Is Life Coaching Really Effective?

I am a big reader overall of everything from Toni Morrison and Charles Dickens to Twilight and the Power of Positive Thinking. For quite some time, I've had an interest in books that focus on self-improvement and goal-reaching. In reading books from those genres, I came across Jack Canfield (co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series) who mentions in some of his books, the concept of obtaining a life coach to actualize goals. Since Jack Canfield does offer life coaching through his company, he does have a personal interest in pushing the concept, but he’s not the only one that encourages the idea of having assistance to actualize goals. I guess in theory, life coaching is a good idea. But I can’t help thinking, shouldn’t I be able to coach myself to reach goals? Since my goals for the immediate future lie in paying off debt, increasing my income and becoming a social entrepreneur among other things, life coaching doesn’t exactly fit in my budget. But honestly, if I had the extra money, I’d seriously consider getting a life coach, here are a few reasons why:

1. A life coach can help you sort out the things that matter to you. I know certain things matter to me in abstract ways like equal opportunity in education for all children regardless of socieo-economic background and lessening my negative impact on the environment, but it would be nice to have an objective person help me sort out things that really matter to me, so I can do something about these things at least in some small way. This could also help me evaluate how much time I am spending on things that don't matter to me very much at all.
2. A life coach can help you come up with or refine a plan to achieve personal and professional goals. I could fill several pages or make 10 vision board of different goals and aspirations I have for the present and the future, but narrowing these down and making a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) plan to achieve these goals is another story. A coach would enable me to do this in a more strategic manner.
3. A life coach can hold you accountable for progress made on reaching goals at specific intervals. I am a daydreamer, and without a deadline for things, I could let my mind wander on tasks and goals indefinitely, so being held accountable through regular check-in’s with a life coach would be good for me. I go in between being highly productive and a huge procrastinator, I’m sure I’m not the only one like this.
4. A life coach may be able to align you with other like-minded people out of their network to reach a specific goal. Most people don’t reach goals in a vacuum, and in most cases, reaching certain goals is about who you know, or who someone you know, knows. Read books like Never Eat Alone and The Tipping Point to see the value in your network of personal relationships. I think a life coach who I assume would be a natural “connector” would be able to align me with others that could help my progress on professional goals like starting a non profit, or getting a book published.
5. If nothing else, fear of wasting money (and time) will motivate you. I hate to waste money, and I also hate to waste the time of others. Not doing either of these things would keep me on task if I was working with a life coach.
   

In this difficult economy with so many people facing or living through job loss, reevaluation and reinvention are ideas that can jump start a stale career, or open the door to another one. A life coach may be the first step in doing these things. But I think, if funds don’t allow, we all might have to start serving as our own life coaches.

Any body else have any views on if life coaching really helps you to reach goals?

Why Every Young Professional Should Volunteer for a Non Profit

Non profits that serve disadvantaged youth in urban areas is a bit of a growing passion of mine. I've donated my time to two organizations that have missions that involve this population in the two years since I've graduated from college. But I believe that all young professionals can benefit from volunteering for a non profit that serves a cause they believe in for the following reasons:

Gives you an opportunity to take on a leadership role you may not be privy to if you are a junior staff member at you full time gig. Since I have been working professional for less than three years, I am still pretty low on the totem pole in my day job. I succeeded in getting "assistant" out of my job title, but I still have a supportive role to my superiors. I am able to take on a leadership role I would not yet be considered for because of my lack of work experience for the non profit I volunteer for. I am currently a member of a board of directors of a non profit that two friends started in my hometown and lead a committee that has duties that definitely translate to applicable work experience.

Gives you an opportunity to add meaningful work experience to your resume. I have developed writing samples and lead projects for both of the non profits I have volunteered for that are now on my resume. Doing things such as leading a committee, planning events, writing media and marketing materials, among other things definitely belong on my resume. Whatever your skills are: writing, planning events, designing websites, networking, fundraising, mentoring or teaching youth, cooking...you see where I'm going with this, we all have skills that could be very useful to a non profit organization and could also help move your career along.

