleagues disrespecting others and 57% did nothing when colleagues bypassed key workplace protocols.Grenny adds that people dont say anything for months or weeks, and sometimes, not at all, leaving the problem to fester and grow into a tox ic soup of resentment.Here are some tips for raising red flags and nipping office conflicts in the bud, even if your team is operating on three different time zones.Virtual teams face unique problemsWhen teams dont operate in the same workspace, it can make battles over office hierarchy and organization even mora challenging than usual.In a2005 article in Organizational Dynamics, researcher Yuhyung Shinwrote that conflict in virtual teams can be caused by ambiguity with respect to task, role, and responsibility as well as cultural differences, weak identity, low group cohesiveness, and lack of trust.When people dont properly understand their teammates or what they have to bring to the table, they can have trouble moving forward.To avoid problems,Shin recommendsfostering trust, redistributing or making tasks and expectations moreclear, and hosting diversity training or teambuilding programs to boost everyones conflict resolution skills.Its hard to get teams to trust when theyre not i n the same roomIfyour team members are located all over the world, there are ways to overcome knowledge and culture barriers so you canmanage the collective workload. But that doesnt always mean its easy.In face to face teams you can look at somebody and know where they are coming from. You have more knowledge of their background. Its just easier to keep it in context,Lindred Greer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, told Insights by Stanford Business. When you havent interacted with a colleague much in person, its easy to assume the worst during a conflict, since you have a limited frame of reference for their personality.Why do virtual workers default to confrontational attitudes? Blame human evolution, experts say.The reason so few of us speak up about sensitive issues is that we are wired for mistrust. More humans survived over the millennia by assuming ill intent on the part of others than the opposite. As a result, we have a conserv ative bias When in doubt, play it safe. Hide in a bush. Pick up a rock. Keep silent,Grenny wrotein an article for the Harvard Business Review.The antidote? Make your team members feel safe, and theyll come forward with concerns.Make an effort to build relationships in a more social way, especially when your team is spread out.In a 2013 Forbes article, MindGym co-founder and bestselling author Sebastian Bailey talked about the importance of strengthening connections with others, likeasking about what other team members are doing that coming weekend or during holidays at the beginning of an online meeting.Team members miss out on the office banter, the working friendships that get us through a tough Tuesday, Bailey writes.Raising sensitive topics the right way can lead to healthy conversationWendy E. H. Corbett, a conflict resolution consultant for 3rd Party Advisors in Arizona, saysthat acknowledgement can go a long way at work.Once youve heard the other person out and shown them tha t youve tried to understand their point of view, the other person will probably feel more appreciated.If youve truly listened to another, sought clarification, grasped their underlying interests, and then been able to summarize their perspective, you will have greatly increased your chances of engendering honest engagement from a now ally rather than retrenching an opponent for your conflict du jour, Corbetttold U.S. News World Report.Whether its a fight over the A/C level or who gets to sit closest to the window, whenmanaging a tough conversation at work, its best to deal with the problem quickly and directly.Your immediate response to conflict situations is essential,according to the Guide to Managing Human Resources from UC Berkeley.First, acknowledge that there is a problem. Employees appreciate honest and transparent managers who are willing to listen to their concerns without judgment.It can help to meet with sparring staffers separately to prevent the confrontation from gett ing more heated.Once everyone is on the same page about the nature of the problem, look for common areas of agreement, including what employees worst fears are about the issue.Look for ways to solve the problem that will meet both of your staffers needs, and look for buy-in from both parties. Set out a course of action to resolve the issue and make some deadlines for check-ins to see if the resolution has been working.If you still cant reach resolution, you may need to seek assistance from another department, such as the ombudsman, or a disciplinary body.

Resume in Spanish - What Is It?

