I started going over my career to-do list earlier this week ... as mentioned some of the tasks are big, others not so much. And by big, I don't just mean tasks that require a lot of my time and effort ... I mean tasks that will have a very large impact on my life.
Risk vs. reward
Risk vs. reward
Risk vs. reward
OK I'm good. Let's start with some of the smaller tasks, ones that I can do from the comfort of my computer desk here at home, you know, the easy stuff. In order to accomplish these tasks though, I'm going to have to adjust my schedule somewhat, get myself back into a routine. Since I've been off work my routine has changed quite a bit. I've never been a morning person, so every day now is like a weekend, staying up late and sleeping in :) I go to the gym during the day instead of after work, and it’s been wonderful. It's less crowded, I almost never have to wait for a machine, and I'm in and out much faster. And since for the most part there's nothing but crap on television, I've been doing some of my work and research in the evenings.
However now that hockey season is upon us, things will have to change. I've also been getting into football this year so Sunday's are becoming increasingly occupied … the Ryder Cup is this weekend. Geez !! Freaking sports keep getting in the way ;-)
I swear I should have been a boy. I can totally see myself sitting on the couch with my hand down my pants, pounding back beers and nachos while watching the game most nights of the week. When I was married, and my husband and I went to parties or family functions, I was always in the family room with the guys doing just that rather than in the kitchen with the rest of the women. Oh of course I got up and attended to my womanly duties when I had to (sometimes it really sucks being Italian), but I did so quickly and against my will, and then rushed back to the game with the boys.
Oops, not very good talk for someone wanting to go into the fitness and nutrition industry is it ?? Forget you heard that :)
But seriously, that's kind of the ironic thing about this whole quest of mine. While fitness and nutrition are definitely passions of mine and have been part of my life for a very long time, it does not come naturally to me. I'm not one of those people that doesn't even have to think about eating well or exercising. You know the type; they naturally wander into the gym every day like it’s a normal part of life ... they order off the menu without a second thought and it’s always something healthy and nutritious. I'm sorry, but you people, you're just not normal to me !!
I'm obsessed with it because I have to be; I have to work extremely hard at it most of the time, but I would give it all up in a heartbeat for the life described above. But perhaps that's why I want to get into it so badly, and what could be my niche in the industry?? I'm quite certain I'm like most of you out there – so I'm relatable to the general population. Yes I feel good when I go to the gym regularly and eat a clean, balanced diet. I like the results it brings me and overall I really do feel stronger and healthier and happier in the long run. But despite those good feelings, I still have to drag my ass to the gym on most days, and I have to talk myself out of eating the French fries and burgers and greasy, creamy fat laden ooey gooey foods almost daily. It is now and always will be a struggle for me, but what I've come to realize is it's what I have to do to accomplish my goals and feel good about myself, so I've learned to live with it.
Okay sorry, back to the list. I have the tendency to ramble on, in case you didn't notice ;-)
One of the easier tasks on my list is to create a functional resume; that seems to be the latest buzzword in the job search arena these days. Most of us are familiar with the traditional, chronological resume. This is the one where you list all your previous jobs, skills, education etc. I've already done one of those and even that took some doing; things sure have changed in 11 years !! I'm happy with my new resume now, though it looks like I won't be needing it :) A functional resume on the other hand is one that you use when doing exactly what I'm doing, changing career paths. It can also be used for people who have large gaps in their resume or newly graduated students with very little experience. This type of resume focuses on skills and general experience rather than specific work experience. So you don't actually list your previous jobs, but rather skills you honed at those jobs that would be relevant to this new one. You know, stuff like teamwork, management and organizational skills. I can also do a combination resume, and well, I think you can figure that one out. This task should also prove to be challenging; pretty hard to find relatable skills going from finance to fitness wouldn't you say?
Of course the other tasks on my list are to figure out the training and education paths that I need to take. I've done some additional research on that as well, but I'll update on that a bit later. Though I had hoped to be enrolled in something last week, I've deliberately delayed this task. What course I sign up for is now dependent on the results of one of my major tasks. I also need to research what jobs are out there, how much they pay, and what skills and/or experience I need to get my foot in the door, that sort of stuff. Again I’ve made some progress with this step, but I need to do some more, or hope that one of these days someone will actually return my phone call.
Those are some of the smaller tasks on my career to-do list … however it’s the bigger ones that have been robbing me of sleep the last few nights :-O
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