Offers opportunities to network with seasoned professionals...this could translate to a job opportunity. Whenever I have the opportunity, I chat up professionals that I meet at conferences or other settings and tell them about what I am doing for the non profit. Sometimes seasoned professionals can be inspired to donate time or money or even mentor you so you can make a greater impact to the organization or cause you are volunteering for. I believe that networking is about helping each other out, not waiting to contact someone when you need something like a job, for more info about networking, I would suggest reading the book, Never Eat Alone which I had heard about from Ginger over at Girls Just Wanna Have Funds a few months back. Build these relationships now and they could later translate to a job or introductions to other professionals.

Makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Making a difference in your local community or on a national or global scale can make you feel good about yourself. Giving back is a good feeling you don't just have to save up for the holiday season, you can feel good about giving back any time of the year. Yes, I could probably find freelance gigs that pay me to do some of the things I do for the non profits, but making money is not what drives me to do what I do, its getting that warm, fuzzy feeling that I am making a difference (be it large or small) in someone's life.

Why is Networking So Expensive?

There have been a few conferences and other networking opportunities in my city recently that I have chosen not to participate in; not because I did not think I could get value out of them, but because they were so expensive! Conference registration, happy hours/mixers, panel discussions, proper attire and transportation to these events…it all adds up! And there are still a few other events taking place this fall that look really interesting, but I will not be partaking in because they simply won't fit in the budget. As a young professional, I am always encouraged to go to these meet-and-greet/networking/conference opportunities, but unless you have an inside track, the expenses adds up. And this is not factoring in hotel and travel because so many events come to my current locale, Washington, DC.

I don’t think networking should just be relegated to those people who are actively job-hunting. And really, whose job is absolutely secure with our shaky economy? So why do I want to network if it’s not just to find another job? I’d like to gain seasoned mentors that could coach and advise me on reaching my career goals. I’d also like to widen my personal network of professional contacts, because knowing a lot of people in your field (or related fields) is normally a good thing. Meeting new people with skill sets that are different than mine can increase the potential of learning new skills that can be useful in my career. Networking can also open up the door to pursue a lucrative side-job that can pursued in addition to full-time employment.

So, what have I learned from this? I will look on the websites of the organizations that hold conferences and other good networking opportunities annually and plan to attend the ones that would offer the most value to me. I will then earmark a portion of my regular savings to pay for these events so I don’t have to charge anything. Networking is not an excuse to rack up debt! I will also continue volunteering as I currently do for organizations that interest me, which tends to have the bonus of free entry to events that you volunteer for. I don’t think any of my goals are out of reach with planning, so here is to being a mover and a shaker next year by planning for it today.

I Quit My Side-Gig

After thinking about it for a while, I have decided to let my retail/clothing store part time job go. I’ve worked there for about a year and a half. I just can’t see myself juggling my part time job along with my other activities:

• blogging,
• serving as a board member of a non-profit in my hometown,
• being an officer in the local chapter of a professional organization,
• AND taking my first two graduate level classes and not being a zombie and at my full time job. There are only so many hours in the day…

I’ll miss my side-gig because I do enjoy clothes and getting a 40% discount at a store you already shop in is great! My side-gig sold petite clothing that fit me well which is rare these days but honestly until fairly recently (when I started blogging), a lot of my paycheck was going back into the store anyway. Sometimes I’d put the extra money aside to save or apply it to debt, but most of the time, I’d see something cute, and spend my whole shift pondering on it before giving into temptation and making a purchase at the end of my shift.

I’d like to take on a part time job when my schedule is a little more flexible but don’t know if I would do retail again. My experience was pretty good overall but a lot of people I started working with over a year ago have moved on, that’s the nature of the business I guess. When you are on your feet for hours at a time on a slow sales day, it matters if you can get along with your co-workers. I also would like to have a part time job that has more earning potential than retail offers –unless you work at the management level, something I’m not interested in. Deciding to go back to school this year postponed my plan of freelancing for local newspapers, which was my new side-gig idea.