Resume in Spanish - What Is It? The 5-Minute Rule for Resume in Spanish There are always similarities and differences to be taken into consideration when you have to create a resume to submit an application for work in a different country or simply employing a different language. Read through it a couple of occasions and youll probably spot three or four vital skills mentioned repeatedly throughout the document. If you complete an application for employment that you leidiced advertised online or maybe in your community newspapers, which great chance that you wont wind up being submitting your resume in person. For instance, if you are asking for work in the EU, utilize the CEFR levels. A History of Resume in Spanish Refuted Bearing that in mind, where you choose to feature your language proficiency matters. Spanish is the 2nd most spoken language on earth, and English is much less widely utilized in the regional Spanish small business scene as in some other European nations . Your language skills are just a small portion of your resume, therefore its crucial that also you realize how to compose a resume by every section. If thats the case, then you need to certainly include things like certain information about your degree of familiarity with the needed language. Want to Know More About Resume in Spanish? A minor is frequently an excellent bit of relevant info, especially whenever your minor is linked to the job for which youre applying. There are two methods to analyze how to assess a resume. Unless youre asking for work in IT, you can alsoput your computer skills in the identical section beneath an overall core competencies heading. First mention the job that youre applying for, before explaining briefly why youre applying for it and which elements of your CV make you an acceptable candidate. Key Pieces of Resume in Spanish Sample Spanish Teacher Resume Objectives Although you will need to incorporate any relevant abilities and talents insi de your objective statement, you also ought to incorporate the name of the organization youre applying to. Proofreading your resume is essential once you put in an application for a job in your nation. Its particularly important if you compose a high school Spanish teacher resume and deep understanding of the language is essential for the position. Although the language is the exact same, the variation may be helpful for the hiring manager to understand. The Supreme Approach to Resume in Spanish If youre uncomfortable including a photo on your Spanish resume, its not compulsory and the anonymous CV is becoming increasingly more accepted in Spanish companies so that it should not lead to an issue. You have to be in a position to show off the finer details while additionally taking a look at the huge picture. Therefore, you dont need to be worried about taking an excellent picture A template might be a one-page resume, or a two-page resume, but until you realize what youd need to spend the resume that you do not understand what size will most likely get the job done best. You must keep your resume short and sweet, but still consist of enough excellent information to generate an impression. When youre asking for employment which then relies on the benefits of the person, you would like a resume design you might inject a bit more character into to make it pop. For instance, if youve got very little work experience, emphasize your qualifications by offering a somewhat longer explanation. You should present yourself and all of your skills, qualifications and experience in the manner that Spanish employers expect. Heres What I Know About Resume in Spanish You have to show the employer you know the organization and say why youre interested in working for them. If your own personal e-mail address isnt appropriate, establish a new account only for job searches. Guarantee that the info is connected to the job and shows your qualification. It truly is ne ver too more advisable to imagine you can find because various jobs where you mean to operate exactly like it. The resume profile is among the essential elements of a good teaching resume. Do not neglect to compose the code of the nation you reside in. Employing a Spanish resume builder will provide you the very best Spanish CV templates with professional examples to comprehend how to optimize your work application in Spanish. Directly copying a CV theme isnt always the best alternative because it isnt always tailored to the requirements of the prospect. The Resume in Spanish Game You are able to read books about how to compose a great titel letter. Other applicants can be serious competition, since the variety of jobseekers applying for a particular position is practically not possible to gauge. Superfluous words aside, the option of the perfect keywords and phrases in the CV is crucial, particularly in the summary located on top of the resume. Lets start with a fast over view of resumes, because they are more familiar to the majority of American writers than CVs. To compose a resume in Spanish for a work application in Mexico, there are many facets that candidates should think about before handing over a conventional Spanish resume. Based on where you want to find work you will want to adapt your Spanish resume, or as its more popularly known in Europe, your Spanish CV, to the particular regulations of that nation. The present job market in Spain is competitive, and therefore you need to create your CV stick out. Bear in mind that companies receive a lot of resumes each and every day Preparing your work application and choosing an interview isnt always the exact same as back home. You may prefer a job posting or the employer well enough you will still need to apply, and if so, you need to. Despite the fact that the telephone interview sounds a little informal, you shouldnt mistake it as less important. Your resume will wind up in an import ant ATS ultimately, even if you might have networked your way through personal contacts within the business enterprise. Heres What I Know About Resume in Spanish If youre looking for work abroad and relying on doing this via the web, you may not need to devote time typing out a nice-looking CV just yet. If youre on the lookout for a housekeeping job, you are going to want a resume that sparkles. On the flip side, hard skills are a little bit trickier to build. Each and every work type needs different type of resumes. The Demise of Resume in Spanish Theres nobody right means to structure a resume. My primary aim is to work remotely, but we can discuss any possibility. The choice you make is dependent upon your very own individual needs. If you want to locate a work then the perfect move to make is to be well prepared.