I have enough on my plate for the moment, so bye-bye 40% discount...

Recent Graduates Job Hunting Woes

According to a recent Washington Post article, Graduates' Job Hunts: Majorly Frustrating, the soft job market is making job hunting difficult for recent college/grad school graduates :

"As the economy teeters on the edge of recession, college graduates this year face a tough job market, leaving many without work in their fields or doing jobs that people without college degrees can do, career center officials said. Most affected, the officials said, are those looking to break into the financial services industry, hard hit by the subprime mortgage crisis.

The numbers aren't pretty. Unemployment among 20- to 24-year-olds, the typical post-undergraduate age group, is sharply higher than the overall population. In the second quarter of this year, joblessness among this group reached 9.8 percent, according to the Labor Department. That is up from 7.7 percent last year at this time and 8.1 percent in the second quarter of 2001, about the time
the last recession hit. Overall, unemployment rose to 5.7 percent in July from 5.5 percent the previous month, and the economy lost 51,000 payroll jobs. "

I'm not phased by the fact that many of my contemporaries are struggling to find jobs are are forced to work outside of their field. Sometimes, when jobs just simply don't exist, you have to create work experience for yourself that makes you more attractive though volunteering, obtaining mentors, blogging...young professionals have to be more creative or they won't obtain the jobs in this shrinking market. The young man pictured above that was interviewed in the article started a web site becuase of the lack of jobs available in his field, writing. The weak job market is the major reason why I plan to work while attending graduate school so I can continue to gain experience (work, volunteering, blogging?) to make myself more marketable.

Image: Washington Post - Mark Gail (online)

What is Generation Y?

The other day, I came across the latest installment of the Young and Ambitious Series in the Washington Post, What Comes Next After Generation X?

"Everyone knows the G.I. generation of World War II and the baby boomers who followed. And everyone knows the late-20th-century demographic labeled with the non-label generation X. But the next generation, a growing force in presidential politics, the job market and the spread of social networking, is harder to define. Lumped under millennials or generation Y, some in their 20s and early 30s say those titles and others ginned up almost daily in a brand -obsessed pop culture confuse them. They are unsure what most encapsulates their experience....No doubt it has always been difficult for generations to accept labels and generalizations. But some in the post-X generation say their puzzlement over their collective identity is more pronounced because their formative experiences have been so splintered."

Do you or 20-somethings you know identify with the term Generation Y?

Being Taken Seriously As A Young Professional

I am well aware that most people make assumptions on you based on how you look. But I can’t tell you how frustrating it is in work situations for people to assume that because you are young (and look younger in my case) that you are somehow brain deficient. I feel that being a younger member of the workforce makes me have to exert more effort to prove my value to my older colleagues. In my experience, people don't necessarily think that having fresher ideas and a different perspective make you an asset to the team. Yes, I graduated from college less than 5 (4,3...) years ago. Yes, I was an infant, toddler, preschooler in the mid-eighties. Yes, I regularly check my Facebook profile and can send a text message faster than some people can utter a sentence. Yes, I've had my own cell phone since high school. No, I don't really remember a time without cable television. But I am also well-read, have a curious nature and am a hard worker.

I will never forget in one instance at my previous job when I was at a meeting with our client and other staff members that one person asked me if I was an intern and another just out-right asked me how old I was. I know that I would not have been asked either question if I were older, or looked older. It does not help that I am also short so just about everyone tends to tower over me. It didn’t matter to the people that asked me these (rude in my opinion) questions that I had a suit on like my other co-workers or that regardless of whether or not I was working as a regular employee or an intern, that I was indeed still working. Since I don’t anticipate growing any taller at age 24 or looking older anytime soon, I just have to deal with it, but it’s still frustrating to experience.

I appreciate that in my current job my superiors respect and welcome my ideas and opinions despite my youth. But I still run into questions about my age when I meet new colleagues such as when I attended a conference for work last week. I got asked several times during that conference if I was a student…Oh well, I guess I could have worst problems than looking young for my age.

A few things I try to do in the work place to not be treated like a professional despite my age are:

1. Dress in a professional (yet fashionable manner).
   
2. Contribute ideas and comments while in meetings.
   
3. Try to do tasks before being asked.
   
4. Remain friendly (and professional) at all times.
   

Everyone is a work in progress and these are things I still need to work on:

1. Being more assertive.
2. Gaining more credentials (taking courses and workshops in my field, obtaining a graduate degree).
3. Being more proactive and gain a reputation as a problem solver at work.

The older I get, the more I learn about myself, the world and my place in it. I hope this will improve as I mature. I'm sure this will continue to make me more valuable to my current employer.

Has anyone else ever faced difficulties with youth bias as a young professional? Does anyone else have any tips on how to make yourself more of an asset at your job despite being early in your career?

Maybe Living In DC Isn't So Bad After All

After reading this recent New York Times article: Starting Salaries but New York Tastes, I've realized that compared to the high living costs of New York City, maybe DC isn't so bad. According to the article:

“Every year around this time, tens of thousands of post-collegiate people in their 20s flood the city despite its soaring expenses. They are high on ambition, meager of budget and endlessly creative when it comes to making ends meet.

Some tactics have long been chronicled: sharing tiny apartments with strangers. Sharing those apartments with eight strangers. Eating cheap lunches and skipping dinners — not just to save money, but so that drinks pack more of a punch and fewer need be consumed.
But there are smaller measures, no less ingenious, that round out the lifestyle. These young people sneak flasks of vodka into bars, flirt their way into clubs, sublet their walk-in closets, finagle their way into open-bar parties and put off haircuts until they visit their hometowns, even if those hometowns are thousands of miles away.”

I admit, I still daydream about living in Manhattan like Carrie in Sex and the City and having a really nice apartment and a fabulous job. I would also be able to take advantage of all of the arts and culture the city has to offer that were at my feet, but I just can’t bring myself to sacrifice my standard of living as many people my age who live in NYC are obviously willing to do. I am all for cutting corners, but I am not skipping meals, just to keep up with appearances and live in a city that I can’t afford. My money goes much farther in DC than it does in New York and I can actually afford to save money and invest in my retirement. There are many up and coming cities that have many job opportunities for young professionals but for some reason, many of us are drawn into the glitz of glamour that is associated with living in New York.

DC is by no means a New York City, but there are plenty of reasonably priced socializing opportunities not to mention cheaper housing than New York City. Yes, you may still have to have roommates, but you won’t be paying 1,000 for a room the size of a closet (if you do your research at least). Now that the summer is here there are even more options of reasonably priced things to do in DC such as:

-Several Free Museums
-Free Festivals on the National Mall in the Spring, Summer and Early Fall
-An Abundance of Restaurants and Bars That Have Happy Hours
-Theatre shows will be cheaper than NYC Broadway shows

Or better yet, enjoy NYC as a visitor and take a day trip (via the bus because gas prices are crazy). Boy have I changed my tune, I had a different view on this a few years ago BEFORE I started paying all of my bills…what a difference a few years makes.

Negotiating that first salary can help or hurt your future earnings

I learned a lot of valuable things in college: how to write a press release, how to write a news article, how to write a public service announcement (I was a public relations major after all), how to give a strong oral presentation, how to write a paper that was supposed to take a whole semester in a matter of hours...the list could go on. But one thing I didn’t learn at my alma mater; which prides itself on its graduates getting offered great employment opportunities was how to negotiate my first salary.

In hind-sight, I definitely low-balled myself when I accepted my first job. I did not learn this until a few months later when I left that company for a better opportunity and my boss earnestly told me that they would have offered me more money if I had indeed asked for more. I feel everything happens for a reason and maybe the stars aligned for me to learn that lesson when I did. Salary negotiation is an important consideration for recent graduates on the job-hunt to know.