Job Security Is Gone; Here are 3 Ways to Succeed in Your Career Regardless

Job Security Is Gone Here are 3 Ways to Succeed in Yur Career Regardless In the two previous articles of this series (No More Climbing the Corporate Ladderand Managing the Future of Your Career), we explored how the world of work has changed and the ways in which successful leaders and executives had adapted.Today, well sum it all up by looking at the three major takeaways from our survey of 50 thriving senior executives traverse with your edge, master your affiliation needs, and learn the differencebetween provincial and cosmopolitan knowledge.Lesson No. 1 Traverse With Your EdgeAs we mentioned in No More Climbing the Corporate Ladder,traverse is a skiing term that means to lead with the edge of your skis. Your ski edge gives you maneuverability.In career traversing, you lead with your skills edge. Your edge gives you maneuverability through different terrains. Here is an example of traversing from the career of James, one of the 50 executives we spo ke withAfter receiving his MBA from Columbia University, James went into banking. Various assignments at Mellon Bank and Bank of America eventually led to James being hired as President and CEO of a California bank.In 2009, Jamess bank was acquired and he was without employment. There was a consolidation of banks, so career continuation was impossible. James created a one-person consulting firm with aninitial focus on what he calls credit-dependent companies. Using his personal relationships with West Coast bank presidents, James was able to negotiate settlements so that both sides could have something of value.By 2013, the recession hadended, and one of James clients came to him for consulting assistance. The consultingopportunity led to an offer to become chief operating officer of the clients organization. Jamess assignment as COO was to double the size of the medical products distribution company and then sell the company to a national player. This assignment was completed withi n eighteen months.Once again, James opened his consulting practice. One of his clients was a non-profit- organization. This consulting assignment brought him exposure to new areas like fund raising and working with agencies in Washington, D.C. This assignment was completed after two years. The contacts James developed brought him to the bedrngnisice of a board member of a nonprofit company in his town. James was offered the position of chief executive officer for a California human services organization with a budget of $265 million.As you can see, James has been a bank president, a distribution company COO, and a nonprofit CEO. Between these W-2 employment assignments, he worked as a consultant on a project-by-project basis.It was his 1099 assignments that led him to the W-2 assignments.If you view Jamess career from a ladder-climbers perspective, heappears to have had a hodgepodge career. But that is not how James seesitI have centered my professional life on one strong theme I so lve financial and organizational problems from the perspective of a banker. Had I identified myself as a banker, my goose would have been cooked as the banking industry continued its consolidation. Instead, I have worked with medical products, retail companies, construction companies, and a giftware company. It has been fun, a real learning experience. But my core identity remains the same. It never changes I solve financial and organizational problems from the perspective of a banker.Ted is another executive we spoke with whose career offers a great example of traversing with your skills edgeTed began his IT career working with a variety of large corporations. Five years later, he moved to a technology consulting firm. Teds success as a consultant in an assignment involving ocean cargo issues led to an opportunity to become chief information officer for a company in the ocean freight transportation industry. Five years later, he was once again consulting. Hisconsulting assignments helped him gain credibility in the financial services sector, and Ted is now CIO for a global financial services company.In commenting on his professional life, Ted describes his edge as a constant even while hisassignments changed continuously My skills are coaching and developing people in technical environments. Internal or external, I use the same tools. I just apply those tools in different ways.Lesson No. 2Master Your Affiliation NeedsAffiliation is the desire to be an integral part of something larger than yourself. That something could be as small as a team that will finish a project this month or as large as an institution with amission tomake the world a better place.In the W-2 phase of a career, moderate degrees of affiliation are helpful you are part of a corporate team. When you are in the 1099 phase, however, you are not really part of a clients team. You are helping a team for a period of time, and then you leave.How do you manage your affiliation needs and your profe