I appreciated my first boss being frank with me so I learned this lesson early in my career. I am currently at my third job and know I still have alot to learn. Low-balling yourself on your first job could potentially cost you thousands of dollars in income. Women in particular do not always feel comfortable negotiating for more money and are faster to accept a first offer than men who normally don’t have a problem with negotiating to get that higher salary. I mean salary is important, It’s not uncommon for members of Generation Y (or Millenials as I’ve heard people my age also called in the media) to graduate with more student loan debt than you will make in your first full year of full-time employment or credit card debt. It’s no wonder so many of us elect to live at home a while longer even though we have degrees. I didn’t have this luxury because I sought employment away from home.

But how do you ask for more money?
Do your research ahead of time and know the salary range for your field based on your experience (or lack of) and the cost of living where you live or are seeking employment. Salary.com is a starting point for learning about salary ranges in your field. But talking to a mentor or seasoned professional who makes hiring decisions in your field might be more helpful. If you are in need of a mentor, join a professional networking organization in your field. I find sometimes that those salary calculators are skewed or may not offer jobs fields that are more unique. And remember: A salary of $35,000 in North Carolina is NOT the same as a salary of $35,000 in New York City!

Make a strong case for your skills and what you would bring to the company and in the most polite way possible, when discussion of salary comes up in an interview, try to let interviewers bring up exact numbers first so you won’t low-ball yourself. Specifics such as salary in my experience don’t come up unless the company has made a formal offer or plan to in the near future - but this could just be the way it’s done in communications-related industries, as that is where my work experience lies.

As David Bach says in his book, Smart Women Finish First in his 12 Commandments for Attracting Greater Wealth “Don’t accept less than you are worth!”

If you already have a job, ask for a raise (strategically).
If you were like me and did not know the pitfalls of low-balling yourself when it comes to salary, ask for a raise. BUT ask for a raise in a strategic way. Become the ‘go-to’ person or problem solver at your job. If something needs to be done, do it and don’t complain. Come in early and leave a little later. Offer ideas on projects or create your own. Build a portfolio of all of your contributions and if you are numbers savvy, put monetary value to your work. For instance if you work in a commission-based or sales industry, state outright how much money you have generated for your company. If you work in a creative field like writing or graphic design, create a file (website is even better) of your best work and make a nice power point or (inexpensive) portfolio of your work to help strengthen your case. This may take some time, but it will be worth it and you can always use it at future jobs.

If your job sucks and your salary is dismal it may be time to move on.
I am all for not giving up and making the best out of a situation, but sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on. This may be more difficult to do as you get older, so take advantage of this if you are younger and single or your significant other is okay with you quitting your job. Leaving your job on your terms should be even more encouragement (if the state of our economy already isn’t) for you to stack up money in your emergency fund. If you have a nice cushion of savings, you don’t have to stay at a job your aren’t happy with.

So, for those entering the work force or even switching fields, happy job hunting! For those already working, Do you think your first job cost you money in future earnings?

Getting Ahead: Turn Your Hobby Into A Side Hustle

When I meet people my age (mid-twenties or younger) that are in the working world and they tell me they don't have side hustles, I have to refrain myself from asking why not? Unless you have a particularly demanding and/or stressful day job or young children to tend to, I believe it can only help young professionals to turn skills you already possess into a side hustle. Many of us have skills or hobbies that can easily translate into a side hustle. Are you really good at doing hair, have excellent editing skills, capable of selling someone anything, excellent at explaining math concepts, or some other useful talent you get enjoyment from doing? Turn this talent into another source of income. With a little bit of self promotion, its possible.

I was inspired to write this post after reading Moneymonk's recent advise on how to get ahead financially . I definitely agree that multiple streams of income are vital ways of building wealth. A side hustle can do more than just put an extra few dollars in your pocket, a side hustle can also:

1. Help you build relationships. Although I do enjoy my day-job, I sit at a desk for eight hours a day...I've been working for two years and I still am adjusting to the grueling hours of a 9-5. I enjoy being able to ineract with people (and actually walk around) on my customer service-based side hustle. I get the opportunity to talk with and meet people from many walks of life between the clients I serve and my co-workers.
   