ssional relationships when you are traversing between W-2 and 1099 assignments?The answer is to focus on professional associations to meet your affiliation needs. Professional associations are work-related reference groups outsideof any specific corporation. These reference groups can focus on function/profession (e.g., American Psychological Association, Financial Executives International, American Marketing Association) industry (American Bar Association, Massachusetts Biotech Council) or geography (Chicago Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Crossing Association of Boston).Successful careerists take their association memberships seriouslyand view them asways tomeet their affiliation needs. It is important to understand how critical these professional associations are for your career. In the 21st century, associations will playthe same role that trade guilds played in the Middle Ages They will be sources of stable affiliation in an unstable project-oriented world.The connections you mak e in professional associationswill form the core professional network you need to help you traverse between 1099 and W-2 roles.Simply joining associations is not enough. You need to become known within eachassociation. You need to be a committee member,not just someone who sometimes shows up for the occasional cocktail party. That means you need a strategy for each association you join, and you need to limit your associations so you avoid spreading yourself too thin.Lesson No. 3 Learn the Difference Between Cosmopolitan and Provincial KnowledgeIn the W-2 phase of a career, leaders are often hired to manage the work of others. Moving up the corporate career ladder means leaving thetechnical mastery of doing stuff to other people.For example, a hospital CEO may have management responsibility over a surgeon, but that doesntmean we know how to perform surgery. The U.S. secretary of defense may be responsible for the conduct of the military but lack the skill to take apart a rifle.The sk ills necessary to do stuff at a tactical level are referred to as provincial knowledge. On the other hand, strategic vision and emotional intelligence which increase in value as one moves up the corporate ladder are what we call cosmopolitan skills because they can be of value in any industry or organization.Lou Gerstner took over IBM without any skills as an electronics engineer or even an appropriate background in IBMs technological foundation. George Marshall moved from being a soldier to running the Department of Defense, then to being secretary of state, and then to being president of the American Red Cross. Both were masters of the cosmopolitan skills of strategy and leadership.When you move from 1099 assignments to W-2 assignments, you may be retained on the basis of your reputation formastering provincial knowledge. Effective careerists in the 21st century will be strategic about spending time learning cosmopolitan versus provincial knowledge.For example, Bill, one of the executives we spoke with, was CIOfor a global financial services organization. The organization was going to be acquired, and Bill was already thinking about his next assignment. He was anticipating that he would move from a CIO role to consultant role focused on cybersecurity in the financial services sector.Heres Bills description of his situationI am already thinking ahead to the next move in my career, and that will probably be a consulting position. It is important to keep my technical skills sharp. I am planning to take a course in a technical area at a local community college. Ill probably be the oldest student in the class.I did the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. That wont help me now. I need to return to community college and learn new things. Youve got to stay sharp.There is another reason I am taking this course I want to shape the perception others have of me. I may be 60, but I am not stuck in the old ways. I am always playing at the cutting edg e of what is new.Bill understands that his current W-2 assignment will set the stage for his next 1099 assignment. He is at ease moving from a course on strategy at a world-class institution to a course on new programming languages at his local community college.Exhilaration and TerrorTraversing a ski slope requires discipline and flexibility as does career management in the 21st century.Traversing down a slope is thrilling precisely because it evokes thesimultaneous emotions of exhilaration and terror. Managing your career in the 21st century is similarly about embracing exhilaration and terror while unlearning ideas that no longer work.The closest thing to job security most of us our will ever know in the 21st century is the security of knowing how to successfully generate income under a variety ofconditions.Maryanne Peabody and Larry Stybel are cofounders ofStybel Peabody, an Arbora Global Company. This article is adaptedfrom their book,Navigating the Waterfall Your Guide to Job Search and Career Management.