2. Give you an alternate stream of income outside of your day-job. I can't tell you how many unexpected bills have gotten paid with my side hustle money over the past year. I know that part of that is my not planning so well for unexpected expenses and as a result, I now have (a small but growing) emergency fund. In the future, I plan to save/invest my side hustle money.


3. Develop skills that could help your career. I hope to one day have some sort of business of my own and the customer-service skills I have developed at my side-hustle can potentially help me in my future business endeavors.


4. Help you to save/invest money for the future. My side hustle gives me an extra cushion of money to save/invest for short and long term goals. Because of my side-hustle, this year I was able to start investing some money every month in a mutual fund. I hope to start investing more money in the future.


5. Pay down debt faster. My side hustle money allows me to throw more money at debt when I plan carefully. I hope to cut down the time it will take to pay off student loans and credit card debt as a result of this extra money.

Don't fret If you're not feeling so entrepreneurial, you can always work for someone else to do your side-hustle. For instance, my side hustle is working at a mid-priced clothing store. Note: I would only suggest a retail side hustle for those who can avoid the temptation of spending money at your place of employment. I learned this the hard way...I am currenly looking into other side-hustle alternatives (such as blogging) that have the potential of being more lucrative than my current one.

It Might Not Be So Easy To Find That First Job For ’08 Grads

I’m only two years out of college, so I remember how scary the prospect of finding your first job is for the class of 2008. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article,

“As the credit crunch roils financial markets and the U.S. economy sputters, new college graduates are plunging into the rockiest job market in recent years.
The bleaker picture is in stark contrast with last year, when colleges and employers reported robust hiring, and students in finance, accounting and other hot fields were choosing among numerous offers. Now, companies that just a few months ago were planning substantial increases in entry-level hiring have scaled back their plans as economic conditions have worsened. In turbulent areas such as financial services, some firms are slashing the number of fresh graduates they intend to employ, and students are curtailing expectations of finding their ideal position.” Here is a link to the whole article:
For Class of '08, A Scramble for Jobs

Here are a few tips for job hunting in this tough market, whether you are graduating this year or have a few years of work experience under your belt:

Make finding a job a full time job.
Until you get that first offer, you should be blanketing the internet with your cover letter and resume. Carry if with you EVERYWHERE because you never know who you might meet while you’re in Starbucks or on the subway.
PLEASE have SEVERAL people critique your resume and cover letter(s) for errors। Have peers, professionals in the field you want to work in and even a professor your have a good relationship with look at the resume. Your resume won’t even make it to the HR department if it is filled with spelling mistakes. Do practice interviews with this same set of people also to combat nervousness.

Join a professional organization in your field--they may even have a discount for students or recent graduates.
Almost every field of work from Business to Chemistry has a professional organization. You may have even been a member of the organization's pre-professional chapter as a student. So, take an extra step and the money to join one (or a few) professional organizations in the field.

Volunteer or take an internship in the field you want to work in.
If you have to take a “stepping stone” job at first, explore volunteer or internship opportunities in the field you want to have a career in. If you want to be an entertainment publicist, volunteer for the best entertainment publicist you can find. Maybe that person can even connect you with others in the field who are in the position to offer you a job.

Network with your school’s alumni association.
Make sure to get added to the alumni job listerv if your school has one. PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR and make yourself known--persistent but not pest-like--to the career services department at your school…preferably before your senior your. If you have already graduated, don’t hesitate to contact them, many schools help connect students and alumni with jobs.

Surf job sites that focus on the field you want to be in.
I know you’re already surfing the web, so while you’re on Facebook or reading your favorite blogs, check out job websites. Monster and Careerbuilder are good starting point.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do, explore several options before settling for a job you loathe.
Hey what is another year of living as a student (aka, broke) while you explore a career path that will fulfill you? You have the next several decades to worry about working। You should never settle in life, especially for a job. Most people spend more time with their co-workers than they do with family members, so you might as well enjoy them and enjoy what you do everyday.

Stay positive.
A good attitude combined with visualizing yourself with your dream job is way more productive then feeling sorry for yourself. So get out there, dust off that suit and start hustling to get that job!